SIPTrunks.org, a provider of SIP trunking for small businesses, VoIP call centers and wholesale VoIP customers, recently warned that VoIP networks will encounter high volume of calls during elections mainly due to the rise in robocall volume.
Robocalls are automated outbound calls mainly used by VoIP call center providers and political campaigners. If done appropriately, these calls can be used to remind customers of appointments or distribute important information in a cost-effective manner. Robocalls are increasingly used during elections to woo voters and get residents to participate in elections.
VoIP call center providers and other companies making a large number of calls or generating dialer traffic need to be aware of the huge impact that the presidential race is going to have on the SIP termination market, said Marc O’Wind, director of carrier relations at SipTrunks.org.
A solution to combat this issue is to associate with different carriers so they can share the load to different carriers.
“When the demand surges and VoIP ports become scarce, I predict it will be very hard to get any service from a carrier one does not have an existing relation with. When capacity becomes an issue, who is going to get helped first?” O’Wind added. “Existing customers and existing relationships, or some new company knocking on a carrier’s door for the first time?”
There is currently a large amount of buzz within the VoIP call center industry and recently, TMCnet reported that the FCC (News - Alert) is expected to approve tougher rules giving consumers additional protection against unwanted automated outbound calls to home phone lines. The agency plans to accomplish this crackdown by closing some gaping loopholes in existing outbound marketing laws.
If the agency's new rules take effect, many companies will need to get written permission from consumers before they can engage in automated outbound calling, even if consumers haven't put their home number on the Federal Do-Not-Call registry, the report said.
Rajani Baburajan is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Rajani's articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by Jamie Epstein