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If we’re being honest, you should know that we spend a lot of time thinking about phone calls. Around the office, SIP service is on our minds all the time. We enjoy developing solutions and networking technologies to help businesses grow, but at the end of the day, we’re always striving for the “perfect call.” No hiss, no jitter, no latency (that will be the name of our first album). Just two people making a connection that sounds like they’re in the same room.

Even our playlists reflect this obsession. Which is why we thought we’d share ten of our favorite phone songs, from Chuck Berry to R.E.M.

“Memphis, Tennessee” – Chuck Berry

Dozens of artists have covered Chuck Berry’s 1959 hit over the years, but there’s a poignant urgency in the original, as the singer desperately tries to find the number for his Marie.

 “She could not leave her number but I know who placed the call

My uncle took the message and he wrote it on the wall”

We can’t help but imagine that a good PBX integrated with a CRM could have solved Chuck’s problem in seconds, with no operator assistance required.

“Star 69” – R.E.M.

“I know you called, I know you called, I know you hung up my line/

Star 69”

Led by the full-throttled roar of Peter Buck’s guitar, this is perhaps rock’s only ode to the automatic callback, a feature that gave subscribers the phone number and the time of the last caller. While the function isn’t used much these days, hitting *69 allowed you to redial the last incoming call. Fun fact: had R.E.M. been a British band, they would have had to title this one “1471, Then Press 3.”

“Telephone Call from Istanbul” – Tom Waits

Tom Waits is always generous when it comes to doling out advice, and this classic contains words to live by:

“Never trust a man in a blue trench coat

never drive a car when you're dead”

 We can’t help but think that making this call 20 years ago would have cost you over $2.25 per minute, while good SIP service can shave that cost by over 90%. Remember, some carriers are like travel agents who tell you they can book a trip for you anywhere in the world, but have no intention to help you reach a place like Istanbul. If your SIP service can't help you connect with prospects in new regions or markets—or doesn’t use premium routes for these calls—your connection rates will suffer.

 “Hanging on the Telephone” – Blondie

“It's good to hear your voice, you know it's been so long

If I don't get your call then everything goes wrong”

Some of you may have immediately thought of Blondie’s “Call Me” when you saw the title of this article, but we dug deeper for this gem, originally by The Nerves. Because, when a customer’s call drops or fails to connect, everything goes wrong. We won’t let you down, Blondie.

“Telephone Line” – Electric Light Orchestra

“Okay, so no one's answering

Well, can't you just let it ring a little longer”

 While we appreciate persistence and tenacity, if your customer refuses to answer your call, we advise against letting it “ring forever more.” This behavior is frowned upon by the FCC and every potential customer on the planet.

“Answering Machine” – The Replacements

“The message is very plain

Oh, I hate your answering machine”

Answering machines, busy signals, no-answers and disconnected numbers all add up to idle time for your agents, which is why more businesses are investing in predictive dialers for outbound calling. They not only automatically dial numbers based on your customer lists, they rely on a set of metrics to anticipate when the next live agent will be available. And this leads to happier and more productive agents.

“Telephone” – David Mead

This is just a perfect pop song that makes us think of SIP service.

“Plane takes off at twelve again

Sipping on dreams I remember when

The telephone was ringing”

“867-5309/Jenny” – Tommy Tutone

If anyone still doubts the marketing power of an unforgettable phone number, ask them if they can tell you Jenny’s number. Don’t underestimate the inbound ROI of a memorable set of digits.

“Don’t Hang Up” – The Orlons

This refreshing burst of Philly R&B carries a chorus that every outbound agent sings in their head.

“Call Me Maybe” – Carly Rae Jepsen

Look, we could’ve punctuated this list with any number of musical atrocities just because they fit the theme (e.g., “I Just Called to Say I Love You”), but we wanted to close on a modern bubblegum gem, which remains incredibly infectious even after hearing it a thousand times. It also serves as a melodic reminder that making a memorable positive first impression could lead to something great down the road.

Bonus Track: “0118 999 881 99 9119 7253” – The IT Crowd

We’re geeks, and proud of it. So, we couldn’t leave off the song about the least memorable telephone number. When the writers of The IT Crowd decided to lampoon changing the UK’s easy-to-remember emergency services number (999), they came up with a mouthful. While the tune is memorable, the number itself isn’t. It’s hard not to try, though. Especially if you’ve taken a bit of a tumble.

Operators are Standing By

It's not just SIP service (to really stretch a play on words). What killer phone songs would you add to the list? Does Jim Croce’s “Operator” seem old fashioned in the digital age? Have you written your own song about georouting? Share your response on Facebook or Twitter using the buttons below, or send us an email. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

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