There’s no magic formula for a successful digital transformation programme. The mix of technologies needed will depend on the size and sector of the business in question. Similarly, the structure and culture of the organisation will dictate how a digital transformation strategy is planned, executed and managed.
However, one thing unites all businesses – the need to have a robust IT and telephony estate in place before anything more ambitious can be done. If we consider digital transformation as the process through which businesses better equip themselves to engage with their customers, then neglecting one of the fundamental channels where that happens is counter-intuitive.
What’s the point in revolutionising the customer experience, for example, if channels such as the telephone can easily become inundated and crash at any moment?
But that’s exactly what many businesses feel could happen. In fact, when we spoke to over 400 IT decision makers about their experience of digital change, 73% said that ignoring digital transformation as a way of improving business communications would have a tangible negative impact on the performance of their business.
As a channel reseller, you have an opportunity to help your customers take the first steps on their digital transformation journey. By making sure their core tools are fit for purpose and future-proof, you can put them in the best position to revolutionise their business with other tech further down the line.
Every journey begins with a single SIP
You should position the move from ISDN to SIP trunks to your customers as the first step of digital transformation, primarily because SIP is such a flexible and resilient solution.
SIP trunks provide built-in business continuity, so in the case of an emergency, calls can be easily rerouted to alternative locations or numbers. Similarly, SIP is the perfect telephony solution if your customers need to rapidly upsize or downsize. Lines can be scaled up during busy periods and scaled down during quieter ones.
Which brings us to the main draw of SIP for both your customers and you as a channel reseller – cost. With SIP, your customers will only pay for what they use. And not only will they save money on line rental and call costs, they’ll also get free internal calls within their organisation. Perfect for medium or large organisations with multiple sites.
The benefit for channel resellers is that SIP is the perfect tool to facilitate further upsell or cross-sell. The cost savings that your customers can make with SIP trunks represent budget that they can invest in other technology. As a result, it should be relatively easy to position SIP as the telephony upgrade that can fund further digital transformation initiatives. There is a whole layer of applications and features that can be laid on top of SIP trunks to deliver additional efficiencies and consumer-facing benefits.
In this way, SIP can really form the strong foundation on which your customers can transform the way they do business. It is the first step on the journey, but with a channel as key to customer engagement as voice, it is also one of the most important steps.
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