SIP Trunk Guide: How Many Channels Do Your Customers Need?
Businesses of every size can benefit from switching to a cloud-based calling solution like SIP trunking. Just over 30% of businesses have already adopted internet-based calling. While many small and medium-sized companies are interested in the advantages of SIP, their primary concern may be how many channels they’ll require to meet their needs.
When you partner with a reputable SIP trunk provider, provisioning SIP channels is simple, using a web portal to increase the number of channels and optimize the scalability of your clients’ communication solutions.
How many SIP channels will your customers need? We’ll explore the benefits of SIP trunking and how to guide your clients toward acquiring a suitable number of SIP channels to begin communicating seamlessly over the Internet.
Understanding SIP Trunks and Channels
When determining how many channels your customers need, it’s critical to distinguish between Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunks and SIP channels. The SIP trunk is a virtual link between the company’s private branch exchange (PBX) or virtual PBX and the public switched telephone network (PSTN). It carries channels, allowing users to communicate with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and PSTN systems using the cloud.
Each SIP channel is created within the SIP trunk to initiate one incoming or outgoing call at a time. SIP trunks can accommodate a near-limitless number of channels, limited only by each client’s bandwidth. In most cases, one location will require a single SIP trunk to accommodate high volumes of calls with numerous SIP channels.
Typically, your clients won’t need to worry about the number of SIP trunks they have as long as they can dynamically provision SIP channels to accommodate every incoming and outgoing call.
Traditional Lines Versus SIP Trunk Channels
SIP trunking clients and resellers sometimes use the terms line and channel interchangeably. However, there are several distinctions between a line and a SIP trunk channel. A line is a term used by traditional carriers to refer to a copper wire in a primary rate interface. A channel is a virtual “line” for incoming or outgoing communications over a SIP trunk.
Related: Reseller 101: An Overview of SIP Trunking Basics
The number of lines your client currently uses can be a good starting point to determine the number of SIP channels they will need. If their current number of lines meets their needs, the same number of channels may be suitable. If the client struggles to keep up with their call volume, more channels may be necessary.
The power of SIP trunk channels is their ability to dynamically scale with the number of simultaneous incoming and outgoing calls. With the right number of channels, customers will no longer call the business only to hear a busy signal. The flaw in busy signals is that they are like a “do not enter” sign, telling callers to wait or call another business.
When your clients move past traditional carriers and their limitations to scalable SIP trunking solutions, they can receive near-limitless simultaneous calls without adding more costly PRI lines.
What Are the Benefits of SIP Trunking?
SIP trunk offers several money-saving benefits to your clients. Affordable unlimited calling plans and minimal setup fees make it easy for your clients to make and receive local, long-distance, and international calls over the Internet.
Unlimited Calling Plans
Most organizations will benefit from the flexibility of unlimited calling plans. SIP trunking allows your clients to maximize their calling capacity with near-limitless simultaneous calls, making an unlimited plan suitable for optimizing the technology’s inherent features.
Customers don’t want to worry about the breakdown of fees for calls within the U.S. and Canada. Many clients prefer a monthly flat rate they can budget for dependably. You can assure your clients that they’ll have unlimited calling with SIP trunking and an unlimited calling plan.
Lowers Long-Distance and International Fees
The worldwide interconnected nature of cloud-based SIP trunking helps users reduce the costs of long-distance and international communication. Reputable SIP trunk platforms allow businesses to make and receive calls within the United States and Canada using a flat-rate plan without additional fees. Often, subscribers can use local numbers, regardless of their physical location, to give callers a more personalized experience.
International SIP channel fees are significantly lower than international calling fees from traditional carriers. While unlimited plans typically don’t include international calling, you can offer affordable plans to your globalized clients with SIP trunking.
Minimal Setup Fees
SIP trunking platforms usually charge a fee for each channel. While the fee makes it simple to find a solution for the client’s budget, the cost can cause customers to downplay the channels they need. When it comes time to convince clients to buy the right number of channels, approach the issue from their perspective to understand their reasoning.
Asking a client to set up more channels means asking them to pay a higher monthly subscription price. Most clients will weigh the costs and benefits, so it’s critical to understand their needs to build a strong case for provisioning more channels and provide a seamless solution.
If your client is moving a current phone number to a SIP trunk, there’s often a porting fee they have to pay. Transparency is the key, so make all fees clear to the client so they know what to expect. While the porting fee is often small, it’s crucial that you don’t minimize any concerns.
How Many Channels Will Your Clients Need?
Determining how many SIP channels a business requires can be challenging. Let’s explore the considerations to help you guide your customers to a solution.
If the business has several departments, each department or individual that receives or makes calls should have at least one channel for inbound and outbound calls. Departments that receive higher call volumes should have enough channels to receive inbound traffic. If the company is expecting growth, it should consider provisioning more channels than currently required.
No caller wants to receive a busy signal when they need to speak with a live representative. According to Forbes, half of consumers prefer to work with a company that responds quickly within their expected timeline. A busy signal can steer customers away from a company, costing long-term business.
Ensuring callers can quickly receive a live representative for assistance will help your clients maintain productivity and grow their businesses with satisfactory customer service. Explain the risks to customer service of having too few channels, such as missed calls, long wait times, and off-putting busy signals.
Related: How to Become a SIP Trunk Provider
Consider the company’s business model, wherein there are busy days and seasons with higher volumes of callers. Ensure your clients have the capacity to handle their busiest days and mitigate service interruptions. Once you determine the number of channels a customer needs, you can gently persuade them to get more channels to facilitate growth and as a buffer to accommodate higher call volumes than usual.
What to Consider When Selecting a SIP Trunking Partner
Selecting an ideal SIP trunking partner will ensure your clients are satisfied with their SIP service. An adequate number of SIP channels and the right provider can improve your clients’ experiences and service. Look for the following qualities in a SIP reseller partner.
Reliable Network
Reliability is crucial to seamless communications. Selecting a SIP channel provider with a Tier-1 network will deliver voice quality and reliable calling. Reliability is essential to enabling productivity for your clients and excellent service to their callers. It can mean the difference between success and failure for a business.
Compatibility
When selecting a SIP provider, ensure that the partner offers adequate compatibility with IP phones, software-based phones, mobile devices, and private branch exchange (PBX) equipment. Seamless compatibility with various solutions will also ensure you can sell equipment to more clients in the future without stress.
Customer Support
In addition, high-quality support can make the user experience less frustrating. It means your business won’t need to hire or train technicians in SIP and voice support. Your customers can call support and receive the expert advice they need from the SIP trunking provider.
Private Label Reseller Program
A private label reseller program is a flexible solution that allows you to display branding, logos, and other company-related information when your clients use the SIP trunk platform.
When your clients log into the web portal to make configurations, such as adding new SIP channels or assigning phone numbers, they will see your logo and branding. The clients’ billing and email communications will also have your logo and branding. Private label reseller programs provide a cohesive and seamless experience for you and your clients, enhancing customer satisfaction.
Simple and Streamlined Sales
A simple sales process can streamline the delivery of a solution to your clients. The ideal SIP trunking partner will allow you to sell SIP channels to your clients without the friction of complex billing processes, taxes, and documentation. You sell the service to your clients and collect your monthly subscriber revenue in your designated bank account while the provider handles the technical details.
Enhance Each Client’s Business Communications with SIP Trunking
As a reseller, you understand the importance of customer communication. When you help your clients provision the necessary number of SIP channels, you’re building their confidence in your brand while helping their businesses succeed. The best way to achieve these goals is to partner with a quality SIP trunking platform.SIPTRUNK is a leader in straightforward private-label SIP trunk reselling. We can deliver reliable communication to your clients with less friction. Our reseller program allows you to seamlessly provide solutions to your clients and collect monthly revenue. Get started modernizing your clients’ communication with SIPTRUNK