Construction Phone System:
How Fox (Owmby) Nearly Halved Telecoms Costs and Kept Its Yealink Phones
How a Lincolnshire civil engineering and quarrying contractor left BT for a hosted 3CX phone system, kept all 40 Yealink handsets and cut its telecoms costs by almost 50%.
Civil engineering & quarrying
150+ employees · 40 users
Market Rasen, Lincolnshire
Hosted 3CX + 40 Yealink handsets
About Fox (Owmby) Ltd
Established in 1929, Fox (Owmby) Limited is a fourth-generation family business headquartered at Caenby Hall near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. Led by Adam Fox, the founder’s great-grandson, it has grown from an earthmoving and agricultural contractor into a multidisciplinary principal contractor delivering civil engineering, earthworks, quarrying, infrastructure and land development projects across the UK. Fox employs more than 150 people, runs a fleet of over 100 items of plant, delivers projects valued from around £10,000 to more than £20 million, and its construction operations are DNV-certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.
With BT charges climbing, service proving unreliable and extra fees appearing unexpectedly, Fox wanted a dependable phone system without the cost or upheaval of replacing its hardware. The VoIP Shop moved Fox to hosted 3CX, remotely re-provisioned all 40 Yealink handsets and transferred the company’s main number from BT, cutting telecoms costs by almost 50%, stabilising pricing and simplifying administration.
The challenge
Rising BT costs, weaker reliability and slower support
Reliable phone access is critical to Fox. Site managers, clients, hauliers, suppliers and aggregate customers all depend on reaching the business, so an outage can quickly affect operations. Although Fox relied on BT for its business telecoms, concerns over pricing, service stability and support continued to grow. IT Manager Rick Durant faced several persistent problems, including:
Costs regularly came in above expectations, making budgets difficult to predict, while phone faults interrupted staff and everyday contact with customers and sites. Issues were slow to resolve, finding the right technical specialist was challenging, and even basic system changes placed an unnecessary burden on the IT team, all under a contract offering diminishing long-term value.
Fox needed a communications platform that was dependable, transparent and simple to administer, backed by responsive support.
Why Fox (Owmby) chose The VoIP Shop
Following a review of Fox’s requirements, The VoIP Shop recommended a scalable solution that resolved the immediate issues and supported future growth, without replacing the phones already in place.
The approach provided:
Prices remain fixed for the full contract term, so after dealing with unplanned fees and increases, Fox can now forecast telecoms spending accurately. As an authorised 3CX Gold Partner, The VoIP Shop provides advanced-certified engineers, Tier 1 infrastructure hosted in UK data centres and a UK-based support team.
Through the 3CX web portal, Rick can manage users, extensions, call flows, ring groups and out-of-hours routing himself, so routine updates no longer need support tickets. And rather than replacing Fox’s 40 Yealink desk phones, The VoIP Shop remotely re-provisioned them for 3CX, removing the upfront cost of new equipment and letting staff keep familiar handsets.
The solution
The VoIP Shop replaced Fox’s BT service with a hosted 3CX platform configured around the company’s day-to-day operations.
Hosted 3CX Phone System
A resilient cloud telephony service with no on-premises PBX to manage, connecting the head office at Caenby Hall with sites, customers and suppliers.
Remote re-provisioning meant the existing Yealink handsets were set up for 3CX without any replacement purchases, while the 3CX web portal gives Fox’s IT team simple control of users, extensions and call routing, reducing reliance on external support for routine changes.
BT Number Transfer & Managed Migration
For a contractor, phone access must remain available throughout the working week. The VoIP Shop prepared the 3CX platform and handsets beforehand, then timed the transfer of Fox’s main number from BT to limit disruption and keep inbound calls flowing to Caenby Hall during the changeover.
Customers, suppliers and sites continue to call Fox on its established head-office number, and clear, itemised billing with fixed charges means no price rises during the contract. Fox also has direct access to The VoIP Shop’s UK-based, 3CX-certified specialists.
The results
The Bottom Line
By leaving BT, Fox (Owmby) kept all 40 Yealink phones and lowered its telecoms costs by almost 50%. Its new system is more affordable, easier to control and supported with the reliability the company needs.
Fox now has a hosted 3CX phone system that costs less, is easier for its IT team to manage and keeps every existing handset in service. The project delivered:
Almost 50% Saving
Moving away from BT cut Fox’s telecoms spend by nearly half, while keeping the Yealink handsets removed the upfront expense of replacement equipment.
Predictable Monthly Costs
With rates fixed for the contract term, Fox can plan monthly expenditure with confidence and avoid unexpected fees.
Less Admin for IT
The IT Manager can complete everyday updates in the 3CX portal without waiting for provider support.
Existing Handsets Kept
All 40 Yealink handsets were remotely re-provisioned for 3CX, so staff kept the phones they already knew and no new hardware was needed.
More Reliable Communications
A stable hosted 3CX platform now links Fox’s head office with its sites, customers and suppliers, and can scale as the business grows.
UK-Based Support
Fox now has direct access to UK engineers who are familiar with its 3CX environment, giving the business a dedicated partner for its communications.
Could you cut your telecoms costs without replacing your phones?
Rising costs, confusing bills, unreliable service or an outdated system don’t necessarily mean replacing your handsets. Many Yealink, Fanvil and Snom phones can be re-provisioned for a new platform, lowering the upfront cost of switching. As an authorised 3CX Gold Partner with UK-based support, The VoIP Shop helps construction, engineering and multi-site businesses move to reliable, fixed-price cloud phone systems with minimal disruption.
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Explore the Solutions Behind This Project
Fox (Owmby) left BT for a hosted 3CX phone system and kept all 40 of its Yealink handsets. Here are the solutions behind the build.