The SIP Definition: What Is SIP Trunking and How Can It Help Your Business?

According to experts, people in sales should be making 60 calls and spending 3 hours on the phone with clients each workday. That’s the sweet spot where you’re able to give each client the individual attention they need and be as productive as possible.

Sales is just one type of job that uses phones regularly, though- most people who work in an office spend pretty much all day, every day answering calls from customers and other branches of business. This means that in order to stay productive, it’s important to have the best phone system possible.

The best way to have an effective phone system is by using SIP trunking. Whether you’ve heard of this or not, it’s important to know all the details of this efficient piece of office technology. When you do, you’ll be able to implement it and greatly benefit a business.

That’s why we’re here today. Here, you’ll get an easily understandable SIP definition and learn how to implement SIP trunks into your business practically and affordably. Read on if you want to learn how to run a better office!

What Is SIP?

Before you can understand the many ways that SIP can benefit your business, it’s important to first know what, exactly, SIP trunking is. While it isn’t a difficult topic to understand, it’s pretty technical and requires some knowledge of computers if you want to get it installed effectively. Read on to learn how SIP works and how it can be implemented in your business!

The SIP Definition

SIP, or Session Initiation Protocol, is a piece of technology that uses the internet to send and receive calls. Rather than using a system of phone lines as most landlines do, SIP trunks are installed in an office to allow for the use of VoIP.

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. If you’ve ever used Skype or any other video calling program, VoIP is what’s used to turn your voice into data that can be transmitted over the internet. VoIP requires SIP to get started, and installing SIP trunks into your office will make this online software run efficiently and smoothly.

The key thing to understand about using SIP is that it allows you to make calls similar to how other phone systems do, but without needing to dial over a physical phone line.

What Does It Do?

SIP trunks are the software that allows VoIP programs to initiate. This happens because SIP trunks unite two domains that make communication possible: the public domain and the private one (PBX). This provides unified communication for people both within and outside of your office’s phone system.

A SIP trunk can hold as many SIP channels as you need. Each SIP channel represents one call. You can think of a SIP channel as a replacement for a physical phone line only with more capabilities for less money.

SIP is also awesome because it performs a variety of functions. While a landline phone will only let you hear the person’s voice at the other end, SIP can enable video and screen sharing as well.

This means that you won’t have to purchase as multiple technologies for your business since SIP trunks can perform all of these tasks and more!

Implementing SIP Effectively

Fortunately, it isn’t too difficult to make sure that your SIP trunks are installed well and function at maximum efficiency.

The most important thing to figure out is how many SIP channels you need. That will depend on your day-to-day business operations. This means that you are in the best position to determine the required number of channels.

The main rule of thumb is that you’re going to need more SIP channels when you have more people on the phone at any given time. If you have 15 people making calls at once, you’re going to need more SIP channels than if you only have 5. If you don’t make sure you have the right number of trunks, your WiFi is going to become jammed and calls are going to be dropped.

If you have a larger business with over 100 people, there’s a great way to figure out how many SIP trunks you need- the 3 to 1 rule. Generally, for every three employees that will be on the phone at the same time, there needs to be a SIP trunk.

If you run a business that has fewer than 100 employees, you’re going to need even more SIP trunks since more people will probably be on the phone at once. Tiny businesses may need one SIP trunk per person! This is still a much more affordable alternative than traditional landlines, so don’t worry. Just know the numbers,

How Can SIP Help My Business?

So now you understand what SIP is and how it works. Great! That only leaves the question of what the specific ways it can benefit your business are. Turns out, there are a lot of benefits to switching to SIP trunking for your phone systems.

Makes Calls More Efficient

One thing that SIP will do for your business is to make both incoming and outgoing calls more effective. We’ve all experienced the frustration of dropped calls and crackling, disturbed reception. As long as you have enough SIP channels, this will happen a lot less frequently than it does with other kinds of phone systems.

Fewer dropped calls mean more satisfied customers that will be more likely to come back for more or to recommend your business to others.

Increases Employee Morale

Here’s a sad statistic for you: only 7% of employees categorize themselves as feeling productive in the workplace. Not only that, but 40% of American office workers feel isolated while on the job, which affects both job performance and mental health.

Because SIP trunks allow for greater productivity and improved communications, it’s likely that employees will feel more effective and efficient. This will help eliminate feelings of isolation and sadness, which will, in turn, give workers the energy to bring new ideas to the table that will benefit your business.

Quick Installation

SIP trunking is also great because it has a super quick and easy installation process. While it can take a long time for telecommunications companies to come and physically install new phone lines, SIP can be implemented in less than a day. This means that you won’t need to be out of a phone system for a lengthy period of time.

It also means that your company will have high mobility! If you ever need to move or want to expand your business elsewhere, it’s quick and easy to spin up as many SIP trunks as you may need.

Since SIP requires no physical phone lines to be installed, it also means that you won’t have to pay as much for hardware installation. It’s a win-win situation both financially and time-wise, so you know it’s a great option.

Saves Big Bucks

Of course, the purpose of every business is to profit. Unfortunately, paying for the services that a company needs to run smoothly dips into annual earnings and makes profits lower than they otherwise would be. This means, of course, that finding the least expensive method to run a business is a priority.

The pricing of SIP services and installation is so inexpensive that it won’t even put a tiny dent in your profits. Your business can have even more phone services than it currently does for less money than you’re currently paying!

Get Started With SIP Trunking

While other aspects of the workday may be difficult- getting up on time or organizing your desk, for example- the actual time spent talking to clients doesn’t have to be. When you install SIP trunks to make phone calls quick and easy, you’ll be improving employee satisfaction and efficiency as well as ensuring that your clients are happy and well taken care of.

Now that you know the SIP definition and the way it can benefit your business, it’s time to get started! Click here to sign up for an account with us. It takes less than a minute to sign up and will give you easy access to communication with knowledgeable professionals.

Stay smart, stay efficient, and, above all, always stay in reach with SIP!