Emergency 111 calls on a VoIP phone system

How emergency calls are handled

When someone dials 111 from a phone, the call is routed to the emergency call service, which asks which service is needed and connects the caller. For landlines, emergency services traditionally received address information linked to the line. For VoIP and cloud phones, providers pass on information associated with the service, which in most cases is the address you registered when setting up the account or each number. Mobile phones are handled differently. Emergency services can often receive location information from the mobile network and, on many modern handsets, from the phone itself. That is why a mobile is usually the better choice for emergency calls made away from your registered address.

Keep your registered address right

When you set up a cloud phone system, the provider asks for the service address. Check it is the physical address of the office, including unit or floor number, not a postal box or the accountant's address. If you have several sites, each site's numbers or extensions should carry that site's address where the system allows it.

Update the address whenever you move. It is easy to forget once numbers follow you to a new office automatically. Put a reminder in your office move checklist and confirm the change in writing with your provider. In a large building, adding a floor or a description helps responders find you quickly.

Shared offices and co-working spaces need extra care. If several businesses share a building, the call taker needs to know which tenancy, level and entrance to send responders to. Write that detail into the registered address field where the provider allows it, and include it on the emergency information sheet so whoever makes the call can read it out without hesitation.

Softphones, apps and remote staff

A softphone on a laptop or the phone system's mobile app can travel anywhere. If a staff member uses it to dial 111 from home, a client site or a café, the emergency service may receive the office address. The caller can tell the call taker where they are, but in a stressful situation that is a risk. Make a simple rule for remote and hybrid staff: for emergency calls, use your mobile's own dialler, not the business phone app. Check your provider's approach too, as some systems handle emergency calls from apps in particular ways or warn users when dialling 111 from an app.

Power cuts and internet outages

Old copper phones carried their own power, so a basic handset worked during a power cut. VoIP desk phones, routers and the fibre terminal all need mains power. When the power or internet goes, so do the desk phones. In most offices, staff mobiles cover the gap, but you should check that is true for your site, particularly if mobile coverage inside the building is weak.

A small uninterruptible power supply (UPS) on the fibre terminal, router and network switch keeps cloud phones running through short outages. Providers also have obligations to help certain vulnerable customers who rely on a landline for emergency calls to have an alternative way to reach 111 during a power cut. If anyone in your business or a home worker depends on a landline for health or safety reasons, raise it with your provider.

Alarms and lifts are part of this too

Emergency communication is not only about people dialling. Monitored fire and security alarms and lift emergency phones also need a reliable path to a monitoring centre. When moving from copper to VoIP or fibre, those devices usually need their own communicator, often using the mobile network, with battery backup. Ask each supplier to confirm that their device reports correctly after any phone or internet change, and get a test signal sent and acknowledged. Do not assume that because the office phones work, the alarm does as well; they are often on completely separate paths.

Preparing your staff

Add emergency calling to your induction and to the sheet next to each phone. Cover which phone to use, the office address to give, including floor and entrance details, and where the first aid kit and evacuation point are. Make sure staff know that 111 calls work from any mobile, even without credit on prepaid phones. Test your arrangements occasionally without calling 111. Check the registered address in the provider's portal, confirm desk phones stay up on the UPS for a few minutes when unplugged from mains, and verify alarm communicators report. Emergency preparation is easy to forget until the day it matters.