How to Test a SIP Trunk Account
Once you’ve signed a new customer on to your services, making sure the service they receive matches what they expect is essential to keeping them. You don’t want them finding a problem with your system after all the setup is done and equipment is installed. To avoid potential system failures, you’ll want to build testing into your process. Here’s how to test a SIP trunk account:
Add components piece-by-piece
Adding each SIP trunk component one at a time and testing for proper provisioning along the way will help ensure that each component connects properly to the others. Begin with the SBC and move to the PBX all the way out to the individual desktop or handset.
Test different scenarios
Once the network is installed and all the components have been tested individually, create a list of potential scenarios that could happen to make sure that call quality remains high and that the network doesn’t fail. Test each scenario multiple times to minimize the chance of error. Scenarios vary from customer to customer or from network to network, so each new customer or network can mean a different list of scenarios to test.
Employ longevity testing
Run tests that last longer than an hour or two. Sometimes improper provisioning only shows up in tests that are run for multiple hours or overnight. Longevity tests can reveal any latency issues or memory failures in the system.
Test services run in combination with SIP trunking
Any services that are run in conjunction with SIP trunks should be tested, even if they are existing services the customer was already using. A network change can inadvertently cause problems with an existing service, so it is vital to test each. Such services can include video conferencing, existing or new DID networks, toll-free numbers, or outbound international calls, to name a few.
Test from one enterprise location to another
If the customer has more than one location, test to make sure that calls between each office location retain high call quality. As the provider, it’s your job to ensure that employees of the company can communicate with each other efficiently.
Provide on-going monitoring
Regularly monitor your customers’ networks to make sure no issues arise over time. As much as we would like to tell you otherwise, sometimes problems pop up as time passes that are no fault of yours–they could be an error in the network or perhaps the customer created a scenario that caused a failure. Either way, continuous monitoring helps you ensure that your customer receives a steady, high-level of service.
Conclusion
SIP trunk provisioning is not a one-and-done kind of thing. It requires oversight and careful testing. While all this testing may seem like too much up-front work, in the long run, it will save you time and prevent loads of headaches.