Problems – A company has locations in both Austin and New Orleans and wants to tie the 2 together. Their current phone system is 10 – 12 years old and severely outdated. The existing system does not have features the company needs, such as: caller ID, voicemail and cell forwarding, voicemail to email, and auto attendant. They also need conference call capabilities to accommodate anywhere from 10 to 20 users. Due to having an old, outdated system they are also experiencing poor call quality and cannot transfer calls between locations. Often times they find that calls are not being routed correctly and voicemails end up in the wrong mailboxes. The main goal is to integrate and connect the 2 offices, while added features are also must-haves. The company needs a solution that will enable them to accomplish all of their goals while giving them the “bells and whistles” they are looking for in a phone system.
Scenario Solutions – The most logical solution for these issues is to replace the entire old system at both locations with a new VoIP set up. This will allow them to connect both locations, as well as give them the features they want and need. They will receive IP phones with the capabilities they want and the auto attendant and voicemail features they need. A conference bridge will allow them the ability to have up to 30 users per conference with room to expand. The new phone system will also greatly improve sound quality and reliability.
Pros – This solution allows the company to connect both offices, as well as give them everything they’re looking for feature wise. They can now transfer all calls between the 2 offices and properly route both calls and voicemails to the correct place. They will have a system in place that allows them to grow while addressing the lack of functionality of their outdated phones.
Cons – The users are now dependent on their Internet connection and having a primary and secondary location. If the primary office goes down or experiences problems, it could affect the second location. The users must be properly trained in order to have a seamless transition from the old set up to the new one.