TouchPoint Networks Blog Articles

5 Ways SIP Technology Advances Your Business

November 8th, 2012 by admin

If you are still using traditional phone lines, like PRI circuits or analog CO (central office) lines, you need to take a look at the advantages of SIP and what it can do for your business before your competitors do!  Here's a look at all the things SIP can do:

1.  Lower telephony costs and gain a rapid return on investment (ROI)

SIP eliminates the need for costly circuits like PRI's which came configured with 23 voice channels.  Most large businesses could cost justify a PRI so they could get DID's or direct numbers to extensions, but small businesses had trouble justifying the expense.  With SIP you have the flexibility to choose how many trunks or lines you want, and add them one at a time.  That means small businesses can take advantage of DID's too.

Another cost savings we see with SIP trunking is that businesses no longer need to invest in hardware, like PRI Interface Cards or Analog Line Cards, for their PBX or phone system.

Because SIP trunks ride on the internet, there is no longer a need to have two separate carriers for voice and data.  This streamlines costs for many companies looking to increase their bottom line.

By utilizing the monthly cost savings, many companies are finding they can use those savings and find ROI to purchase new technology that will give their business a competitive advantage.

2.  Productivity Benefits

By extending the SIP capabilities of the corporate network outside the LAN, satellite offices, remote workers and even customers can use VoIP and other forms of real time communications:

  • Presence - SIP technology enables users to inform others of their status, their availability, and how they can be contacted before communication is even initiated so your business can become more efficient.
  • Instant Messaging (IM), text messaging in realtime
  • File transfer
  • Application sharing and collaboration
  • White boarding, writing and drawing on a common virtual white board
  • Video conferencing
3.  Breakdown Geographical Barriers

SIP provides businesses the capability to acquire local phone numbers in geographical areas even if they don't have a physical location in that area.

Example: Our company, TouchPoint Networks, has several customers in the Corvallis, Oregon area so we acquired a local telephone number in that area; however, we don't have a brick and mortar building in Corvallis.  This number is pointed to our Comcast connection in our Eugene, OR office.  

With SIP, business can be conducted from anywhere in the world – regardless of time zones, locations (remote workers, for example) – so that customers have maximum access to your staff.

SIP protocol also gives businesses and users the ability to use one number for multiple devices.  For example, a person can use an IP phone/softphone at their home office and an IP-only phone in the corporate office, both registered to the same number. One number reaches the employee in multiple locations.

4.  Connect with different SIP devices

SIP protocol provides businesses with more options for multi-vendor integration within an IP telephony environment based on open standards.  For example, you can use one brand of phone system, and connect a different brand's endpoints (phones).

Example:  TouchPoint recently installed a Zultys system for a customer who wanted to connect Invoxia phones from France.  We were able to do this using SIP.

5.  Mobility

The world is getting smaller and people are more mobile than ever.  The demand for mobile phones equipped with both cellular and WiFi capabilities is very strong. SIP can provide significant cost savings for a person who, for example, frequently travels overseas and is able to transfer expensive cellular calls into virtually-free VoIP calls using WiFi.

Example:  The Bria iPhone app is a SIP-based softphone for Apple iPhone and iPod touch that uses a Wi-Fi or 3G/4G connection to make and receive calls.  We used this recently on a trip to Mexico to stay connected to the office, without the expense of a typical out-of-country cellular call. 

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