Phone systems for accounting, law and professional firms

Typical requirements in a professional firm

• A main number answered by reception, with quick transfers to partners, managers and their assistants.
• Direct numbers for partners and fee earners, so regular clients can reach them without going through reception.
• Staff who are often out of the office but need to take and make calls as the firm.
• Seasonal peaks, for example around tax-filing, audit or financial year-end deadlines.
• Confidentiality, including who can hear voicemail and recordings.

Design ideas we can scope with you

Reception with presence and quick transfer

A receptionist using a desk phone with status (BLF) keys or the Linkus desktop app can see who is available, on a call or away before transferring. An attended transfer lets reception announce the caller first. Unanswered transfers can go to an assistant or voicemail instead of ringing out.

Direct numbers and personal call handling

Each partner or fee earner can have a direct number that rings their extension, desk phone and mobile app together, with their own voicemail. Whether additional numbers are available, and on what terms, depends on your telco service. Numbers and calls are quoted per customer.

Calls that follow people

With the Linkus mobile and desktop apps, staff can answer firm calls from home or a client's office and call out showing the firm's number, so personal mobile numbers stay private. Desk phones and apps can ring together, and a call can move from the app to another supported device. See the LinkusPBX demo.

Handling peak periods

During busy periods, a simple queue for the main number or a specific team, such as a tax or corporate secretarial team, means callers hear a message and wait rather than reach a busy tone. Queue and call reports show when calls were missed, which helps you plan staffing for the next season.

Meetings and Microsoft Teams

Many firms already use Microsoft 365. Microsoft Teams integration, video meetings and WhatsApp messaging are available depending on plan. We confirm which plan includes what before you commit.

CRM and practice systems

Office plans list CRM and helpdesk integration. The platform supports CRM integrations such as HubSpot, Zoho, Salesforce, Bitrix24, Odoo and Microsoft Dynamics 365, with incoming-call pop-ups, click-to-call and automatic call logging. Integration with a specific practice-management or accounting system needs a separate assessment. See CRM and call recording.

Recording, voicemail and confidentiality

Professional firms handle confidential conversations. Decide whether you need call recording at all, and for which lines. If you record, tell callers, restrict who can access recordings and set a retention period that matches your firm's policy and the PDPA. Voicemail can be protected per user, and administrator permissions can be limited. Platform security features include encryption (TLS/SRTP), firewall rules, IP and country restrictions and single sign-on with Microsoft 365 or Google. We help you configure these, but your firm sets the policy.

Moving from an existing system

Many firms are moving from an older office PABX or an existing IP PBX. Keep the firm's main number and published direct numbers where they are eligible to port, and do not cancel existing lines yourself before the move is confirmed. Plan the cutover for a quiet period, not the week before a filing deadline. Our PABX replacement guide and number porting guide explain the steps. Switching from an existing phone system? We can review your current setup and plan the move to LinkusPBX.

Choosing a package

Choose by number of staff needing an extension and peak simultaneous calls. For example, LinkusPBX CP20 covers 20 extensions and 8 concurrent calls for SGD 79 per month, and CP40 covers 40 extensions and 16 concurrent calls for SGD 149 per month, on an annual commitment. Telco, numbers and external calls are quoted per customer, and setup and porting are quoted case by case. Use the plan finder or see all packages.