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Number Provisioning \ 'nəmbər prəˈviZHəniNG \

to set aside available phone numbers for your communications, in order to assign them to as many employees as you need, when you need to

You may know the name but aren't quite sure what number provisioning really entails. If you're leading a team that's ready to expand, across the state or across the globe, number provisioning is something you need to know more about. Here's how number provisioning can help in the contact center and beyond to make sure your employees have access to the telecommunications resources they need, anywhere, anytime, and at any size.

The Basics of Number Provisioning

Just as you would stock up on supplies for a camping trip, essentially “provisioning” yourself with everything you need before you go, number provisioning works for your business to give you access to the communications tools you need. Provisioning is the fourth step in the Operations, Administration, Maintenance, and Provisioning (OAMP) management system. It's an essential focus for every business that uses VoIP systems for their telecommunications.

General provisioning in telecom can cover a wide variety of services including:

• Evaluating existing devices and equipment
• Setting up equipment, wiring, and transmissions
• Ensuring compatibility between devices, customer equipment, and the services customers choose

Number provisioning is a specific sort of provisioning within this broader definition.

How Number Provisioning Helps Businesses Succeed

You may have started your company with POTS, but as you grew, this became clunky and unwieldy. Employees were chained to their desks because that’s where the phone was, but that’s not how expansive (and successful) businesses grow nowadays.

Once you made the move to VoIP, you gave yourself and your employees options in how they communicate. It's important. However, more employees and more flexible work environments (e.g., out in the field or with teleworking options) may mean you now have to add more numbers to your network.

And that can be a good thing. There are four big benefits when it comes to number provisioning.

1. Provides anytime, anywhere communications

Effective communication should be always on, regardless of where you are.

Number provisioning can help you expand your network’s reach, from a contact center in Bangladesh to an insurance claims office in Des Moines.

2. Avoid rate center increases

Number provisioning for growing companies also takes into account any potential changes in rate centers. Besides geographical boundaries set up for billing users, rate centers consider physical location, phone prefixes (area codes), and the specific local calling area for billing purposes.

Number provisioning services can work with you to help you avoid these rate center increases even as you expand your reach.

3. Comply with federal regulations

The FCC has regulations in place that allow users to port-in or port-out additional numbers to interconnected systems, provided those systems are in the same geographic area. Not only that, these changes must be made in a timely manner.

In 2009, the FCC made this clear requiring:

“…all entities subject to…local number portability (LNP) rules to complete simple wireline-to-wireline and simple intermodal port requests within one business day.”

It’s not like waiting around for the cable guy anymore.

At Voxtelesys, we get how important it is to comply with federal regulations. We also know that the other half of that equation is keeping you up and running. Our number provisioning experts will ensure that your network is up to code and ready to go whenever you are.

4. Allows your business to grow

Network provisioning allows you to ramp up resources, including employees and hardware, quickly and easily. This business-wide coordination of many types of IT services (e.g., business process services, application services, and infrastructure services) can be implemented across the board at one time.

The digital nature of these systems means little, if any, downtime. No more mornings off while cables are run to connect information systems across the building.

One of the best parts about network provisioning? You can seamlessly grow your business, adding employee resources as needed while monitoring user and customer access and ensuring the security of your sensitive information.

How Number Provisioning is Used Across Industries

Number provisioning is common in many types of businesses. The common thread for all benefits across every business is the expanding options it provides in terms of secure, effective, and efficient communications.

• Healthcare: The healthcare industry can utilize number provisioning to expand their service options for patients. This includes additional options for video conferencing, messaging, and voice calls. For example, patients can use SIP services to participate in multicast sessions in which the initiator may or may not be present.
• Financial industry: In accounting, “provision” is a term used to indicate a loss, but with number provisioning the potential for gain is enormous. Financial markets and services can be highly volatile, and it’s important to be nimble in your communications. Adding numbers and coordinating communications gives your company flexibility to meet the needs of ever-changing financial markets.
• Contact centers: If you only get one chance to make a first impression, cut the cord. With digital services that are fully networked across multiple contact centers, your customer service just got seamless. No more dropped calls, customers caught in a loop, or extra charges due to changing rate centers.

Voxtelesys is a number provisioning service provider that can help you expand your communications network safely, efficiently, and effectively. Get in touch today to discuss how we can help you grow.

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