IPO training and Delta Server info

[SJCA53]

I have an IPO 4.0(7)ASCN setup with 10 locations, a mixture of analog (Polycom conference) and digital (5410, 5420) phones, both 406 and 412 controllers, set up on a fully meshed MPLS WAN using GRE Tunnelling, with one Voicemail Pro (4.0.18 VM Pro Client)headquarters server. We are using PMP 4.0.20, and gave up on IMS until we can spend some serious time with Avaya working on it.

I'm the companywide admin for the phone systems, and I do most of the regular SysAdmin tasks as well. I'd like general technical IPO training and Delta Server expertise. We are using Delta's raw call logging to track call usage stats, not full-on call center stuff.

I'm told that Avaya's training courses mostly follow the docs, which I can read myself, but I'm looking for something more oriented towards real life experiences. Classes from VODA(sp?)were suggested, but I haven't been able to get any info on that.

We have a good Business Partner who is working very hard to assist us, but we'd like more expertise in-house. Any suggestions on training that would be helpful?
TIA

 

[kwing112000]

Catalyst who is our distributor offers end user and admin training that i think is pretty good.

 

[aarenot]

Check out IPOfficeinfo.com

You should find many useful aids on this site, and much more organized than Avaya. Do some reading of the things you find there, and check back here after a while.

My other suggestion would be to take a look on the right hand side in the MVP's, click full list. You will see the number of votes the list members have recieved from the 10,541 forum members thanking them for their field application expertise. Click a few, and you can see their posts, and replies to evaluate them, or do a search for the topic in the forum, and ask them to help you out with some training when you find one that is to your liking.

I probably know a tech in your area if you are in USA that can help you out with some training. I am on MSN same name.

 

[ronromano]

Why don't you pay your vendor for training. Who would know your setup better?

 

[aarenot]

Ron,
While I am sure in your situation you would have found a training solution for him if he were your customer, and probably by giving him the training in house with an experienced tech from your company. The fact that he is asking these questions here kind of makes you think the BP he is using is not as capable as you might be.

Here is a compliment for you. While I would be confident in subcontracting an IPO install to your company with your personal assurance of quality, there are many which I would not do so with. In fact many (90%)of the systems I have come into after install having not been the implementor I would not be able to speak highly of the original implementors work. Sad to say, but I have taken over for more than one vendor who has been invited to leave. You can not seriously think that all BP's are the same?

 

[SJCA53]

kwing and aarenot - thanks for the info, I will investigate your leads.

ronromano - I did discuss this with our BP, and they aren't really set up to do training like I want, plus 4.whatever is a new product for them and they are playing catch-up, too. The issues this version has seem to be challenging BPs as much as the end users. As aarenot says, not all original vendors are up to the task, and our current BP is one we moved to when the first one turned out to be 'less than optimal' for our needs. We had a few choice words to say to Avaya about their rotation method for handing out potential clients to BPs.

It doesn't help that we previously had a system that had very feature rich software but problematic hardware, so my users are more demanding of everything than the norm, and wanted the VoIP and working software/Outlook integration from day one on a new system.

 

[kwing112000]

I work for a real big BP and we run into this aarenot all the time. THe subs we use have little experiance with the product and just slap it in. then we get stuck with making it work after they leave. just today i have a site where some stuff is happening with some digital modules that are running 4.1. We called the sub to check to see if he did the 3.2.999 upgrade on them and he tells us they are 500 mods and they are 4.1 and will not answer if he upgraded them properly. If we asked him to go back out he would charge us for it. I have rebuilt more problem sites in the last 2 years than i can count. all due to bad install techs who just want to get out. blame everything on the software.

 

[aarenot]

kwing,
I hear you on that one. Prior to going out on my own I was the senior tech, and lead IPO tech at that branch for a company in the top twenty largest Avaya BP's in North America, and they were on the BP counsel for Avaya as well. So I/we did some project management, programming, remote support, and service for other BP's, and also subbed out some work at times as well. I have always insisted on doing the upgrades myself in house before shipping out to site, but then I did not have anyone to answer to technicaly at my site as I was the most qualified/experienced tech/person in the branch.

My approach is to try to blame everything on the IPO until I can prove it is not. Then I go after whatever is the problem with the same fervor.

 

[ABCTELECOM]

StaceyJ,

Are you at all concerned about vmail congestion with your setup? Without knowing more about your config, that in and of itself throws a red flag for me....30 channels of vmail over 10 sites is not much! As for Delta Server, if your only interested in the call logging and stats. Why not go for a call accounting system to format that data. We recommend Metropolis Technologies Office Watch product.

 

[aarenot]

I would not be concerned about the VM ports. You might want to monitor the usage, and try to steer away from Q's, and supervised transfers from the VM, as well as making sure there are overflows in place so if ports are busy it will ring a group. There are ways to try to control VM time in call flows, etc. when reaching a congestion state. VM to EM relieves much VM congestion if people use it.

 

[SJCA53]

ABCTELECOM - yes, I am concerned; the biggest congestion issue is with tromboning problems caused by call handling setups. We took some of that out by using Time Profiles and local hunt groups at remote sites to cut down on the number of trips to and from the VM server. After testing 4.1.whatever, our BP says that is fixed in 4.1. But I am not confident that version won't break something else, so we are still testing and not implementing yet.

aarenot - we do use vm to em a lot, as it was a feature on the old system a lot of people liked, but we still get a lot of hits on the vm server in the morning and at the end of day when people are managing their vm.

 

[aarenot]

One thing to manage as well is your hunt groups personel, and that they are being answered during that time of day. People have a tendency to ignore, or be on other calls during that time of day in order to avoid calls because they are focusing on other than work items, it is common to see VM call volumes go up because of personel issues as well. If you are having those increases in VM hits do not assume that they are just from users checking mail, but also those avoiding calls. I am not saying this is contributing to your scenario, but my call data investigations often turn up this as a major contributor to VM congestion at start, and end times of day, people letting their calls go to VM by choice, or because they are not in their work area.

One of my SCN multi-site customers sent some SMDR data to certain users to show their lack of answered calls in the first, and last 15 minutes of their work day. His problem went away, and they did not need additional VM ports installed.

 

[ronromano]

Let's get something straight, no one can catch up to the IP Office. There are too many dimensions to it for anyone to be an expert in all areas. Not even the Tier III techs from Avaya are up on 4.1. We all learn something new about this product, or the software packages, or something you have to do to Windows, or routers, or circuits not to mention the bug fixes, private builds, and workarounds that plentiful every day. At least you learn something new everyday if you're worth the service rate you charge.

You're like every other customer who thinks they' re going to manage the IPO themselves and it almost never works. Stick to changing names and voicemail passwords and leave the real support to vendors who make it a life's work, literally, to try to keep up with the product.

 

[SJCA53]

ronromano - I understand your point of view, and what you are saying is very valid with regards to anyone having all the expertise on any system involving hardware and software that are constantly evolving. I am not going to start a fight over management choices in my organization or anyone else's. I'd like to close this discussion at this point and leave it where it is.
Thanks.

 

[aarenot]

GUI's are great for the vendor because they create another situation that causes the system to require service which is not covered by a maint agreement. When the customer screws it up.