Franchise phone systems: a checklist for multi-location owners

RingCentral has published a guide to phone systems for franchise networks, outlining the challenge of managing calls consistently across multiple locations. For Australian franchise owners, it raises a practical question: can your current setup support another site without creating another set of exceptions?

Choosing franchise phone systems is not simply about replacing handsets. It is about deciding who controls customer numbers, where calls go, what happens during an outage and who resolves problems. The following checklist turns those decisions into requirements you can test before signing a contract or migrating a location.

Start with a franchise phone systems register

Before comparing platforms, record what each location actually uses. Include its published numbers, carrier account, contract dates, handsets, internet connection, voicemail destinations and any forwarding to personal mobiles.

Check for services that depend on existing lines, including alarms, lift phones, payment terminals or fax equipment. Do not assume these can move unchanged to internet-based calling; confirm requirements with their respective suppliers.

For every site, identify:

• The legal entity holding the carrier account.
• The person authorised to approve changes.
• The numbers shown on signage, websites and business listings.
• The teams receiving calls during business hours and after closing.
• Any upcoming ownership changes or lease exits.

This register becomes the baseline for migration, support and franchise transfers. Assign someone to maintain it rather than treating it as a one-off project document.

Define shared call routing before configuring it

A common platform does not require every location to answer calls identically. It should provide consistent rules while preserving the local knowledge customers need.

Map each caller journey: a direct call to a store, a call to a shared enquiries number, an unanswered call and an after-hours call. Set an agreed waiting period before overflow, and name the destination rather than writing “send elsewhere”.

For example, a store could answer first, then overflow to an approved booking team. That team must have access to the right availability and procedures. Sending calls to another location is unhelpful if its staff cannot service the enquiry.

Test these scenarios:

• All local staff are already on calls.
• Nobody answers despite the location being open.
• The overflow destination is also unavailable.
• A customer needs a particular branch rather than the next available person.

For franchise phone systems, routing acceptance should be based on completed test calls, not screenshots of configuration screens. Make sure overflow paths cannot loop back into each other.

Give each location its own calendar

A single national opening-hours schedule can produce incorrect routing when sites operate in different time zones or observe different public holidays.

Configure the time zone and trading calendar for each location. Include temporary closures, seasonal hours and the process for changing recorded greetings. Check daylight saving transitions where relevant.

Local managers may need permission to activate an approved closure message without being able to change network-wide routing. Decide whether temporary overrides expire automatically, and who checks that normal service has resumed.

Your checklist should include:

• Separate business-hours and after-hours destinations.
• A holiday calendar with a named reviewer.
• A defined callback owner for voicemail.
• A process for correcting outdated announcements.

Test a closed location while another remains open. Confirm callers hear accurate information and reach an appropriate destination, rather than simply a ringing handset.

Clarify number control and transfer rights

“Who owns the number?” is useful shorthand, but the operational questions are more precise: who holds the service account, who can authorise a port and what happens when the franchise relationship ends?

Document these arrangements in the relevant commercial agreements. Do not assume the business paying the monthly bill automatically has authority to transfer every number.

Before selecting franchise phone systems, ask providers to explain their porting requirements, expected process, restrictions and exit arrangements. Keep account details and authorisations accessible to approved people.

For a migration:

• Verify every number against current carrier records.
• Confirm which services might be affected by a port.
• Agree a cutover window and a fallback communication plan.
• Test inbound calls, outbound caller identification and voicemail afterwards.
• Keep existing services active until the provider confirms the appropriate cancellation sequence.

Also check how emergency calling works, including location information and limitations for staff using phone applications away from their usual site.

Centralise administration without exposing every site

Central administration should simplify changes without giving every manager unrestricted access. Separate network-wide administrators, location managers, reporting users and ordinary callers.

Require multifactor authentication where supported, named administrator accounts and a clear process for removing access when someone leaves. Avoid shared credentials that make it difficult to trace changes.

Check whether the platform can restrict a manager to their own location, log configuration changes and alert administrators to unusual calling activity. Consider international dialling restrictions and spending controls where available.

Call recordings, voicemail and customer details need their own access and retention rules. Confirm storage locations, contractual data-handling terms and any applicable recording notice or consent obligations. Do not assume a cloud phone service stores information locally.

If phone access depends on Microsoft identities, include it in your Microsoft 365 hardening review. For retained recordings and exported reports, apply the same lifecycle discipline discussed in our business data protection checklist.

Test internet and power resilience at each site

Cloud calling still depends on working connectivity, equipment and power. A second internet connection is useful only if failover operates as intended and the backup path has adequate coverage and capacity.

Ask your provider to distinguish between keeping an existing call connected and restoring the ability to make new calls. These are not necessarily the same outcome.

A practical resilience test should cover:

• Disconnecting the primary internet service under controlled conditions.
• Confirming new inbound and outbound calls work on backup connectivity.
• Checking audio quality while other business traffic is active.
• Testing what happens when local networking equipment loses power.
• Confirming an approved remote answering destination remains reachable.

Consider backup power for the router, network switches and handsets where appropriate. Mobile applications can provide another answering option, but check mobile coverage, device security and staff availability first.

Record the results site by site. A successful test at head office does not establish resilience everywhere.

Name the support owner and prove the rollout

The support model for franchise phone systems should be as clear as the call routing. Staff should not have to decide whether poor audio is a carrier, WiFi, handset or platform problem before reporting it.

Assign one initial contact and document how that contact coordinates with other suppliers. Agree support hours, escalation paths and who can approve urgent routing changes.

Separate responsibilities explicitly:

• Franchisor: shared standards, approved providers and network-wide changes.
• Franchisee: local staffing, accurate hours and site access.
• Managed provider: agreed administration, diagnosis and supplier coordination.
• Carrier or platform provider: responsibilities defined in its service agreement.

Pilot the setup at representative sites before expanding. Include different internet services, opening hours and call volumes. Require sign-off on call routing, number presentation, access permissions and outage behaviour.

Compare total operating costs, including handsets, connectivity, support, call usage, recording storage and site additions or departures. Review missed calls and callback handling regularly, with a named person responsible for fixing recurring issues.

Put a consistent operating model behind every number

The right franchise phone systems support clear local service without leaving each location to solve the same problems independently. Start with documented responsibilities, test the customer journeys and verify the failure paths.

Tech Engine can help plan and manage business phone systems and the networks supporting them across Australia. To review your multi-site setup, call 1300 088 324, email sales@techengine.au or visit aiaas.au.