Many people, even those who deal with business phone systems often, have never heard of SIP trunk. It may not mean anything to you now, but by the end of this article, we think that what we’ve shared will help you realize that this approach is the best choice for any growing business that needs ongoing flexibility and expert support in 2021.
Between the pandemic, extreme weather events and remote work, being prepared for any eventuality has become a critical aspect of any reasonable business continuity plan. One of the best ways that you can support more flexible unified communications is by switching to a SIP trunk system. This approach leverages the internet to deliver faster, more reliable and affordable phone lines that are stored in the cloud.
The best part is that businesses don’t need to change any of the outward-facing aspects of their contact center or customer service lines. Moving to SIP trunk business phone systems, with the help of a trusted IT-outsourcing expert like Affiliated, happens seamlessly, without disrupting your staff or customers. Like the move from analog to digital to VoIP to cloud, SIP trunking is the next generation of technology your business needs.
Today, let’s explore the details of SIP trunking and explain why this move can help your business thrive in 2021.
Why Move Your Business Phone Systems to SIP Trunk?
SIP trunking is a fantastic resource for business owners looking to save money on their communication expenses, while moving forward into the next generation of technology. In the past, speed has been an issue, but with technology improving every day, you cannot feel or hear the difference between a call made on a SIP trunk line and one made using a traditional telephone line.
While the audio experience is important, it isn’t the only factor at play. Decision makers need to think about their budget and work around factors like productivity, business continuity and more. Let’s explore the benefits that SIP trunking can offer, as well as the features that can be most helpful for your business.
Business Phone Systems Cost
One of the main benefits of switching to a SIP trunk system is the lower cost, including lower total cost of ownership. There are no costly equipment upgrades needed – in fact, most businesses that upgrade to a SIP trunk system end up keeping their existing telephone infrastructure, leading to lower costs from day one.
Built-in Disaster Recovery
When you’re using a premises-based system, any catastrophe, from a natural disaster to a glass of water spilled in the wrong place, can trigger a crisis. SIP trunk systems have disaster recovery built into their foundation. If the system doesn’t see phone lines active at your in-person business, they’ll reroute them automatically.
This frees up much-needed time for your IT department, which no longer has to handle or even think about what to do in the event of an outage or other disaster.
More Flexibility for Multilocation Businesses and Remote Work
In addition to being flexible in the event of an emergency, SIP trunking helps businesses with multiple locations and remote workers pool their paths, bringing their total cost of ownership down. These paths can be shared between multiple locations, which also allows for time-of-day routing if your staff or locations are based in different time zones. This makes your business phone systems much more cost-effective and minimizes wait time and inconvenience for customers.
Explore the Features of SIP Trunking
Many of the features that are inherent to SIP trunking can feel like a giant leap forward if you’re used to PRI trunking. In addition to stellar call quality and benefits like lower costs and more flexibility, here are some of the features you can expect from your new SIP trunk system.
Auto-attendants and Voice Attendants in the Cloud
In addition to offering time-of-day call routing, a SIP trunk system can bring in a centralized auto-attendant system or even offer voice mails in the cloud. It’s like putting a PBX service in the cloud and gives your customers and employees another level of security in case something goes down.
More Accurate Trunk Usage
SIP trunking uses fewer trunks than a traditional phone system, making it easier to only pay for paths that you’re using. Plus, with “bursting,” you don’t have to worry about not having enough lines. Your provider can configure burst channels, which ensure that your customers will never get a busy signal, but you don’t have to pay for capacity that you’re only using a few times a month.
Better Contracting for Business Phone Systems
Most carriers won’t install PBX/analog copper trunks anymore, so the time has come for many businesses to decide what new system to use. Instead of waiting for your carrier to dictate what you do, make the switch to a SIP trunk system through a reliable partner like Affiliated today.
Affiliated Can Help Set up Better Unified Communications
The minute level of detail that’s involved in setting up a new SIP trunk system within your cloud services can be complex. Instead of tackling this challenge alone, let the experts from Affiliated Communications help.
Our experts can simplify the process of setting up your SIP trunk system, including calculating how much bandwidth you need to run effectively. We’ll also analyze your phone bill and see if there are any areas where you could be saving through a VeloCloud SD-Wan or other upgrades to your cloud services. Plus, when you partner with us, you have one bill, as well as one number to call for troubleshooting, advice and more.
Get in touch today to learn how switching to a SIP trunk office phone system can offer support, stability and flexibility where you need it most.
