When you imagine the number of layers your business communications move through and the distance they travel, it isn't hard to believe that disaster can strike at any time. For the most part, the word disaster might seem a little strong but really, that’s what a downed phone line can mean for a lot of businesses. Regardless of what your company does, if your customers can’t get through to you, they will go to somewhere else. If your system is offline for three days, that’s a lot of lost business and even more unnecessary stress.
Your communications going down could happen for a number of reasons, most of which are out of your control. Sometimes the issue can be that the road outside your office was dug up and the wires cut by mistake, when other times severe weather can cause trees to fall on the lines. Either way the result is always the same. No phones and angry customers. But there are ways in which you can safeguard your communication systems by putting backups in place that can jump into effect should disaster ever arise.
Change your old and unreliable system
The first way in which we deliver this level of functionality is by using a SIP trunk. SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol and in the simplest sense refers to a method of providing your telephone system over the Internet. In case of emergency, the SIP allows you to divert calls away from the affected site to one which is still operational. This is done by taking the current system which takes your calls through the exchange to your service provider and re-configuring it to carry your calls over the Internet which offers much greater flexibility. By hosting your system within the cloud, disaster recovery can easily be controlled with simple Mobile Device Management (MDM) applications and maintained at the touch of a button.
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Unified Communications
Should disaster ever strike, using a unified communications system such as our Touch Technology platform, your calls can be set to automatically divert or alert customers about the potential problem. By running calls through an external disaster recovery mechanism, previous call information is backed up and saved in case any data has been lost. All that is now required is an Internet connection and you can continue to make and receive calls regardless of what is happening in the office.
A plan of action
A backup system is great in theory but it does need to be tested and maintained to have any real value. To minimise communication disruption you need to put in place pre-agreed processes and solutions which limit the threat of time intensive diagnostics and repairs require. Plans vary from company to company and we know that, that’s why we offer bespoke solutions specifically tailored to the needs of our customers. If you would like to find out how Intercity can prepare your company for disaster, don’t hesitate to contact us or call 0330 332 7933 and speak to one of our trained advisors.
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