Step to Step Guide to Migrate Your SIP Trunk Successfully

The simple fact is that a SIP trunk migration brings up a variety of potential pitfalls. Making sure all services are migrated from one provider to another is not as simple as some may think. Voice recording services, for example, are a notoriously common problem area. But the main way you’re going to make your SIP trunk migration successful is to plan it out.

Take an Inventory of Your Infrastructure

By using a combination of configuration records and billing statements, you should find it easy to create an inventory of all the services you use. Remember that it’s easy to forget about little-used services when you’re in the middle of such a complex plan.

Preparing the Technical Side of Things

Migrating to a new SIP trunk provider also includes a technical side. If you chose the right provider and paid a little extra, you might have someone to do all this for you. But if you’re on your own, you’re going to have to deal with several issues.

To begin with, you need to optimize network regions. This is quickly changing technology and the best practices from years ago may not be the same best practices now. You need to examine this when moving to a SIP trunking provider.

Another big tip to get the technical side of things right is to examine the potential bandwidth needs and cost, as well as codec requirements.

Make the Key Decisions Before You Get Started

There are a number of key decisions to make before you start the process of migration. Make sure you know exactly what you’re doing first.

Here are the main decisions you will have to make.

Codecs – Some codecs will reduce bandwidth but sacrifice voice quality. You need to find out what works for your company.

Dealing with Analog Devices – Fax machines and modems are just some of the devices you need to have a plan for when migrating.

Responsibility – Who is responsible for the work carried out? Sometimes it’s the vendor itself and sometimes you’ll be working with a reseller of small business office phone systems instead.

Selecting the Right Carrier

You should make the decision as to your SIP carrier not because someone approached you but because you made a conscious decision to seek out a new carrier. Never leave this as an afterthought because it’s inarguably the most important aspect of the process.

A carrier that doesn’t support you will cause chaos for your company. There’s little point in using SIP trunking to save your business money when your existing phone system is replaced by something inferior.

The Money Issue

Money has to be an issue. The chances are you’re using SIP trunking to increase the quality of your phone system. However, this shouldn’t come at the expense of your budget. Consider both the non-recurring costs and monthly recurring costs of choosing a specific provider.

Your non-recurring costs will include the initial implementation. These usually won’t vary too much between providers. Monthly recurring costs, however, must be examined. Many businesses have been stung due to their own growth and success because they didn’t consider the long-term.

Designing the Implementation

Disruption is going to happen when you go through the migration process. That’s a given. But you need to design an implementation plan to minimize disruption to your company. This can be as simple as making sure that the majority of the migration happens during quieter business periods.

You should also have an alternative phone system in place for your staff when the implementation is processing, so you don’t go completely dark.

Testing the Moving Parts

After the implementation has been completed you might think that it’s time to get back to business. But the truth is you need to stress test the system. Failover is perhaps the most important part of this process.

We recommend testing out the various features alongside your staff. Spend an afternoon monitoring call quality and working with your new SIP trunking provider to ensure everything is working as it should.

Last Word – Time Well Spent

This is a time-consuming process, but it’s time well-spent. It’s disruptive to your business, but with the right implementation plan and considering the right areas it doesn’t have to grind everything to a halt.

How are you going to make sure that your SIP trunking migration goes successfully?