Montreal PBX Maintenance

[telecomproPA]

hi, does anyone out there know a good PBX Maintenance provider in the Montreal area? we had a very bad provider, are in the middle of switching to a new provider and they're only a third better than the previous outfit.
whatever you can recommend would be appreciated. thx.

 

[Stagemusic]

My best suggestion would be for you to contact your local Nortel Rep and explain your problems and what you need done to resolve them. They will give you a list of their local vendors although they probably won't recommend one over another. Interview a couple to see if they are a good fit.

We had the same problem and went through a few interviews before we found a vendor that seemed to be our best choice. Right now everything seems to be going well. We also are using the same procedure in Europe and Asia as we naturally don't have a Telecom presence in those areas.

 

[janeenaj]

I can tell ya, we went thru Telus, Bell, Norstan and Black Box, then back to Telus and now back to Black Box. Out of all of those, Black Box seems to be the only one that goes out of their way to please you.

Not to much of choice regarding the major company in the Montreal area...

 

[johnpoole]

i've talked to some of the techs up there and they say it's even harder to find a good customer... (joke)

john poole
bellsouth business
columbia,sc

 

[telecomproPA]

good ole' john poole. always good to hear your 2 cents. thanks to everyone for the tips. we had Multinet, which was pretty bad, we're now looking at Telus and they are better, still not what we expected. i guess time w/tell how good they are.

 

[johnpoole]

one good thing to remember, if you settle for the worst tech on the crew, that's what you get.. for a new vendor, meet with the management, tell them you want the same one or two people most of the time and if they send someone that has an attitude, send him back...even if it's me..

i've had customers that wouldn't let other techs on site for major changes unless i was there.. i'm not better, but i will not stop untill it's perfect. and if you have a onsite tech, he will learn as much as he wants if your paying for my time.. don't expect anyone to spend a lot of extra maint time if your paying just for changes... if i do a $400 change order on my own time, it's going to take under three hours.. if you pay a tech for 4 hours and want to spend 2 in cross traning and are paying the bill... the vendor needs to know that and thank you for the chance to do the work.... most customers get about what they DEMAND.

john poole
bellsouth business
columbia,sc

 

[Patrick45]

You can also contact your local Nortel chapter user group.(

http://www.innua.org)

When you are looking at vendors just remember two things the tech and the billing people will make your job easy or hard in the long run. Interveiw your tech, understand the billing and put a 30 day out clause in your contract.

 

[Nazule]

I have used both Bell and Telus and at one time worked for Telus out of the Ottawa office when it was still Williams Communications / Wiltel etc.

I prefer the Telus back end to Bells but to be honest in Montreal I've had no issues with the techs.

I would agree a few statements above: you have trouble with a tech, tell the management. you have trouble with bills talk to someone.

I have stuck with Bell lately due to the national coverage they provide for multiple provinces, Telus can also provide nation wide coverage using a sub contractor in Manitoba. Easton communications I believe.