Chess ICT is one of the UK’s largest independent technology providers, with 30,000+ business customers, 360+ employees, and around £150 million in annual revenue. Founded in 1993, the company has grown through 10+ acquisitions to offer a full ICT stack — cloud phone systems, Microsoft Teams telephony, connectivity, cybersecurity, and managed IT — all under one roof.
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We evaluated Chess ICT’s phone system products for UK businesses. Their Cloud Voice platform is a solid hosted VoIP option for businesses wanting a traditional provider with on-site support. However, Chess is quote-based only (no published pricing), and recent customer complaints about a new AI support bot are worth noting. If you want transparent per-user pricing, RingCentral (from £12.99/user) or Dialpad (from £12/user) are stronger starting points.
- 30,000+ business customers - Chess ICT ranks among UK’s largest independent technology providers with 360+ staff
- £150 million revenue - Annual turnover demonstrates scale advantage over smaller phone system installers
- Premium pricing model - Costs 20-40% more than direct cloud providers for equivalent functionality
- Best for complex deployments - Multi-site businesses with 100+ users benefit from white-glove service approach
- Award-winning support - Multiple industry accreditations but reflected in higher monthly fees than competitors
Chess ICT Phone System Products
Chess ICT offers three phone system products: Cloud Voice (hosted VoIP), Teams Voice (Microsoft Teams telephony), and Webex (Cisco unified comms). All are quote-based with no published pricing.
Cloud Voice
Chess Cloud Voice is a hosted VoIP system sold on a per-seat basis with no major hardware investment. Features include a web portal dashboard, call recording (inbound, outbound, and internal), auto attendant, desktop and mobile clients, free site-to-site calls, number portability, and admin controls. Chess actively markets this as a PSTN switch-off migration solution for businesses moving off analogue lines before January 2027.
Teams Voice
Chess is a top Microsoft partner in the UK, offering Microsoft Teams telephony in two tiers — Plus and Premium. This adds full PBX features, call recording, CTI integration, and contact centre capabilities directly within Teams. If your business already uses Microsoft 365 and wants to consolidate voice into the same platform, this is worth exploring. See our business phone systems comparison for how Teams-based solutions stack up.
Webex (Cisco)
Through their Cisco partnership, Chess also offers Webex for Cloud Voice — combining calls, messaging, video meetings, and AI-powered transcription on the Cisco platform. This suits businesses that want enterprise-grade unified communications without managing the infrastructure themselves.
Pricing
Chess ICT does not publish pricing for any of its phone products. All quotes require a sales conversation. One customer reports costs significantly lower than other providers.
Chess uses a quote-based pricing model across all products. There are no published per-user rates, making direct comparison difficult without engaging their sales team. This is common among larger managed service providers but frustrating for businesses comparing options.
| Provider | Price From | Published Pricing? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chess ICT | Quote only | No | Businesses wanting full ICT provider |
| RingCentral | £12.99/user | Yes | Growing businesses, 300+ integrations |
| Dialpad | £12/user | Yes | AI-first teams |
| bOnline | £9.95/user | Yes | Simple setup, UK-focused |
| Vonage | £10/user | Yes | Supervisor tools |
| Lily Comms | Quote only | No | White-glove engineer installation |
For transparent per-user pricing, our VoIP providers guide compares the main options side by side.
Company Background
Chess ICT was founded in 1993 by David Pollock in Cheshire (named after his children Charlie and Jess). It has grown through 10+ acquisitions to become one of the UK’s largest independent ICT providers with ~£150m revenue.
Chess ICT (formerly Chess Telecom, now trading at chessict.co.uk) is headquartered in Alderley Edge, Cheshire. The company is privately held and independently owned — despite 2019 speculation about a Daisy Group acquisition, this never happened. David Pollock remains Executive Chairman.
Chess’s growth story is largely built on acquisitions. Key deals include TTNC (SS7 carrier, UK number ranges, SIP trunks, 2022), CyberLab (cybersecurity-as-a-service, 2023), Callagenix (Ofcom-registered SS7 carrier, 2023), Armadillo (penetration testing, 2021), and Silversands (IT consultancy, 29 Microsoft/Azure specialists, 2024). This buy-and-build strategy gives Chess capabilities most telecoms providers don’t have in-house.
Beyond Phone Systems
Chess ICT is a full ICT provider offering connectivity, business mobile (EE partner), cybersecurity, managed IT, IoT, and devices alongside its phone products. This single-provider model suits businesses wanting to consolidate.
Unlike pure-play VoIP providers, Chess offers a wide ICT portfolio beyond phone systems. Their additional services include fibre broadband, leased lines, WAN and WiFi, business mobile contracts (as an EE partner), IoT connectivity, hardware procurement, managed IT services, and cybersecurity through their CyberLab and Armadillo divisions (1,000+ security customers).
This breadth is Chess’s key differentiator. If you want one provider handling voice, internet, mobile, and security, Chess can consolidate everything. If you just want a phone system, the product portfolio may feel overwhelming — simpler providers like bOnline or NBC Cloud Voice may be a better fit.
Awards and Accreditations
Chess ICT has appeared in the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies to Work For 17 consecutive years, reaching No. 1 in 2018. Triple ISO-certified (9001, 14001, 27001).
Chess’s employer brand is genuinely impressive — 17 consecutive years in the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies, with the No. 1 spot in 2018. Recent rankings include No. 3 National Large Business (2025), No. 3 North West (2025), and No. 2 Technology Sector (2025). They also hold ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environmental), and ISO 27001 (information security) certifications.
Vendor partnerships include Cisco, Microsoft, Sophos (Public Sector Partner of the Year for 10+ years), EE, HP, Dell, and Lenovo. This isn’t a small reseller — Chess has genuine scale and accreditation behind its services.
What Do Customers Say?
Chess ICT holds a 4.5/5 Trustpilot rating from 4,905 reviews (Excellent). Named account managers are praised, but a new AI phone bot introduced in February 2026 has drawn complaints about reaching a human.
Trustpilot feedback is largely positive. Customers praise named account managers, smooth Cloud Voice installations, mobile contract management, and long-term relationship quality. Chess replies to 100% of negative reviews within 48 hours.
The main current issue is a new AI phone bot introduced in February 2026. Multiple recent reviews complain about being unable to reach a human when calling support. If hands-on human support is important to your business, ask Chess directly about their current support routing before committing. For comparison, Lily Comms (4.9/5, 1,910 reviews) is known for its white-glove human support model.
Some Trustpilot reviews also mention NBC customers being transferred to Chess — a likely legacy from acquisitions. These transfers occasionally generate billing disputes and number porting issues.
Our Verdict on Chess ICT
Chess ICT review: 30,000+ customers, £150m revenue, 30 years in UK telecoms. Cloud Voice, Teams Voice, and Webex systems. 4.5/5 Trustpilot. Our verdict.
Chess ICT is a strong choice for businesses wanting a single ICT provider covering phones, internet, security, and IT. However, the lack of published pricing and recent AI support issues mean you should compare quotes carefully.
Chess ICT works best for businesses that want a single provider managing their entire ICT estate. If you’re already buying internet, mobile, and phone from separate suppliers, consolidating under Chess could simplify management and potentially reduce costs. Their scale (360+ staff, £150m revenue) means they’re not going anywhere — this is a stable, established provider.
If you just want a cloud phone system with clear pricing, Chess isn’t the best fit. RingCentral, Dialpad, and bOnline all publish per-user rates and are easier to evaluate. For a similar managed-service approach with exceptional customer reviews, Lily Comms is the obvious alternative.
Compare Chess against our Phone System Cost Calculator to get a personalised cost estimate based on your specific requirements.[/es_callout] >top-rated business phone systems or read our VoIP providers comparison for the full picture.
