What You Need to Know to Make IP Telephony Add Up

Enterprises can expect more from IP telephony, but executing the right plan and choosing the right vendor are critical. A successful implementation should combine the capabilities of the conventional phone system, the features and functions of IP, and the applications that meld the two.

To ensure that the whole exceeds the sum of its parts, here are some questions an enterprise should ask potential IP telephony providers:

• How dependent is your solution on the IP infrastructure to reach the public phone network? What would happen to your communications in case of a disaster?
• Can you encrypt voice end to end?
• How committed are you to open standards? Can you ensure interoperability with many networks, systems, and applications?
• Can you deliver truly unified communications that enable speech,Web, and wireless data to be integrated into voicemail, e-mail, calendaring, conferencing applications, and other personal productivity tools?
• Do you have the skills and tools to help me transition to IP telephony— like single point of accountability, multivendor IP network assessment, and implementation services?
• Is your service organization global? Does it have thousands of people to bring the right experience and skills to bear in the right locations?
• Do you provide distributed solutions for next-generation multimedia contact centers that integrate with e-business, CRM, and legacy data applications?
• Can you integrate IP, analog and digital phones, IP softphones, wireless IP phones, and other endpoints throughout my distributed global organization?

If you would like to make an appointment to ask CTI these questions, or to discuss any other concerns you may have, please call us at 1-888-477-4CTI.