When choosing a phone system, small business owners have traditionally had to settle for less when it comes to features and capabilities.  Things like ACD (Automatic Call Distribution, or “holding for the next available agent), PRI (digital dialtone) support, Service Observe (ability to monitor staff calls for quality assurance or training), and more have been out of reach of many small businesses, because manufacturers tend to develop these types of capabilities for larger (and more costly) systems.  This is true no longer with the arrival of the ESI-50, a truly capable small business phone system.

ESI-50 digital business phone system

When ESI (our phone system manufacturer of choice) designed its newest line of Communications Server phone systems, it chose to use a common code base throughout its product line.  This means that, in theory, the smallest Communications Server system (the ESI-50) can do most or all of the same things that even ESI’s largest system (the ESI-1000) can do; the primary difference is capacity.  Like ESI’s other systems, the ESI-50 takes a converged approach, meaning that it can support both digital and IP phones with ease.  And like other ESI phone systems, you’ll get a simple-to-use but powerful system that will make using the phones a breeze rather than a chore.  ESI phone systems have been designed from the ground up to be user friendly (for example, by offering a built-in verbal HELP button on every phone), intuitive (no more scrolling through a series of menus or memorizing feature codes just to get something done), and tightly integrated–because the voicemail and phone system functions are handled through the same processor and use the same storage space, responsiveness is instantaneous and you can do some really great things (like view the Caller ID of each voicemail message and call them back by pressing one button, view a visual indicator of old and new messages, view a countdown timer so you can see how long each message is, etc).  Another example: if I want to create a new voicemail message for several recipients on the fly, I can pick up my phone and press the VOICE MAIL button, followed by the direct station button for each of the users I want to receive my voicemail message.  No hunting through menus.  No dialing of extension numbers is required.  This is one of many features that ESI is able to accomplish due to its patented, all-in-one design.

There are many more things that the ESI-50 supports that small business owners will love, including full auto-attendant capability with up to 100 branches that can go several levels deep if needed; 16-party conferencing; a message Recycle bin that stores the last 10 deleted messages (for retrieval in case of accidental deletion); a Caller ID button for each phone that shows the most recently received calls and whether they were answered, went to voicemail, or were redirected or missed.  The ESI-50 also supports other ESI-exclusive products, including its award-winning VIP PC software for unified messaging, call control, station programming, and more; Presence Management (RFID capability that is tightly integrated with the phone system to provide door phones, security access, and time clock/time and attendance functions); and Cellular Management, which is ESI’s unique solution to taming your cell phone when you’re in the office.  The ESI-50 additionally supports the latest in wireless handset technology, DECT 6.0.  If you have multiple locations, you can even place an ESI-50 Communications Server or higher at each location and tie them together seamlessly via Voice Over IP, and they will act as if they’re one large system (alternatively, if you have sites that don’t require a full phone system, you can also place one or a few Remote IP phones at the remote location or locations).

All the benefits of the ESI-50 are too numerous to list here (you can get a brochure on the ESI-50 here, or view some introduction videos on ESI phone systems), but suffice it to say that small businesses no longer need to settle for a stripped down version of a phone system, missing features that would benefit them.

And the best part is, the ESI-50 is still in an active development cycle.  In the next few months, even more capabilities and features will be announced that will further separate ESI from the pack and more firmly establish it as a leader in the industry.  Stay tuned!

Well, the holidays are upon us again!  We thought we’d have a little fun by changing the blog to a holiday theme.

I chanced upon a couple of holiday music links, for anyone who’s interested:

Free holiday music

It’s unclear to me whether the music at the above link can be legally loaded into your phone system’s music on hold unit, or whether it’s just to be enjoyed for personal use.  The link below has holiday music available that’s definitely royalty-free and can be used as on-hold music (there’s just a one-time upfront fee):

Royalty-free holiday music

We are not affiliated with either site above; I just thought I’d share the links for anyone who may be interested.  If you are already an existing customer of ours in the Phoenix area and need help loading music into your phone system or on-hold player, or if you’d like more information on on-hold equipment or a promo-on-hold production, please let us know.

Also, a little gift for any of our customers (or anyone else, for that matter) who has a recent version of VIP software (this is software made for ESI phone systems that allows you to do several things, like control your phone from your computer; log inbound and outbound calls to your phone; program your phone; text message; and more).  The latest version of VIP is skinnable, meaning you can change its visual appearance, and a few skins are included.  We came upon this Christmas-themed skin you can download here.  Here’s what it looks like:

Christmas Skin for VIP

You’ll want to unzip the downloaded file and put the Christmas.skf file into the Skins folder of your VIP program folder (usually located at “C:\Program Files\VIP\Skins”), and then you can change to it by opening up the VIP Call Control window, then clicking on the Tools -> Options menu.  If there is no Skins folder, it means you need a VIP software upgrade–contact us if you’d like to pursue that.

If you don’t currently have VIP, it’s definitely worth a look.  Here are links to some videos on the different flavors of VIP:

VIP and VIP Professional video

VIP ACD Supervisor/Agent video

VIP PC Attendant Console video

Enjoy!

When looking for a new phone system, one should realize that not all phone systems are created equal.  While, on the surface, it may appear that most phone systems have the same basic level of functionality, this could not be further from the truth.  All phone systems are based on unique technology and designs, and, when you take a close look, you will find vast differences in one manufacturer’s system to the next.  The three broad questions to ask yourself when evaluating a phone system should be:

• Does it have all the functionality, robustness, and capacity my business needs?
• Are the phones intuitive and easy to use?
• Can I see a live demonstration of the phones and their operation?

Here are some questions that you’ll want to make sure to ask as part of your checklist:

• Caller ID. Does the system support Caller ID on all lines?  Does this capability cost extra?  Do all phones have displays so that I can take advantage of Caller ID?  Can I add a caller’s Caller ID to my personal electronic “Rolodex” with one button press?  Will Caller ID be stored with voicemail messages?  Can Caller ID of the original caller be relayed on calls forwarded outside the office?  Can I review a list from my phone of recent calls’ Caller ID, along with whether I answered the call or it was missed, went to voicemail, or was redirected?
• Voicemail. Does the system support voicemail?  How many ports (simultaneous connections) does it have, and will this be sufficient for my needs?  Is it built-in, or added on?  Will my phone display show me how many messages I have? As I am listening to a message, will a counter on my display count down the time remaining in the message?  Can I transfer callers to voicemail in 2 button presses or fewer?  Can I easily send a message to multiple mailboxes on the fly without having to go through a menu?  When listening to a voicemail message, can I return the call by pressing one button?  Can I allow callers who reach my voicemail to be forwarded to me off site?  Can I be notified of new messages by pager or phone?  Can employees without an office phone still have voicemail?  Am I charged based on the number of mailboxes I use, or are as many as I need included?  Is Unified Messaging available?  Can I save a copy of a message to my computer for archiving or email?
• Auto-Attendant. Does the system have an automated attendant with the ability to provide multiple options to the caller?  Can the menus be several deep if needed?  Can callers be transferred to extensions, mailboxes, departments, overhead paging, remote IP extensions, off-site branches via VoIP, or to outside phone numbers?  Can I have multiple answer modes (such as day, lunch, night, and holiday), and can I either activate them on demand or have them follow a schedule?
• Call Recording. Does the phone have a dedicated Record button for one-touch recording?  Will the recording begin without a delay?  Can I record a call with or without notifying the caller?  Can I record a live conversation directly to my own or another user’s mailbox? Can I record a conversation to multiple users’ mailboxes, on the fly?  Can I save a copy of the recording to my computer for archiving or email?
• Automatic Call Distribution. Does the system support Automatic Call Distribution (ability to let caller stay on hold for the “next available agent”)?  Can calls be escalated if the caller has been in the queue for a certain amount of time, or if the number of callers in queue reaches a certain threshold?  Can the type of routing be flexible (i.e. longest idle extension, uniform distribution, or in-order distribution)? As an administrator, can I silently monitor calls for quality assurance purposes?  When monitoring calls for quality assurance, can I record the conversation for later review and employee feedback?  Is computer software available to facilitate communication between agents and administrators, and to allow administrators to keep track of activity (both real-time and historical)?  Can off-site users (i.e. telecommuters) be part of an ACD group?  Can I monitor them as well?
• Music On Hold. Is music on hold capability built-in to the system, or does it require additional equipment?  Are there pre-recorded tracks so I can hit the ground running?  Can I load custom tracks that will loop automatically?  Can callers dial an extension from hold?
• Built-in Help. Does the system have built-in help?  Does it have a built-in verbal tutorial on phone and voicemail features?  Is there a dedicated Help button?
• Conferencing. Does the system have built-in conferencing?  How many parties can be conferenced together simultaneously?  Is it easy to initiate a conference and add parties?
• Voice over IP (VoIP): Does the system support both local (on-premises) and remote IP (off-premises) extensions?  Do IP phones have all the same features and functionality as non-IP phones?  Can remote IP phones be moved from location to location geographically and plugged into practically any broadband connection, or does this require extensive configuration?  Do the remote phones use high-quality compression for the best voice quality?  Are SIP phones supported?  Are “soft” PC phones supported (local or remote)?  Can multiple, geographically distant sites be connected together?  Does this linking capability include robust features such as one-touch intercom/transfer, auto attendant or DID routing between sites, or ability to see when users at other sites are using their phone, in Do Not Disturb, or available?
• Presence Management. Does the system support door phones/security access readers using RFID technology (with security cards or keychain fobs)?  Can designated phone users unlock doors for guest entry from their desk?  Can I tell at a glance, from my phone, whether or not someone is in the building?  Can building or secure area access be limited based on a schedule?  Can a security card or fob be disabled quickly if it is lost or stolen, so that locks do not need to be changed?  Can the security readers also be used as time clocks, and can this data be reported on or imported into payroll software?
• Wireless Integration. Does the system support digital cordless phones in addition to standard analog cordless phones?  Do the digital cordless phones support a wide range of features, such as line and station appearances, transfer, conference, voicemail access, call record, do not disturb, overhead page, and more?  Can these features be accessed with one button rather than memorizing a code or button sequence?  Can users utilize a wireless Bluetooth headset of their choice with their office desk phone?  Can I automatically redirect cell phone calls to my office phone while I am in the office, without having to remember to forward and un-forward my cell phone (if that’s even an option)?  Can I run a cell line through my phone system as a backup line in case my regular lines ever go down?
• Expansion. Can the system be expanded easily without having to replace the entire phone system?  Can new capabilities be added to the system via a software upgrade?  Can software upgrades be done remotely?
• Support. Does the company I purchase the phone system from have extensive experience with this brand?  Do they have multiple technicians that are fully certified on the equipment?  How long have they been in business?  Are they a local company?  Do they have the ability to diagnose most issues quickly, without dispatching a technician?  If a technician needs to be dispatched, and it’s an emergency, will I get a response within a few hours or less?