Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking offers a multitude of benefits to businesses that rely on private branch exchange (PBX). However, many businesses find the implementation process to be a bit intimidating, causing them to shy away from implementing SIP trunking altogether. Fortunately, managed service providers (MSPs) have plenty of tools at their disposal that help make the implementation process less challenging.
Costs Come First
Over the long term, SIP trunking offers significant savings for businesses. Nevertheless, many companies look at the short-term costs of a SIP trunking implementation, which can appear to be a stumbling block for cost-conscious businesses. It’s important for an MSP’s clients to consider the implementation costs and how much they’re willing to budget towards the implementation process. From there, clients can create a deployment plan specifically tailored to address their company’s budgetary limitations.
Training Considerations
Very few technologies offer employees complete mastery upon first use. Given that SIP trunking represents a new technology, it’s important for MSP clients to consider how employees will be trained prior to the implementation process. MSPs may be able to help businesses design an effective training plan and implement it during the deployment.
Plan for Future Bandwidth
One of the most common mistakes in the implementation process involves estimating how much bandwidth is necessary for not just current needs, but for future projects as well. Scalability is a key feature for fast-growing businesses, and focusing solely on current bandwidth needs could easily constrain future growth and drastically raise costs.
To ensure successful growth, MSPs must consider projected future bandwidth needs. Not only should the number of trunks play a role in this calculation, but so should network traffic volumes and voice and video data usage. For instance, clients can pull reports from their current PBX to learn about current trunk connections and gather utilization statistics. With this information, businesses can flesh out their trunk traffic requirements and make upfront purchases that best suit their needs.
Additional Services and Features
Every business has its own set of must-have features that should be included with any SIP trunking implementation. It’s important for clients to consider what added features their businesses could benefit from, including call path sharing and E-911 capabilities. These features should be included in any service bundle created by the MSP.
Clients may also benefit from including cloud-based services in their SIP trunking implementation. These services should be purchased as part of a consolidated package from a single provider, as this offers greater ease of management and cost effectiveness.
Slow and Steady Is Best
Rushing through a SIP trunking deployment could have serious and costly consequences for clients and providers alike. A gradual approach, on the other hand, offers clients plenty of time for training and mastery of the new technology. Gradual deployment and expansion provides a smoother transition without the problems that could come about from a rushed implementation.
Regular Testing Is Crucial
Periodic network testing throughout the implementation process is essential for providing a smooth and seamless deployment. To ensure effective connectivity as well as good voice quality and clarity, clients should conduct network tests after each trunk installation.
With the right advice and support from MSPs, companies can make the leap to hosted PBX with as few worries about cost and complexity as possible. To learn more about how SIP trunking can benefit your business, contact eXemplify to speak to one of our consultants.