Business phone system - where to start?

Edwards Finance > Phones

Q. We have an 800 number and get calls constantly throughout the day (sometimes all the lines are used up). I'm a network engineer (new to the company) but have no experience in phone systems and have been told "go find a new one". Apparently we've had all sorts problems with the system crashing, lost voicemails..etc...so they want to start over. So where do I even start to look for a new system? How do I know which ones are good and which are junk? Buy or lease?

A. Look in your local yellow pages directory for PBX vendors. Establish a relationship with one of them and be prepared to spend some real money. 30 employees, say 40 extensions, I'd put the ballpark anywhere from $8k to $50k, depending on what level of reliability and features you are looking for. You may be able to upgrade your existing PBX, preserving your investment in desk sets and line cards. Once you know what you have, you can start identifying the problems it has. A T-1 can have 24 incoming voice lines and with 30 employees, it isn't likely that you have 24 working lines, unless you're into bookmaking. It may be that you just need to work with your present or a new vendor and repair the present system, or, keep the phones and replace the cabinet. Of course, the crash may be so bad and the system/vendor may be such that you really want to replace the system. In that case, sit down and analyze what you have and what you are trying to accomplish. Are you growing? Do you anticipate more lines or employees in the next 3 years, will they telecommute, etc. etc. Then create a proposal request, or call a telephone system vendor, and get a few quotes. A good vendor might be able to identify issues that you haven't even thought of when it comes time to replace the system. Since you asked. Getting an independent consultant may be helpful. Unlike the vendors, the consultant works for you and is motivated by seeing your needs met and saving you money, NOT selling you a system. If you're interested email me, I'm sure I can help. I have extensive experience working for a vendor that provided systems to companies of your size. The vendors hate people like me because I use my inside knowledge of how they work and what their costs are to get my client the best possible up-front price AND reoccurring costs. I also can help look into you Telco service (WAN, and Internet also) costs. rsc179_at_yahoo_dot_com email this address and I'll send you my real business address. All the interface boards seem to support are standard analog POTS line DTMF phones. No way is anybody going to be happy with a $7 phone from Target sitting on their desk, even if it does have a clear housing and a pink neon light that flashes when it rings. ;) Since running a POTS line to each desk just ain't going to cut it, do people running asterisk usually use VOIP/Ethernet sets? Does anybody really use those PC-based "soft" phones? I have a Grandstream Budgetone, Sipura SPA-841, and a Sipura SPA-3000 hooked to my asterisk. All three are 10base-t SIP phones with some PBX-like features built in (hold, music-on-hold support and transfer). The Budgetone looks a bit like a kid's toy phone, but the voice quality is better than the higher priced SPA-841 multiline phone. Voipsupply seems to have a pretty comprehensive listing if you want to get a feel for what is available. (I haven't bought anything from them, but their listing is pretty handy.)

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