Patton (News - Alert) Electronics has already made a name for itself in several fields. Known for a range of equipment, from its SmartNode VoIP tools to its BODI rS high availability routers in both fixed and mobile, this company has put a lot of calcium into the backbone of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP). Now, it's made one more big step, announcing interoperability for Time Warner (News - Alert) Cable's business-class session initiation protocol (SIP) trunk services.

The new interoperability means three distinct winners. Business subscribers get access to some powerful new tools that allow for a reduction in monthly phone bills while allowing large portions of a technology investment already made to be preserved. Plus, those users also get access to new calling features that can make current workers more productive overall, and all of this can be fairly easily put into place and kept up with current levels of IT staffing.

Resellers and managed service organizations (MSOs) also win, getting a whole new lineup of material to offer to customers. Given that Patton is the lineup in question, that gives those parties access to powerful new tools that work well with what's currently in place. That in turn makes it more likely customers will make the switch, as the interoperability ensures little difficulty in getting things up and running.

Even Time Warner Cable wins here; a company with some issues in terms of customer service now has the option to provide a tool that customers can get behind is a great way to perk up its image. Better yet, it's also got a nice wedge into hesitant businesses with a “we've never used this before” objection; since the tools are interoperable, said tools have been tested to work together. Patton and Time Warner alike know that these work together, and as the launch of Fallout 4 taught us, being able to say “it just works” is a strong incentive to buy.

Patton has a long history of interoperability testing; not so long ago, it recently announced interoperability with the MetaSphere IP telephony software. This reinforces the idea that “it just works”, and it's likely to prove a driving force behind bolstered sales. Resellers, MSOs, even telephony providers can look right at potential customers and say “it just works.” It's been tested under real-world conditions, the kind found in any business out there. That makes potentially hesitant businesses more inclined to buy; no one wants to buy a system that won't work and hamstrings the business until it's fixed. Yet the savings SIP trunking and the like can offer is tough to pass up. So a system that works out of the box becomes highly desirable.

Patton and Time Warner Cable have a great new opportunity to reach users here, and the duo will likely make the most of it thanks to one basic premise: it just works.