Here at Dial 9 we’re feeling extremely thankful and proud. And also more than a little amazed.
Why? Because this month marks an incredible 10 years since we started out on our mission to offer full-service VoIP communication with first-rate service & support.
The last decade has certainly gone fast, but it’s also been an exciting time, packed with innovation, awards, growth and above all, customer satisfaction.
A decade of Dial 9
Dial 9 started out as aTech Telecoms, a self-hosted telecoms billing platform and one of the key services provided by aTech Media, a software house established in 2005 in Dorset. Seeing the opportunity to expand beyond just providing Telecoms as a platform for other customers, in 2011 aTech Media took the decision to create their own full-service VoIP Telecoms company. Thus, Dial 9 Communications was formed and registered as a brand new company.
Now an official telecoms provider with Ofcom, we then joined the Internet Telephony Service Providers Association (ITSPA - now Comms Council). This meant we could be directly involved with industry updates as they happened. Over the last ten years, this has not only helped us stay at the forefront of any new and exciting developments, but has also resulted in a series of independent commendations and awards that have been an important part of our ongoing success.
Fast forward to 2021 and we’re now a highly experienced, award-winning telecoms provider with an enviable reputation for exceptional service and a long list of satisfied customers. Over the last 12 months alone, we’ve connected nearly 12 million minutes of calls (and counting!) while helping our clients do what they do best.
As a small business ourselves, our focus has always been on helping solve the ever-increasing issues that other small companies have when it comes to dealing with their telephone systems. From the very beginning, this has helped us to provide expert and relevant advice to our customers and provide the most effective solutions possible.
As more and more businesses move from traditional telephony to VoIP-based systems seeking much greater flexibility and performance, we’re proud to be able to help businesses, and those that work within them, function more efficiently. A timeline of technical expertise
- 2011 - Dial 9 was established as a UK Telecoms provider and registered with ITSPA (now Comms Council)
- 2013 - Our dedicated VoIP hardware store - VoipFront was introduced to allow both customers and non-customers to purchase VoIP hardware and accessories.
- 2015 - We started our Partner programme, and introduced the ability for customers to purchase international incoming phone numbers.
- 2016 - The Dial 9 portal was created! At the same time we launched our new website and integrated the store directly into it, replacing VoipFront and making it easier for customers to buy hardware directly through their account. We also improved the signup process, allowing our customers to more easily configure their service automatically.
- 2018 - Hello Dial 9 Connect - our brand new cloud phone system management portal
- 2019 - We receive a special commendation from ITSPA) as a SoHo telecoms provider, and Landline Anywhere, a dedicated Call Forwarding service is added to our product base.
- 2020 - We win the award for Best SoHo Telecoms Provider
What sets Dial 9 apart?
In-house innovation
One thing that sets us apart from many other VoIP & telecoms companies is that our VoIP platform - Dial 9 Connect - has been developed completely in-house by our own team of skilled engineers. Many companies simply resell offerings from other providers or use other platforms over which they have no direct control. At Dial 9, we have the flexibility to mould and nurture our own offerings to meet the exact needs of our customers. All our VoIP and telecom products, including The Dial 9 Business Phone, our most popular product, are powered by Dial 9 Connect. This gives greater control over the resilience of this and our other services.
Specialist service and support
Because we develop our own software, we have total flexibility to meet the needs of our customers. We’ve carefully designed all of our services to take less than 10 minutes to set up via our user-friendly website, and we also provide options to email, call, or start a live chat with our friendly in-house team if you need further help. Already have a phone number with another provider? Thanks to our flexible approach and specialist expertise, we can fully support you throughout the process of moving it over to us.
Total transparency
We aim to be transparent in everything we do, from our clear pricing policies to the way we manage our customers' data. That’s why we created an easy-to-understand and flexible product at a price point that’s affordable to small businesses like yours. This doesn’t just apply to our phone systems, but also our call prices, which start at 1p/minute. We recognise our responsibilities to our customers and work hard to make sure we provide a secure and reliable service designed from the ground up to provide you with peace of mind.
Award-winning ambition
Here at Dial 9 we’re proud to have received the award for Best SOHO (Small Office or Home Office) ITSP (Internet Telephony Service Provider) at the 2020 ITSPA Awards. We’ve also recently found out that we’ve been shortlisted at the 2021 ITSPA Awards, to be held in September.
These coveted awards celebrate innovation and best practice within the VoIP and Unified Communications industry. We’ve worked hard over the past ten years to offer a well-rounded product that incorporates feature-richness, exceptional customer service, and of course, amazing value for money, so we’re thrilled to be recognised for our efforts.
We’d like to offer our thanks for being a part of our story over the past 10 years. It’s been an incredible decade for us, and we can’t wait to see what the next ten years bring. We hope you’ll join us.
