Uptime in the telecommunications world is of the utmost importance. It is a metric used to measure the performance and reliability of service. For businesses that rely heavily on phone systems, such as call centers and contact centers, achieving a high uptime is critical to their operations. In fact, some of the common causes of downtime to phone systems include human error, equipment failure, and power outages. Keep reading to understand the impacts of uptime on any business, and use these tips to improve your phone system’s uptime.
Why Does Uptime Matter?
Generally measured “by nines,” calculations for uptime in a year are figures starting with 99% to represent the minutes in a year a phone system is running without interruptions. The uptime percentage can be misleading and hard to conceptualize because the numbers reflect working minutes in a year. Instead, think of the uptime percentage in terms of the amount of downtime per year in minutes.
- 99% means 5259 minutes of downtime per year
- 99.9% means 525 minutes of downtime per year
- 99.99% means 52 minutes of downtime per year
- 99.999% means 5 minutes of downtime per year
Providers strive to give their customers 99.999% uptime. Therefore, phone system downtime means loss of business revenue, loss of employee productivity, and loss of credibility among customers who can’t reach the help they need.
Frequent Server Maintenance
Server maintenance is an excellent first step in improving your phone system uptime. Phone servers should be updated with the latest upgrades and patches. Consequently, a business can avoid downtime as maintenance occurs if they are using multiple servers that can temporarily handle the workload as the others are updated.
Reliable Infrastructure and Operators
The building infrastructure or employees that operate the phones can impact uptime as well. Reasonable safeguards to the facility should be in place. Phone servers need to be kept at a safe temperature to prevent overheating. In the event of a power surge or flood, there should be prepared procedures for those emergency scenarios. Uptime requires sufficient and capable staff managing the phone lines.
Constant Monitoring and Testing
Auditing and monitoring the system at all times can alert businesses of potential defects before downtime occurs. Take proactive steps to prevent downtime in the first place. To test how robust your phone system is, run controlled potential scenarios that could cause downtime. Most importantly, look for areas you can continuously improve or optimize, or consult with your telecommunications provider.
Have Backups in Place
Lastly, having redundant backup systems in place prevents downtime. A backup power system or even cooling system assures servers can keep running correctly.
Phone System Solutions from Delta Intellicom
Want to learn more about the ways we can help improve your business? Delta Intellicom can satisfy all of your telecommunication needs, whether you need help with your new VoIP system or just want to streamline your existing office phone network. We have served the Maryland, Washington, D.C, Northern Virginia, and Pennsylvania areas for over 20 years and offer an unparalleled customer experience. We have the expertise and products to fulfill all of your phone service and data needs. For more information, contact us online or give us a call at 1-800-946-3358. For more tips, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.