CITELink information 2

[trabra]

TO ALL:

Has anyone heard of or worked with a product by Citel Technologies? I've been asked about the CITELink that allows the customer to keep their Norstar telephones and use this IP Gateway and I have absolutely no experience with this product nor have I heard any feedback on it. Please let me hear your experiences with Citel good or bad as it looks like they are partnering we every major system manufacturer touting that you can keep your telephones and buy our box!!

 

[senk1s]

yep ive seen it working with 3COM ...and apparently theyve done a good job - the customer is happy.
just rip the norstar off the wall and since the customer is using the same phones, it is the same things with minimal cost ... the customer liked this over the BCM

 

[mitelman]

I know that Mitel is marketing it as well for the MN3300. I haven't seen it myself, but one of my coworkers has and say it works well. The only big gotcha is that once installed don't think of your phones as Norstar sets anymore. The keys get all remapped and the functionality is that of a proprietary set on the system it is being installed on.

Simon

 

[trabra]

senk1s and mitelman:

Thanks for the information! I'm trying very hard to understand the "Value Add" over a BCM. All I can figure is it must be less exspensive than the BCM, right?? Could you add an IP Gateway to the existing 0x32 and get the same thing and keep the Norstar in tact? Again, I'm trying to understand the benefit of pushing this product and can't see it as of yet!

 

[senk1s]

IP Gateway is used to connect 2 systems (2 norstars for eg)
you can never (???) have IP phones on a norstar YET !!

thats why someone will replace a norstar

 

[mitelman]

trabra:

I am currently in the middle of an install putting in a new Mitel 3300 and pulling out at Norstar 0x32. It is about 60 or sets. The customer was wanting to get into IP so that they could put remote sets in different feild offices around the province to reduce LD, etc. They also like the advantage of lower MAC costs in administrating their own phones. The quote went out to the customer with several different options and 2 of them had the customer keeping their existing Nortel sets. The first was an upgrade to a BCM which was the most expensive. The second was a Mitel 3300ICP with the Citelink Gateway using the existing Nortel Sets. This was the cheapest. The last option was about 2 grand more and was the 3300 and all new Mitel IP sets.

The customer chose the last option with all new sets for a couple reasons.

1. When you are spend 40k plus for phones it really helps if the bosses and other end users actually see something new, instead of the old beat up phone they have had on their desk for the past 6 years. The average user doesn't care about the box in the phone room and the fact that it can be programmed through the web, etc. To them it is the same old thing.

2. Using the Citelink on a different PBX would really screw up the end user, since the keys are all remapped. Your set would say Norstar but it is not. I would imagine huge pushback from the average user. Could you imagine if suddenly all the mice in your office were switched for left-handed use?

The biggest reasons for upgrading using the Citelink is that it is an in for a competitor to sell a new phone system while allowing the customer to retain some of their original investment. It makes it "more justifiable" to the guy looking at the price tag.

Upgrading to a BCM. The only advantages that I have seen to date are: IP Sets, remote and local; IP Trunking; Unified messaging; lower MAC costs to the customer, bad for vendor, good for customer;

What ever you decide, make sure that in the end, the people in power see something new on the desk. :-D

Simon

 

[trabra]

Simon:

Thanks for taking the time to give your response. Our CIO and IT Director have been given the sales pitch "Keep your exisitng phones" and I needed more than the Citel website to evaluate the product. Thanks to all who have commented and as I've stated before, this site is an awesome resource! Currently we are evaluating product and won't be making any changes this year but trying to budget upgrades and plan a migration path for our embedded system base. We have over 400 branch offices throughout the US and have of 80% of them on Norstar. The remaining 20% is a myriad of key systems. I've been in the industry for 22 years starting out as a telephone tech and value the opinion of the guy who installs and services the product! Again, thanks to all!