Expert guide: What to do if your business landline isn’t working

This is one of the most common problems with landlines: you pick up your phone to make a call, but instead of a dial tone, you get silence, static, or muffled noise.

A lack of dial tone can be caused by a number of reasons, from a broken cord to a plug that hasn’t been inserted properly. Most problems can be solved by following these steps:

• Check the plugs and cables connected to your phone. Is anything loose? If something is, firmly push it back into the socket, then try ringing again. If a cable is visibly damaged, replace it with a new one.
• If you have a cordless phone, make sure it’s not low on battery. Also check the base unit is plugged into a working electrical outlet.
• Check none of your phones are hanging off the hook.
• Is only one number affected, or all of them? If only one number is having trouble connecting, it's likely a service problem with that number.
• Make a note of when the problem occurs. If it’s only at certain times of the day or during bad weather, it could be an issue with the line.

You hear a dial tone when you put the phone to your ear, but your calls don’t seem to be going through. This problem is more likely to be caused by the line or service, rather than the hardware itself.

If you're having trouble making calls, try these steps:

• Double check you’re dialling the correct number. Accidentally pressing the wrong button is easy to do, and you may be calling a similar number that’s not in use.
• See if you have Call Barring enabled. Some handsets have Call Barring options that restrict the types of calls you can make.
• Make sure you don’t have any outstanding phone bills. Your provider may have restricted your line if they’re still awaiting payment.
• Look up your service provider on the internet and see if anyone else in the area is having the same issue as you. If they are, send a report to the provider. They should be able to fix it on their end.

Sometimes, you’ll find that even though you can make calls, you can’t receive them. Either the phone only rings for a very short time, or not at all.

If you’re having this problem, it could be caused by incorrect settings or a system that’s too large. Try these steps to fix it:

• Make sure the ringer on your phone is turned on. The ringer is usually a small switch on the base of your telephone. In most phones, it can either be set High, Low, or Off. If it’s set to Low or Off, switch it to High. If your phone uses a different style of ringer, check your user manual for instructions.
• Call Barring may also be stopping calls from coming through, so make sure it’s not active.
• If you have more than four phones in your system, your line's ringing equivalence number (REN) may be overloaded. Unplug all phones, then plug them in one by one until you identify which device is exceeding your REN limit. You can buy extension boosters to increase your line's REN, if necessary.

So you’ve tried all the steps above, but nothing seems to have worked. You’re at your wit’s end – is your business landline broken for good?

Not necessarily. As much as you might be tempted to throw your phone at the wall, it’s much better for your wallet (and your masonry) to get it looked at by an expert at Town & Country Communications, we know how important keeping in contact is. We have two decades of experience repairing and replacing all kinds of handsets for businesses across the South, and will be able to diagnose and fix your problem in no time.

To get a quote on a repair, call us on 01202 514444 or fill out our online form!