Doctor friend wants to compare Partner ACS with NEC Aspire

[jlshelton]

A doctor friend wants to replace his Partner Plus with Partner ACS when he moves, but his sales rep is trying to talk him into an NEC Aspire S system. The sales rep claims:

Bigger voicemail
longer warranty
voip switch
Desktop programming thru computer
auto last number redial
listen to customers leaving voicemail
whisper page
512 port capacity

Clearly ACS has plenty of voice mail options, and comptuer programming, and monitor voice mail in progress. The others are not needed by this doctor, though I don't know what Whisper Page is.

Any opinions? Is it worth his switching to something new, or should he stick with familiar?

 

[franke]

Like almost everyone around, it sounds as if the sales rep is trying to push the dr. into a voip solution. The question he has to ask is, is he willing to entrust his phone service to a computer? For instance, how long has his current Partner system been up and running 24/7 without a major outage? Without the need for a software upgrade or 'patch'? Is he willing to spend more money for a completely new system, phones, training, and probably a new, dedicated computer vs. a new ACS processor and possibly a new carrier? There are, of course, a lot more questions that need to be asked. If he is set on voip, Avaya (currently #1 in the voip market) also has solutions, from the SOHO to the IPOffice, depending on his requirements.

franke

 

[itpphoneguy]

I really have to agree with franke. That and a Partner Messaging module is insanely large, more than most people can use. That and it's unified messaging app. is a big plus.
Your biggest problem is the Partner phones aren't very trim looking. On the plus side, you can plug tip / ring devices straight in.
Now if your friend has the money and the desire, go iP Office and end the discussion.

-Chris

 

[DenneyM]

whisper Page" A cool little feature that lawyers can't do without once you show this to them. The feature allows a second party "inner office" to dial an extension that is in use, talk to the person on that extension, listen to the call that is taking place on that extension, without the third party "outside caller" knowing that anyone else is even on the phone.

 

[itpphoneguy]

A modified monitor. Watch for legal issues on this. Esp in a lawyers office.
-Chris

 

[392]

A true whisper page allows a directed page to the ear of a handset with a call in progress, heard only by the extension, not the caller, and the paging party cannot hear the conversation in progress. To respond, the called party has to press a separate key to activate the mic in the tel set base. Works well, very private, and no monitoring issues because the third party is never bridged into the conversation.