Considering Shoretel solution 6

[WallyWest]

My company is reviewing proposals to replace our Nortel Meridian option 52 c pbx. One of the proposals is for Shoretel. We have 100 total users in a single site with a customer service department of 10 agents that currently participate in an ACD queue. The other systems in consideration are Avaya and Iwatsu.

The other proposals are VOIP enabled and could support VOIP phones where need (for telecommuting for instance)but the proposed office handsets are digital at a considerable cost savings to the IP sets in the Shoretel proposals. One of my concerns is that by introducing more devices onto the network, I've introduced complexity and need to introduce and maintain QOS and possibly VLANS- not necesaarily a big deal, but more work. I haven't seen any compelling evidence that having an IP handset is superior to a digital set (except that they are easier to move- a very minor benefit in our small building)

Anyone out there with experience in one or more of these?

 

[RickB19]

WallyWest, would you please let us know which solution you choose? It might help those of us that are in the same situation as yourself. Thank you.

 

[Deweyhumbolt]

Wally, when you ask open ended questions about a products suitability, on a TECHNICIAN forum, you might at least expect the truth. Technicians live in the real world. It works or it doesn't. When SALESPEOPLE answer, it's very obvious to all real techs. The problem with this thread is R2D2, unreservedly a self-desrcibed salesperson, pontificates in a way that doesn't address the technical aspects. Let him/her find a salesperson forum.

I'm an MVP on Nortel Norstar/BCM, for no other reason then to help technicians who have been handed a grenade from the salespeople, get a helping hand from those who have survived the trenches. Not alone, mind you, but some old school guy. Some guy that can't spell internet, most likely saved my ass one day. We're just extending the karma.

Yeah! I'm that good on my product and I'm that benevolent in expressing free help. WTF, are goofball salespeople doing on this forum. That is the start and end all of this failed thread.

I know gsmith is a tech, and indy is honest. I've seen crum whine about the C7 license in CA, I gained in 1992. I even tried to explain this to him. To side with an obvious salesperson and whine about a contractors test, says all. Sorry for the dissent Wally but, if salespeople didn't infect this forum, and whiner techs didn't sell real techs out. You could have learned allot.



Adversity is Opportunity

 

[crumthwacket]

?

 

[R3LzX]

One thing you have to be aware of as well, is people like "R3LzX get on the ShoreTel site and no little to no knowledge about ShoreTel. They sell Avaya and try to talk bad about ShoreTel due to the fear of this product."

I went to their little class and stayed there a week and made a 98 on the joke of a test that they offered, I know plenty about the Shoretel system, I have deployed it in an 8 site implementation all across Texas, all by myself, it was very very easy no doubt, however it is a pittance in comparison to communication manager or distributed office, and on a small scale (8 sites or less) ip office is a very very good product. This is not slick sales talk, its just my opinion, and I base my opinion on facts. When someone asks or mentions Avaya in the Shoretel forum then I should be welcome to comment on it. Freedom of speech and all that.


I was in sales years before I became an engineer, that is why I come off the way I do, sorry If I offended anyone.

btw who is R2D2 ?

 

[GSmitherman]

Maybe I am wrong, but I thought this forum is for people who work with Shoretel on a daily basis or have questions about ShoreTel.
Some people claim to know about ShoreTel but offer little proof. Has anyone worked with ShoreTel 8.0? Who has seen the instant messaging and desktop video conferencing? Who has seen the new Call Manager application? Who has created customized ring tones? Has anyone download a customized wallpaper for the color 265 sets?
I have worked with 8.0 and have seen all the above. I have customers spread out all over America who would kill if you made them go back to their Avaya Definity.
I am a huge fan of ShoreTel. I make no apology for that. If you love Avaya great. Stay on the Avaya site and talk crap there.

 

[jneiberger]

WallyWest, there is actually a vast amount of good information here. You just had the bad luck to step into an ongoing feud between certain Avaya people and certain Shoretel people. For some reason, some Avaya supports like to come here and bash Shoretel. This has been ongoing for a long time and many of the people here have become pretty sensitive to it. The reactions you saw here weren't the result of this thread only. They were the cumulative result of much Shoretel bashing from Avaya people over a long period of time.