ECS has been chosen to install the voice and data cabling infrastructure at a top rated fertility and IVR clinic in the heart of Seattle.  The clinic is expanding on its main floor and consolidating workers spread out over other floors. The project consists of a Category 5e solution for approximately 5,500 square feet of expansion space.  The plan also includes a revamp of existing cabling on several floors that is sub-par.

According to Charles Bressler (ECS Account Manager) “Timing is going to be crucial on this project, along with our ability to work with and around other trades to make sure we perform at the highest levels and reach completion on time.  We will take great care as we work in this very sensitive area with their clients and their existing system so that they stay fully operational during the installation.”

For IP Office R8.1+
IP Office Support Services is globally available to customers that have an IP Office R8.1+ system. It provides your business with the support you need, when you need it, with flexible options and investment protection. It is simple and easy to use. IP Office Support Services address software and hardware components, access to service packs and all major software releases during the contract term, and provide options for parts delivery and hours of service coverage. You even have access to all of Avaya’s web services such as documentation, tools and our newly revised Knowledge Base. The introductory support price includes software upgrades, and the price isn’t much higher than the cost of a single software upgrade. Introductory pricing is a single fee per server no matter the number of users or applications. IP Office Support Services is available through your Avaya Authorized Partner.

The base offer includes:
• Avaya remote technical support for both software and hardware during standard 8×5 Monday-Friday hours
• Access to major software upgrades to keep your systems current and to increase functionality
• Access to minor software releases, service packs and software and firmware updates
• Access to the Avaya support site tools and intellectual property
•Enhanced remote connectivity through SSL-VPN for increased security and faster resolution
•Availability of coverage in 1, 3 or 5 year prepaid terms
•Low total cost of ownership
•Competitively priced support

Additional Value options:•
Anytime/any day remote support (24x7x365)
•Advanced Parts Replacement (APR) – Next Business Day for critical components
•Advanced Parts with On-Site support – Next Business Day (NBD)

Voice Terminal Replacement coverage is not included in the Avaya IP Office Support Services (IPOSS) offer.

Rest assured that your IP Office system is protected with Avaya manufacturer support and future upgrades.

The C110 Unified Communications Module is an IP500 base card supported by IP500 V2 systems running IP Office Release 8.0 or higher software. The module REQUIRES IP Office Essential Edition, & INCLUDES IP Office Preferred Edition initial  4-Port License.

The C110 module is a PC/Server, enabling various Linux based IP Office applications to run as embedded applications within the IP500 V2 control unit rather than requiring a separate PC. The Unified Communications Module hosts the following applications:

Linux:
The base operating system installed is CentOS, a Linux operating system. However, no specific knowledge of Linux is required for installation or maintenance of the C110 Unified Communications Module.

one-X Portal for IP Office:
This is a web browser based application that user’s can use to control making and
answering calls on their phone. It also provides a range of gadgets for the user to access features such as their directory, call log and voicemail messages. The one-X Portal for IP Office application is configured and managed remotely using web browser access. Each user who wants to use one-X Portal for IP Office needs to be licensed. The Unified Communications Module acts as an automatic Preferred Edition license that is normally required by the application.

Voicemail Pro:
This is a voicemail server. It provides mailbox services to all users and hunt groups on the IP Office system for which it is configured. In addition it can be customized to provide a range of call routing and voicemail services. The Voicemail Pro service is configured and managed remotely using the Windows Voicemail Pro client. A copy of the Voicemail Pro client can be downloaded and installed from the server. The number of simultaneous connections to voicemail is licensed. The Unified Communications Module acts as an automatic Preferred Edition license for Voicemail Pro application.

Web Control Menus:
The server’s own settings are configured and managed remotely using web browser access to a set of menus.

Unified Communications Module Capacity:
1) Up to 200 users when running Voicemail Pro and one-X Portal for IP Office
2) More than 200 users when running just Voicemail Pro
3) Simultaneous one-X Portal for IP Office Users: 50
4) Maximum Voicemail Ports;
a) Up to 20 ports when running Voicemail Pro and one-X Portal for IP Office
b) Up to 40 ports when running just Voicemail Pro.
5) Small Community Network: Maximum 6 systems.

We are pleased to announce that Charles Bressler has joined the ECS team as an Account Manager (Sales) in our Auburn, WA Office.

Charles has many years of experience in the voice/data industry, with a heavy emphasis in estimating & operations of low voltage cabling, fiber, etc.

We expect Charles to be a major factor in the growth of ECS over the next months & for years to come.

Charles’ first day working with us was yesterday/Monday, February 4th, 2013

We are pleased to announce that Pete Lindstrom will be joining the ECS team as a Service and Cable Technician in the Auburn Office.

Pete comes to ECS with 15 years of experience in telecom, low voltage Cat5, Cat6, Fiber, inside and outside plant cabling.

Pete’s first day was January 14th 2013.

Pete is going to be a great asset to the ECS Team!

Welcome Pete!

Frost & Sullivan, Growth Partnership Company, and an independent panel of judges name Avaya IP Office the communications software or hardware product most valuable to clients across Europe in 2010/2011; Product features and benefits, Go-to-Market strategy, value for money, market potential and customer adoption made up key evaluation criteria.

Quotes:
“With IP Office, Avaya introduced role-based bundles, thanks to which small businesses no longer need to select from various application options. This removes the complexity of choosing the right communications solution for their particular needs. In Europe in particular, products designed for working on the road, for example, ‘mobile worker’ and ‘power user’ targeted at executives, are the top best-selling solutions.” Dorota Oviedo, Industry Analyst, Frost & Sullivan

“In today’s tough economic environment, small and medium businesses need the best tools available to collaborate and compete more effectively. Avaya IP Office represents the best in advanced communications for this market, providing multiple unified communications and customer service capabilities, with a focus on simplicity and savings.  We appreciate the recognition from a leading industry analyst firm – and its independent panel of judges – as well the recognition we receive from our customers, who have made Avaya IP Office the top product in its category.” Anthony Bartolo, General Manager, Unified Communications and Avaya Small and Medium Enterprise Division

Related Information:
Leadership: Avaya is now the leader in the small and medium business market with approximately 30 million telephony users on Avaya small and medium communications platforms.1

Customers: Avaya recently passed 200,000 Avaya IP Office customers.

TMCnet www.tmcnet.com announced the winners of its Fifth Annual Unified Communications Product of the Year Award. Avaya IP Office was among this year’s elite list of winners.

The TMCnet 2011 Unified Communications Product of the Year Award distinguishes those companies that brought ground-breaking advancements to UC technologies in the past year. Unified communications is the wave of the future, and 2011 was an explosive year for new products.

“The winners which were selected to be a part of this elite list of the Product of the Year Awards have demonstrated that their products or services have gone the extra mile to help improve unified communications solutions for both the customer experience and the ROI for the companies that use them,” said Rich Tehrani, CEO, TMC. “Congratulations to all the winners and I look forward to seeing continued technological advancement in the coming year.”

Winners of 2011 Product of the Year Awards are published in the March 2012 issue of INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine, www.itmag.com  INTERNET TELEPHONY is the leading publication dedicated to IP Communications.

Remember AT&T ?
On September 30, 1996 through the demerger of the former AT&T Technologies business unit of AT&T Corporation, Lucent Technologies was formed. One of the primary reasons AT&T Corporation chose to spin off its equipment manufacturing business was to permit it to profit from sales to competing telecommunications providers; these customers had previously shown reluctance to purchase from a direct competitor. Bell Labs brought prestige to the new company, as well as the revenue from thousands of patents.

On October 1, 2000 Lucent Technologies Inc. spun off their telephone system, unified communications, and call center businesses to a new company called Avaya (like Papaya). Since 2001, the company has sold, and acquired several companies to support its current product set and further it’s global leadership position. In 2004 Avaya began aggressive expansion in Europe and in Asia.

Avaya is a company spun off from Lucent Technologies, itself a spinoff of AT&T, Avaya continues to sell and support telephone models for businesses that were made popular in the heyday of the Bell System, including the 2554 wall phone, and the 2500 series desk phone, both popular Western Electric models. Much of Avaya’s product and customer set today can be traced back to its AT&T legacy where it formed part of AT&T Network Systems.

Market position
Avaya is recognized globally by industry and technology experts as the world leader in the following areas:
#1 in Worldwide Small Business Telephony
#1 in Worldwide Unified Communications and Enterprise Telephony
#1 in Worldwide Contact Center
#1 in Worldwide Enterprise Messaging
#1 in Worldwide Audio Conferencing

The customer has four locations throughout southern Oregon that have different key telephone systems that are 10-15 years old.  They have no voice integration or functionality between offices. The customer asked ECS to review their existing telephone line costs to see if we could help them reduce their monthly operating costs. And, oh by the way, if we could find enough savings to pay for it, they would like to install a new integrated telephone system solution that allowed them to call extension to extension between offices for free, transfer calls between extensions like they worked in the same office, show the proper caller ID when placing outbound calls, etc., etc.

Here is the information that we asked for from the customer for analysis:
1)     List of locations/addresses
2)     Copies of all existing bills for internet access and telephone lines
3)     List of telephone lines at each location and what each is used for
4)     Quantity of telephones at each location
5)     Pictures of existing systems, telephones, etc.

After we received the information from the client, we researched and analyzed various technology solutions for the client and recommended the following:
 Migrate from Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) Analog lines to SIP Telephone Lines provided over their internet access.
Existing Monthly Costs – $1,646.16
Proposed SIP – $564.69
PROPOSED MONTHLY SAVINGS – $1,081.47
PROPOSED ANNUAL SAVINGS – $12,977.64
PROPOSED 3-YEAR SAVINGS – $38,932.92

 Install a new Avaya IP Office IP500V2 system at the host location with SIP Telephone Lines & IP Phones at all locations. (now all four sites operate like they’re in the same building on the same telephone system)
36-Month, $1 Buyout Lease = $860.68

SUMMARY: The customer was paying $1,646.16 per month for out-dated services, with no efficient interaction between offices. We provided $1,081.47 in monthly savings which the customer is using to pay $860.68 per month for a 36-Month, $1 Buyout Lease Payment for a new Avaya IP Office system that provides complete seamless inter-operability between all four locations, AND, still leaves $220.79 in monthly savings.

On Hold Marketing!

Most of us are obviously familiar with music on hold playing through phone systems. Playing generic “Music” only or embedded music provides something for callers to avoid irritating silence.  However, often times our customers prefer to have an on hold program created specifically for their own company.  This is usually referred to as “On Hold Marketing”.  Having customers hear on hold “marketing” has numerous benefits and might not be as difficult or expensive as you would think.  Recently an independent survey was conducted for the “On Hold Messaging Association”.  This survey questioned customers that currently have custom on hold marketing messages playing for their callers put on hold.  Over 1,500 individual companies responded.

HERE ARE SOME SAMPLES OF THE RESULTS:

 From a pure marketing perspective, which of these statements best describes how you feel about the role of your On Hold Messaging Program in your overall marketing mix?

It’s a useful marketing tool that adds value 85%

Why did your company purchase On Hold Messaging?

To build image and professionalism  74%

To promote the sale of products/services  72%

To avoid silence on hold  58%

To provide callers with entertainment or useful information while waiting  56%

To prevent callers from hanging up  31%

Clearly, users of on hold marketing feel this is an important part of their business and can see the benefits associated with a custom on hold marketing program over a standard music only option or worse, silence on hold.