Business Voice and VoIP

Make sure you have the full product (service/router/hardware)

In taking SIP Trunking (and business VoIP solutions) to market you should ensure that the whole package is fully tested,documented and can be provisioned and supported. The full supported service package should include the following:

• The IPPBX or SIP Gateway that will be installed on the customers site


• The router that will be utilised to connect to the IP Network Provider


• The IP Network , or Internet Service Provider that will utilised to support the voice connections


• The SIP Trunking Service Provider

All elements of the overall solution must be compatible, and for the complete service you can provide effective support for the installation and ongoing fault management. The end customer is buying a complete business voice services solution, not a collection of parts.

Ensure SIP and OEM are “joined up”

The relationship between the SIP provider and the SIP equipment manufacturer is vital to ensure a consistent quality of service. As well as the CPE devices being tested with the SIP providers network , you should examine the relationship that they have , are they working together at a Marketing, Product, Technical and Sales level to ensure that you can get the maximum support on new features and any ongoing support issues. You do not want to be a “ping pong ball” between these two parties some check that they are working together effectively.

Don’t sell on price

SIP Trunking is not about cheap channels and minutes. Cost savings can be made in implementing a SIP trunk connection, especially if deployed across multiple sites, where site to site calling cost reductions can apply. But the main benefits of deploying SIP trunking are not price, but rather the following:

• Number portability – allowing customers to relocate their office and keep their number


• Number flexibility - supporting DR plans for customers at a fraction of existing ISDN costs
  
• Ease of System expansion – an additional number of SIP channels can be added to a site at the fraction of the cost and time that deploying ISDN would entail


• Site Resilience - by adding a SIP trunk connection at a customer’s site and retaining ISDN, the availability of the voice service at the site can be enhanced without the need for major infrastructure to the site.

Stanley Gallor is a contributing author at Gamma Telecom, the provider of various Business Voip including Business Ip Telephony,Business Telephone Systems to UK and International operators.