By Ray Lieu, Founder of M5 and Current Head of Engineering and Development at FluentStream

When we think about technology, a lot of times, we get caught up in features, specs, and the technical jargon. But let’s take a step back and talk about something that’s truly important when it comes to communication services, including phones ringing and texts sending: uptime.

Now, I know what you’re thinking—why would I celebrate a number like “5/9”? For some, it might seem like a random date. But for those of us in the service provider world, May 9th—5/9—is a date with a very significant meaning. Five nines represent 99.999% uptime. In simple terms, that’s 5.26 minutes of unplanned downtime in an entire year - the gold standard for service reliability. That’s the kind of uptime we’re aiming for, and it’s something worth celebrating.

What Does 5/9 Really Mean?

In the world of cloud communications, uptime refers to the amount of time a service is fully functional and available to customers. When your business relies on communication technologies to provide support to clients, handle sales calls, schedule appointments, or manage operations, downtime isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a problem. A big one. From call centers to healthcare practices, from educational institutions to retail businesses, the entire backbone of modern business is reliant on seamless communication.

Five nines (99.999%) uptime is a target that ensures systems remain stable and available nearly all the time—about 99.999% of the year, to be exact. That translates to only around 5 minutes of downtime annually. If a communication system goes down more than that, it can create costly delays, frustrate customers, and, frankly, hurt a business’s reputation.

At FluentStream, we pride ourselves on offering enterprise-grade communications solutions to small and medium-sized businesses that deliver on this standard. We're committed to offering uptime that ensures your business is always accessible, always connected, and always operating smoothly.

Why Uptime Matters in Today’s Communication Tech Stack

Let's talk about the role uptime plays in a company’s communications infrastructure. When a business runs on a cloud communication platform, uptime isn't a luxury; it's a necessity. A service outage can result in missed calls, lost customer satisfaction, and, worst of all, a loss of trust. It’s not just about making a phone call anymore—it’s about being available for customers, partners, and employees, no matter where they are or what device they’re using.

But here’s the thing: It's not just about the technology. It’s about customer satisfaction. If your communication platform doesn't work, it doesn’t matter how flashy the features are or how pretty the interface looks. Customers want a smooth experience every time. They want to know they can rely on your systems when they need them most. Resilience isn’t just about technology—it’s about the experience. That’s what sets the great companies apart from the good ones.

What Should You Look for in Communication Technology?

When evaluating communication platforms for your business, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the bells and whistles—video conferencing, mobile apps, integrations with CRM systems. But at the core of it all, uptime and reliability should always be your number one priority.

Here’s what you should be looking for in a communication platform:

1. Proven Uptime Record: Make sure the provider has a history of achieving 99.999% uptime (or close to it). Ask for service level agreements (SLAs) that outline their commitment to reliability.
2. Resilient Infrastructure: A strong communication platform should be built on a solid technical foundation with redundancy and failover mechanisms in place. This ensures that, in case of issues, the service can recover quickly without disrupting your business.
3. Customer Support You Can Rely On: If something goes wrong, you need a support team that’s available 24/7, ready to jump in and resolve issues quickly. Whether it's through phone, email, or chat support, knowing you’ll have help when needed can make all the difference.
4. Transparency: A provider should be transparent about their uptime statistics. Make sure they’re reporting outages or service interruptions in real-time. If your provider doesn’t share this information regularly, it might be time to reconsider.
5. Backup Communication Solutions: For mission-critical communication systems, having a backup plan—whether that’s a secondary communication method or a cloud backup option—is essential. This ensures that even in extreme cases, you’re not left in the dark.

Exceptional Customer Experience Starts with Uptime

At the end of the day, great communication is about keeping businesses running smoothly and ensuring customers always have access to what they need. Customer satisfaction is the heartbeat of any communication technology, and this is only possible with reliable uptime. Without consistent availability, the best features and technologies in the world mean very little.

So, as you celebrate 5/9 (or as I like to call it, “Uptime Day”), take a moment to appreciate the resilience behind the tech stack that keeps your business running—reliably, smoothly, and always available for your customers. Here's to five nines, excellent customer experiences, and making sure your business is always ready to answer the call!

Let’s make sure we can all celebrate May 9th every year—not just because of the date—but because we're delivering the kind of communication services businesses need to succeed.

That’s how I celebrated 5/9. How did you celebrate?