Dialpad alternatives for UK businesses.

The two paths.

Three SME profiles, three outcomes. Dialpad Pro at ~£20/user/mo on the left; split stack and full-switch options on the right.

The split-stack pattern in detail.

The technical setup is straightforward:

• 3CX runs the firm's main switchboard — reception, accounts, partners, mobile, video, IVR routing, call queues.
• Dialpad stays on for the sales pod — they keep the AI suite, the CRM integration workflow, the coaching playback.
• Internal calls between sales pod and rest of firm route via SIP gateway between 3CX and Dialpad, or via the main switchboard if dialed externally. Reception transfers to a sales rep work either way.
• Inbound to the main number lands on 3CX reception. Sales inbound (separate DID for new-enquiry leads) lands on Dialpad. Two paths preserved.

Net effect: sales team experience is unchanged; everyone else pays £8/user instead of £20/user; the firm's bill drops 50–60%.

The audit questions for sales-pod AI value.

1. "Show me a sample AI-generated call summary your team used this week." If they have one ready, the AI is being consumed.
2. "How many calls per week does your sales manager review using AI coaching playback?" If the answer is a real number above 10, coaching workflow is active.
3. "What percentage of calls have their transcript read by anyone afterwards?" If under 20%, the transcription is feature-without-consumer.
4. "How much time does the AI auto-logging save the sales team versus manual CRM entry?" Should be a defensible number ("about 5 minutes per rep per call"). Vague answers signal the feature isn't tracked because it's not load-bearing.

When to stay on Dialpad fully.

• Active sales coaching at scale. 20+ sales reps with structured weekly call review using Dialpad's AI playback. Real workflow.
• Inbound contact centre operations with AI QA. Customer support teams using sentiment analysis and AI summarisation as part of QA sampling. Saves QA hours.
• SaaS startup where Dialpad is part of the product stack already. If your firm's product also uses Dialpad APIs, consolidation has separate value.

Full-switch mechanics.

1. Week 1 — audit. AI usage assessment, current Dialpad bill review, user count.
2. Week 2–4 — 3CX provisioning. UK hosting, Gamma SIP, Yealink handsets, IVR rebuilt.
3. Week 3–5 — porting. Dialpad UK numbers port via standard LoA. Some Dialpad-managed ranges port slower than direct Gamma; plan for 4 weeks.
4. Week 5–6 — cut-over. Standard cut-over weekend.
5. Dialpad contract. Typically annual rolling. Renewal-aligned cut-over avoids early-termination.

Split-stack mechanics.

Easier than full switch because Dialpad keeps running through implementation.

1. Week 1–3. 3CX deployed for non-sales users. Main switchboard moves to new Gamma-routed number range (or existing main numbers port from current carrier).
2. Week 3–4. SIP gateway configured between 3CX and Dialpad for internal call routing.
3. Week 4–5. Non-sales Dialpad users removed from Dialpad billing. Sales pod licences stay on. Bill drops at next Dialpad invoice cycle.

Common questions.

What about the existing HubSpot or Salesforce integration?

3CX has its own CRM integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce, Dynamics, Zoho, Pipedrive — click-to-call, screen-pop, call logging. Less AI-flavoured than Dialpad's integration but covers the basics. For sales pod users staying on Dialpad in a split stack, their existing integration is untouched.

What's the audit cost?

Free. We'll model both options against your actual numbers (current Dialpad bill, AI usage estimate, growth plan) and tell you which path saves the most without breaking the sales team's tools.

Can we keep Dialpad's mobile app?

Yes if you stay on Dialpad (full or split). If you full-switch, 3CX's mobile app replaces it. The conceptual model is similar; users adapt in a few days.