Hi Chaps
My company is looking at a new phone system to support the 3 sites that we have located in the UK. We've had a few 'big players' (BT, Mitel, Vodafone) in to demo and put forward their solutions, which are all equally impressive, but extremely high cost (50-60k'ish over a 5 year period, including support and maintenance).
I've also looked into alternate systems such as Switchvox and 3CX, which in comparison are extremely good value for money, with both solutions coming in at approximately 30% of the above systems, but without compromising on features and functionality.
We currently have a Meridian system in place which is around 15 years old, and costs an obscene amount to support with BT and isn't adding any value to the business. The maintenance agreement is due for renewal in December, typically this is signed over a 5 year term and I estimate that it's going to cost us at least 39k to continue to run the current system for a further term, which isn't acceptable. I'd also love to be able to produce a saving on our projected spend, like with the Switchvox and 3CX systems.
The current system uses ISDN30 lines at each office, which have recently been renewed and are now in contract for a further 2 years, but it's not really the lines and call costs that I'm concerned about at the moment. The weak link in the chain is the way that calls are managed when coming in to the business. We don't have any of the standard features that you'd expect from a modern telephone system (voicemail, call routing based on availability / skill sets etc, digital reception / IVR), all our current system does is manage calls in and out and route around hunt groups. It's a severe limitation and hindrance to a business that needs to move forward and become more proactive.
My question to you guys is very open ended, as I know the above isn't in anyway, shape or form a detailed list of requirements to go on, but gives a generic jist of what we are looking to achieve.
So OcUK, what systems do you recommend?
My company is looking at a new phone system to support the 3 sites that we have located in the UK. We've had a few 'big players' (BT, Mitel, Vodafone) in to demo and put forward their solutions, which are all equally impressive, but extremely high cost (50-60k'ish over a 5 year period, including support and maintenance).
I've also looked into alternate systems such as Switchvox and 3CX, which in comparison are extremely good value for money, with both solutions coming in at approximately 30% of the above systems, but without compromising on features and functionality.
We currently have a Meridian system in place which is around 15 years old, and costs an obscene amount to support with BT and isn't adding any value to the business. The maintenance agreement is due for renewal in December, typically this is signed over a 5 year term and I estimate that it's going to cost us at least 39k to continue to run the current system for a further term, which isn't acceptable. I'd also love to be able to produce a saving on our projected spend, like with the Switchvox and 3CX systems.
The current system uses ISDN30 lines at each office, which have recently been renewed and are now in contract for a further 2 years, but it's not really the lines and call costs that I'm concerned about at the moment. The weak link in the chain is the way that calls are managed when coming in to the business. We don't have any of the standard features that you'd expect from a modern telephone system (voicemail, call routing based on availability / skill sets etc, digital reception / IVR), all our current system does is manage calls in and out and route around hunt groups. It's a severe limitation and hindrance to a business that needs to move forward and become more proactive.
My question to you guys is very open ended, as I know the above isn't in anyway, shape or form a detailed list of requirements to go on, but gives a generic jist of what we are looking to achieve.
So OcUK, what systems do you recommend?
