In moments of crisis, certainty in your emergency services provider is not just comforting—it’s critical.
While many assume that all emergency service providers are inherently reliable (how else would any of us sleep at night?), the reality is that not all 911 providers are created equal. A lot is happening behind the scenes that could impact your safety.
So you’ve got to be proactive.
By asking the right questions, you can gain peace of mind knowing that your provider has the resources and systems to handle your most important calls effectively.
Whether you’re evaluating your current service or preparing for a move, this essential guide equips you with the seven pivotal questions you must ask to ascertain your 911 service provider’s robustness and reliability so that when every second counts, you’re supported by the best in the business.
Here’s what to ask to ensure you’re in good hands:
1. Can your provider offer a hybrid interconnected network and system functionality that ensures 911 calls of various types are processed correctly?
BANDWIDTH’S ANSWER: According to Metrigy’s 2024 Workplace Collaboration MetriCast report, upwards of 40% of global organizations leverage multiple phone systems. On top of that, modern platforms offer various options for using their software on non-fixed devices like laptops, mobile phones, etc. The workplace is constantly evolving, and we need solutions that can match the pace of technological advancements and adapt to the changing operational and regulatory landscape.
But here’s the thing: every use case is different. Adding Address Line 2 data to a fixed line is sometimes sufficient; other times, a ‘location of the moment’ using lat/long coordinates in the SIP invite would be ideal. As you navigate, having a trusted partner who can help guide you through what best fits your business model and customer needs is incredibly important.
2. Can your provider help you comply with Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Outage Alerts and Notifications per the FCC Report and Order 22-88?
BANDWIDTH’S ANSWER: The FCC requirement for service providers of all shapes and sizes to notify PSAPs of Emergency Service outages is aimed at enhancing the reliability of the nationwide 911 infrastructure.
This new regulatory requirement highlights the critical need for robust processes and procedures to ensure that safeguards are in place to address potential failures or emergencies in connectivity when they arise.
Bandwidth’s solution helps you comply with this regulation—and not just by providing you with a database of PSAPs—by removing the hassle of managing PSAP contacts and notification methods so you can easily trigger an alert in the event of an outage.
Reach out for more details on how our PSAP Outage Alerts solution may help you with compliance with the FCC’s Rules in accordance with its recent Report and Order in Docket No. 22-88.
3. Is your current provider Next Generation 911 (NG911) ready?
BANDWIDTH’S ANSWER: Since Bandwidth participates in the FCC proceedings and is already working with the early adopters of NG911, our customers have it easy!
Our customers:
- Don’t have to worry about the varying requests for NG911 connectivity. We’ll manage the requests as your underlying network routing solution.
- Can leverage our efforts to connect with the emerging NG911 networks without altering their current IP Peering setup with Bandwidth.
- Use advanced routing services to take customers’ calls directly via VoIP, routing the call to the correct PSAP in the new required format.
4. Does my phone number’s NPA-NXX need to match a local address?
BANDWIDTH’S ANSWER: Our VoIP E911 Emergency Call Routing Service isn’t dependent on the area code and/or exchange prefix to route a 911 call.
Instead, the 911 call is geo-spatially routed to the PSAP that serves the region the provisioned address falls within. If you have a service that must be NPA-NXX correct, you have an antiquated, limiting provider. It’s time to upgrade.
5. What happens if I haven’t provisioned an address?
BANDWIDTH’S ANSWER: We all know that Murphy’s Law can strike at any moment. So if you ever send us a 911 call without complete location information, we’ve got backup routing capabilities in place to help.
Our Emergency Calling Center will route invalidly provisioned calls to a 24x7x365 National PSAP that can handle the call and transfer the call to the appropriate primary PSAP in a timely manner.
6. Do you handle French-speaking callers in Quebec and other French Canadian areas?
BANDWIDTH’S ANSWER: This is an often overlooked aspect of E911 for North America. Bandwidth’s advanced VoIP Call Routing platform allows you to specify if a caller speaks French, and any 911 calls from such caller will be routed to a French-speaking queue.
7. Can your provider support Dynamic Location Routing for the latest calling platforms such as NetSapiens, 3CX, etc?
BANDWIDTH’S ANSWER: Bandwidth’s first-of-its-kind Dynamic Location Routing VoIP E911 Platform is easily integrated into more advanced calling platforms— likely the one you’re already using today!
We’ve integrated various solutions into these fan-favorite platforms to provide secure, reliable emergency services with minimal implementation lift.
Ready for the “Seven Question Challenge”?
Now it’s time to put your current emergency service provider to the test. Ask them these crucial questions and carefully evaluate their answers.
How do they measure up? Are there gaps in their service that could leave you vulnerable when it truly matters?
If any of the answers you receive are less than reassuring, remember we’re ready to step in. Because when it comes to emergencies, there’s simply no room for complacency or compromise—the cost of unaddressed gaps can be irrecoverably high. Our experts are standing by.
References:
Myers, Diane. “Workplace Collaboration MetriCast – 2024.” Metrigy. Last modified 2024. https://metrigy.com/product/workplace-collaboration-metricast-2024/.
