Help - Should I migrate ? 2

[Newguy20006]

Hello,

I'm the new guy that just got put in charge of the company phone system. I have zero knowledge and experience.

We currently have 50+ Nortel T Series phones using a PRI and our phone bill is through the roof.An Emetrotel vendor is telling me to convert to UCX50 and voip. He says it will not only update our system but also save me money.

Can anyone please tell me the pros and cons ? Anything to be aware of, it sounds too good to be true. I'll take an advice and insight. I don't want to be fired over this.

Thanks in advance.

 

[theislandtech]

Yes
Depending on your current Nortel system. If you have a BCM, you can replace the hard drive in the controller thus making it the digital gateway.
Reuse station equipment and phones. Very little user retraining needed. The most expensive item will be the license. Dropping the PRI and change to VOIP would recover the license cost in the first year.
I converted a customer that had a PRI and Telco maintenance on a BCM50 to a UCX50, their phone bill went from $2,000+ a month to under $200 a month including an internet bandwidth increase!

 

[telcodog]

if it sounds too good to be true". LOL

Three and a half years ago when I first started looking at the UCx, I said the same thing and spent 3 months researching the company and product and eventually bought a demo system to verify everything. I was so impressed with the company and product that I became a reseller for them. Since then I have sold well over a hundred systems (and more every week), I can honestly say that not one of them has expressed any buyers remorse (we still service them all) and no contact has ever lost their job because they bought one.

The systems are relatively inexpensive, incredibly reliable, easy to configure and maintain and the manufacturer support is awesome and uncomplicated. Remote access is supplied via secure vpn connections so no dialup required. It sopports most of the Nortel feature set and you can actually have Norstar sets and M1 sets working on the system at the same time.

There are so many reasons to go with the emetrotel system if you currently run legacy Nortel gear they can't all be listed here but I can honestly say that you won't be disappointed.

Ask the vendor to set up a demo for you and you'll see it does everything they say.....and more. Once you see it in action, you'll get over the "too good to be true" feeling.

Oh ya, it takes about 5 minutes to get SIP trunks working on this system to save you about 80% on your monthly costs so the ROI on these things is usually less than 12 months.

Good luck in your decision.

 

[RLSbutton]

If you like the look feel and function of the Nortel telephones, then the UCx is the system I would consider upgrading your current Norstar/BCM system.

The Nortel phones act identically to the way they did when it was a Norstar/BCM with even more added features such as the addition of:

-full Internal Caller ID Info,
-Internal Caller (I/C path) Hold Music
-No more 7 digit limit names for extensions,a name such as Bradley Smith will entirely show on even a 16 character display.
-Being able to toggle between name and number via an Info button on the Two line LCD display phones such as the M7310.
-a Call Buzz tone can be configured for call waiting, instead of the phone ringing constantly in the background.
-Once you buy a license for a telephone, there are no additional fees to switch it to IP, SIP, analog, digital etc.
-all phones come with call log built in
-the GUI to access the telephone system is web based, thus can be used on a MAC or PC and doesn't require java updates.
-Nortel Unistim IP Phones can be programmed to show the Feature button on the bottom left softkey or you can change the soft keys to CS1000 mode with all 4 soft keys programmed for use.


Those are some of the improvements I have noticed between the original product and the UCx I have been testing.

Joseph Sus Jr. Nortel Emetrotel Consultant

http://www.joetheucxguy.com

 

[Merbac]

My company has installed about 30 of these. The idea is fantastic, but the system is a little buggy. There are constant updates and we find the customer has to reboot the boxes too often to have it working properly again. We found our customers loved the idea of keeping their phones but didn't love the results, same old phones, not too many new features. Their tech support is below average at best. Move your customers to a new system that is more stable (Panasonic, IP Office, Shoretel...)

 

[theislandtech]

Merbac what type of issues are you having that is causing your customers to reboot frequently?
I've got a customer that in almost 2 years never had to reboot! I've reboot it after some security updates and after a version upgrade.

 

[telcodog]

I have a couple of hundred of these things installed and not one of them has ever needed a reboot to fix anything. I even have release 3.0 systems that are still running as well today as when they were installed.

You might want to have a look at your installation practices as well as your technicians.

Your comments about few new features and the system being buggy makes me believe you are not very familiar with them. There isn't one manufacturer that doesn't issue updates to their systems (Avaya being the worst of them). The BCM product line was patched so many times, it was surprising the thing even worked. Patching and updating systems is a sign that the manufacturer is paying attention. Of course every once in a while, those patches have unforeseen results and corrective action by the manufacturer is required immediately. No one is perfect.

Their support is far superior to all of the manufacturers you mentioned in your post (I work on all those systems and more). You simply log into their secure portal, open a ticket with them and someone calls you back immediately if it's tagged as a major and within an hour if it's something else. If you call, they answer the phone and actually speak to you. Their knowledge of their system as well as the Nortel product is second to none so I don't know where you got the idea that they are below average.

I speak to other Resellers all the time and no one has ever expressed that they were having the problems you describe......in fact, it's the exact opposite.

You are. of course, entitled to your opinion, but don't expect that others won't call you on it!

 

[RLSbutton]

Yeah I too have incredibly stable functionality with my UCx systems as well. I must ask Merbac, why did you install 30 if after the first 5-10 you found them to be faulty?

Joseph Sus Jr. Nortel Emetrotel Consultant

http://www.joetheucxguy.com

 

[JayUCX1]

Too Good to be true?
I have a major hospital in Orland, Florida with over 60 UCX (1000 to 20's) systems and they are running smooth! I had them converted three years ago because Avaya would not support UNISTM in IP Office environment. If your wondering how we did it give me a shout. 800-753-9103
Jay

 

[RLSbutton]

Jay, sounds amazing!

The UCx sounds like it is too good to be true, but it is True and it's great!

I was talking to a vendor in Toronto and he was telling me how a certain large organization was going to upgrade to a large switch from another established Canadian vendor until they heard the pricing on the switch. E-MetroTel came in about a half lower and still supports all of the Nortel gear.



Joseph Sus Jr. Nortel Emetrotel Consultant

http://www.joetheucxguy.com

 

[mrdom]

I'll take an opportunity to put in a plug for the UCx too! We're not advanced users, but we do use some unique features of the system. The system has been extremely reliable. No need to reboot here. We're very happy with it and liked the ability to maintain our existing T-series phones. There's a lot of older people using the new system, and they were very happy to not have to learn a new system, different feature codes, etc. If your users are used to Nortel/BCM, they'll do just fine on this system.

Our tech support vendor is in TN, and whenever we've had an issue (I can count them on one hand), our support vendor was in and had the problem fixed in no time.

We're very pleased!

 

[UCXNortel]

The TN Stocking Distributor is now part of the E-Metrotel team, both for the Tech Support Group as well as another member added as a Sales Account Manager .

 

[JayUCX1]

RLSbutton- We are an UCX Distributor with many independent dealers throughout the country and dealing with E-Metrotel is breeze compared to phone companies whom will remain nameless. E-Metrotel is a great partner. I am glad you are one too!

Merbac, I am curious why you had written such feed back? I find it a bit strange that you failed to mention any assistance E-Metrotel had offered, if any? Our experiences with them is they are a true partner and will step up the plate to assist our customers when we ask. Buggy, compared to Shoretel, Panasonic, IP office you say? Being in the industry close to 20 years it seems to me your being bias and not truthful. If you are still having issue with your 30 UCX customers, please have them call us and I'll be more than happy to give them free technical phone support.