IP Office with ZCOM call center

[digital12188]

Has anyone implemented Zcom call center with IP Office?
I have a customer that is not happy with CCC and from what I have read Zcom is a DEV connect partner and works well with IP office..

Trying to see if the product is any good..

any information would be appreciated...

 

[telcotechavaya]

Hi there,

We've done one site in New Zealand with Zeacom, and it was the easiest install we've done! Zeacom had a few hassles as it was their first install on an IPO here, and all their docs referred to V1.4 etc.
They had an issue getting the message lamp to light on 54XX series phones at first, but got it resolved.
Our site uses analogue phone ports into dialogic cards, and there is a crazy self learning system short code required...
Each dialogic port opens up when rebooted and dials this I think.?

SC= *99424299XXXX
Feature= Busy
Telephone Number= *9N;
Line Group= 0

Otherwise, the huntgroups for the Zeacom queues were just created without any members, as the Zeacom server dealt with the queues once the IPO incoming route had a destination to get to.
Users simply had busy no answer forwards to a Hunt group called Voicemail (or whatever) and this also had no users in it. the queue of the 12 ports into the voicemail were controlled again by the server.
Works pretty good by the sounds of things, the only thing it didn't do (which may be sorted now I heard) was their BLF across their WAN link to their other site running SOE. It doesn't use any of the SCN info by the looks.

The licenses involved were the CTILink Pro, and the Wave User license from what I have in the config.

Hope this helps a little bit?

Cheers

Chris

Auckland
New Zealand

 

[aarenot]

I know a guy at Zeacom I worked with on a full blown 412 replacing the CCC with Zeacom unit. It worked well with the project I worked on, the customer is happy. I can connect you with him if you want, the right guy on any project is crucial, and I would recomend this guy first of all. He knows his stuff, both Zeacom, and IPO.

Let me know.

 

[jhtnadave]

We implemented the Zeacom Solution after trying CCC for 3 months which couldn't meet our needs. Unfortunately, our IP Office implementation was a disaster due to a crappy vendor which I think in turn affected our Zeacom install. Because of this, there were some bumps with the Zeacom install, but we have found their support after the sale to be excellent. We use their Voicemail solution and their Callback feature which has made our call center much more efficient. The Zeacom system is VERY easy to administer. Hope this helps.

 

[aarenot]

jhtnadave,
How did you find out about Zeacom.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with your vendor. Large implementations are often botched by vendors because they do not have the project management skills for it. In my experience that is where most issues occur, was that your scenario?

 

[jhtnadave]

aarenot,

Recommending Zeacom was about the only positive thing our vendor did for us. I came into the project late, but yes, poor project management and poor upfront representation of the capabilities of CCC were factors in the poor implementation. The trainer was also inept and we were given about 15 minutes of "Admin" training as the implementation engineer was running out the door....fun. We have since learned the vender also never registered our system with Avaya so we have no sold-to number.

One other note in regards to Zeacom. Get as much training and knowledge as you can while they are on site. This will be very helpful in the long run.

 

[aarenot]

jhtnadave,
I feel for you. I have seen projects I was not the implementation engineer for go south fast because of a poor PM and felt sorry for the customer. I have been the implementation engineer when the project manager was ill prepared, inept, ill informed, un/reactive, and the sales team less than communicative in the sales proccess, in which case I just did the PM's job myself. It is hell for the implementation engineer as well.
My advice to anyone, start meetings with your PM early, get everything about your system including programming parameters set up, and documented early in the proccess. When the equipment is ordered for delivery you want all the programming parameters already documented, and signed off on. If there are any other items in the project, wiring, paging, new trunks, circuits, etc. get them completed before the system equipment is scheduled to be delivered to site, preferably as a seperate project at least with completion date prior to going live on the new system. Your system should be ready to go live, tested, trained(including all VM boxes set up), interfaced with other systems(paging, EM, user apps, SCN, pre-test trunks when possibleT1/PRI/ETC), admin trained, and waiting to switch/Port the lines over to the new system prior to the cut-over. There should be few exceptions to this, and mosly only with smaller systems.

 

[binxwalker]

Would highly recommend Zeacom on IP Office. Zeacom is an excellent company with a great product and outstanding personnel. Just make sure that the version of IPO firmware that is implemented is compatible with Zeacom's implementation of TAPI/WAV. Avaya constantly changes their implementation with new firmware releases and causes problems for Zeacom and other DevConnect partners. I believe that 3.2(54) is supported, but nothing beyond that release. 3.2(57) is now released, but I haven't yet heard whether it is compatible with Zeacom. Stay away from 4.X of IPO.

 

[aarenot]

Exactly binxwalker, which is why I say having the right implementor is key. The guy I worked with spit out all of the compatible versions verbally, the best working ones, and the little quirks of each. 3.2 was not a release they supported previous to this install, but he worked it all out. We had to play with it a bit, but got it all going.

Let me know if you want me to connect you with him.

 

[kmerck]

aarenot,

Our company has also be using CCC for the past 2yrs and we are not exactly thrilled with how the Delta Server skews our reporting among other things. I have a demo scheduled with Zeacom to take a look at their product. Do you know of any other call center software products that will work with the IP Office that you could recommend?

 

[aarenot]

kmerck,
My first response is how is the delta server skewing your reports, and maybe we here can help. If not real time reporting you are speaking of, maybe you could find someone good with ECAS?
Secondly, what are the other things, maybe we can help there as well.

Prior to first, and more fore than foremost,
I can only recomend implementors of the products, not the products themselves. I do not recomend any product of any sort for any application with the IPO, or any other system. As with any technology system it is only as good as the system engineer, and project manager. When the engineer, and the PM are one in the same that is in my opinion the best scenario. With the right system engineer/PM they can make the system do things which the manufacturer cannot make it do. This is why I can recomend the guy I have worked with from Zeacom, he was willing to make it do what it could not do previously.

As far as other call center software systems, I have not worked the IPO end of any other than Avaya, and Zeacom on the IPO. That precludes me from recomending anyone who implements them, and thus any of their products.

Wish I could be more help, let me know if I can. Catch me at the same profile name as on here AT My Special Network DO Try to COMe and I can connect you with the guy I worked with.

 

[CAHILL1951]

Zeacom connected to an Avaya IP Office 412, calls are hanging in the system and the receptionist has to take the call and transfer it.
Zeacom is pointing fingers at Avaya and Avaya, well they want 2400 dollars to talk to Zeacom.

If aarenot would give me the name of the Z-com tech, then maybe I could put him in contact with the user and we could find out what is causing the issue.

thanks

 

[digital12188]

My customer installed the Zeacom product a couple of months ago.. For the most part them seem happy with it.. However they do have some isusue open with Zeacom.

1. Callback seems to place voicemails in agents IP Office voicemail.. this causes issue with the ques not answering.
( Usally agents do not have personal vm boxes but this customer allows it).

2. Phantom calls seem to get stuck in the Ques... They believe it has something to do with cell phones.

Again for the most part the customer seems to be happy with the product.. Much better than CCC.

Zeacom just needs to reolve the issues for the customer ina timly fashion.