atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information New and Need Help Learning about Phones

Sorry, but many of our sales involves an application
and if any other system falls short in that app
I WILL point that out to the customer-- hard to use, missing features etc. Any thing I sell I want to be able to remote in for ANYTHING, this resolves small problems QUICKLY for the customer. I want to backup both the phone system and the voice mail after any changes. Backups are not used often but when disaster strikes it can save a day of chasing your rear to reprogram, while the customer loses money.
And no systems that require a restart after any
program change, this just involve cutting who knows how many people off or waiting 2 hours.
I will not put down a system in general but I will
point out the lack of an application or feature
that the client has expressed interest in.
All told, some systems have ugly problems that need to be pointed out, from a functional standpoint.
As example I have 1 customer 40 phones, 18 lines.
The voice mail has no backup capability. For some reason it stops working about 3 times a year, it has been replaced and set up as per factory instructions to no avail. Each time it is reprogrammed they lose use of it and they are big users,take hours to reprogram and put back 40 users. They bought from another vedndor and this shortcoming was not pointed out them.
They are about to change to Amanda or compleate new system.
Although we sell both Panasonic TDA And The DSX,
I like the DSX but, there are lots of apps that it does not fit. Lots of Dentists, Doctors and Laywers have flexible office shedules and wish to offer different options for Day, After hours and lunch and some times for staff meetings. They may want to leave early on Friday but offer emergency options to clients, some close for lunch but not at the same time each day. This is an App that fits Panasonic but not DSX. You can put buttons or codes on the system that activates After Hours, Lunch or Break service, this also changes the greeting schedule of the Voice mail at the time of activation. Go to lunch-- Press the Lunch Button
on console (or dial code) Thats it. Want to leave early turn on Nite service and Vm answers and gives after hours info. Staff meeting for 10 min
and want all employees in??? Lunch service can be staff meeting info. If a voice mail is properly set up you can cover your needs and take good care of your customer. no need to bore callersw with un needed info, give them the right info based on the time of day but not be stuck to a schedule. The greeting can also be set in advance for all holidays. Now some companies may not need this app. But if they do I will point out any system that can't provide it. Most customers belive any system would change the greeting when Nite service is activated, but thats not true.
I had best relinquish my soap box before I slip and fall off!!!!

Melanie, Having 20+ years in sales I can tell you one good thing about mud slinging; it tells you who NOT to deal with and is sign of a weak salesperson, ok that's two things.

Having said that I understand the position you are in because I am in the same situation. I made a post a few days ago asking for help and received some straightforward advice from several people on this board. And I have actually contacted a couple companies and received bids. One reccomendation I have received over and over again is to choose a good vendor. You have received the same advice many times...

I have another question for the professionals out there:

How do I go about choosing a good vendor? Any particular things to look for? Questions to ask? Is a demo for the systems a realistic request since the system have to be set up? I have received some good information/bids from 3 companies, all seem to be good and straightforward so what to do? Price is important but it's not everything. What is a realistic warranty? Is it unrealistic to ask for more than the manufactures warranty? What about service plans?

GaRoadwarrior,

Choosing a good company is important. If I were in your shoes I would want a demo for sure. To me, the best way to get the demo is to go to the office of the vendor. He/she may offer an on-site demo, and most dealers have "demo kits" that are portable, but it is always good to see where the people you work with are working. It does not mean much to everyone, but it helps (no, it is not always acurate) in telling if the company is 1)legit and 2)Not is a state of complete disarray. I would say at least visit their office to have a look if not to have a demo. Some people will dissagree, but I think it is important.

Ask how many techs they have that service that product. If there is only one, what happens when he/she goes on vacation or gets hurt...or is on another job when YOU have an emergency.

If the company is imcorporated check your state incorporation website. That is good so you can see if they are up to date with financials and fillings so you know if they are imminently going to fold.

A realistic warranty for parts is between 1-5 years, and for labor 1-3 years (usually 1 from what I have seen). Most of the parts warranties you will see are actually manufacturer warranties and should more or less be the same for most dealers (Example: most VODAVI dealers will offer a 5 year parts warranty because that is what VODAVI does).

Service plans vary greatly to much to get into details in one post.

Hope that helps!

Steve

And here is a generalization that will probably get some boo's. If all things seem satisfactory with 2 companies, whose been around longer? It's hard to stay in business if you don't dare hand out references. What goes around comes around.
John C.