I need a new office phone setup (VoIP / Avaya IP?)

[C.J]

I’m about to start the laborious task of finding a phone system for our office.

We currently have 3 separate BT lines in.

The extensions which are sharing a line are literally sharing the line (ie only one person can use it for each line). The VoIP line is currently used by one member of staff (plugged into the back of the BT router). It’s worked like this for 5/6 years as not many calls are made, but it’s getting to the point where individual lines would make sense due to volume.

Ideally I would like the following:

• 1 line in
• 5/6 extensions
• Recording facility
• Call stats/reports
• Answer phone
• Remote login (to redirect calls in the event of weather/absence)
• Call transfer between extensions

Here’s another terrible diagram

I’ve heard of Avaya IP, but I have no idea if this is too big/small for what I need. Budget, well that’s not been set.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[ThomasBrentnall]

Cisco are the way to go mate and I would use hosted voip for only 6 phones.

http://projectfive.co.uk/hosted-VoIP-telephones.php

 

[Rob Clark]

got a spare pc ? throw asterisk on it and try that route as it free sw. Can test with multiple handsets easily too using smartphone voip clients which work very well before you go dedicated handsets.

 

[cat171]

We have Avaya ones at work, they started to pack in with 18 months.

 

[C.J]

Thanks lads. Who's decent for hosted VoIP? I assume the lines would then be accessible through a PC?

 

[*JimmyJ*]

Maybe a Lync setup, not sure on price

 

[Darius]

We use Avaya contact centre management with Avaya IP 1140 handsets managed my Nortel CS1000

 

[Adam]

Take a look at our HUC Service.

http://www.talktalkbusiness.co.uk/products-and-services/hosted/hosted-unified-comms/

 

[KDF]

Hosted or roll your own VOIP using Elastix

 

[C.J]

We're moving offices in 2 months, so it's an ideal time to start with a new system.

The building we're moving into has a NEC XN120 box on the wall, not sure if this is worth using, or starting afresh with VoIP?

Asterisk seems like a good option.

 

[g-a-c]

Two friends of mine have recently started Voicebooth to offer hosted VoIP services for businesses. They offer a free trial, and probably keener prices than the big players like Cisco, so could well be worth a look for you.

 

[C.J]

I'll take a look, cheers.

Been using a trial of 3CX too which is pretty good.

 

[g-a-c]

Software stuff is a good idea, but can be tricky to get working properly, particularly if you're relying on POTS lines coming into the business rather than a proper trunk. We have a Freeswitch-based solution at work with a "decent" Sangoma FXO card running 2 BT lines and 7 Polycom handsets and to this day we don't have working incoming caller ID, and we get a lot of silent calls where you pick up to no audio. The latter could be autodiallers or whatever, but we used to have the same issue in our old office on a totally different telephone number provided by Virgin Media rather than BT - so the issue seems to have followed the PBX server around.

 

[welshname]

We're using Avaya IP Office. It's dire, had 3 servers from them now and 2 PoE switches.

BT supply it all via a third party company called iTel. Again f**king useless. We've just finished our finance on the hardware and have moved from the ISDN 30 setups we had and onto SIP trunks down our leased line.

Prior to that we had a BT Versatility setup which is using ISDN lines and I think would be much more suited for you although I don't think it includes call recording.

 

[C.J]

I was planning on using POTS but with a SIP trunk?

My thinking so far is 1 line, which will run broadband and SIP trunking for the calls. This will run through a patch panel, and will only run 4/5 phones and PCs. I reckon no more than 3 simultaneous calls.

To be clear of my understanding, I need a line, broadband provider, SIP trunk provider, gateway provider and VoIP provider for the calls.

Any you'd recommend?

 

[Corby G]

We use Swyx at the office, works well when you know what to do with it!

 

[B17BLG]

Vodafone One Net Business

 

[Sir_Dave]

Vodafone One Net Business

Are an absolute shower of sh1t.

Installed in our office where there is no voda signal (plenty of o2), took 3 months to get a sure signal, lines drop out all the time & the mobile signal is generally awful.

Heap of ar5eholes.

 

[C.J]

Anyone used/using 3CX then?

I'm going to make some calls Monday, need to pull my finger out. Have 6 weeks to sort this.

 

[ThomasBrentnall]

Have you looked at cisco hosted?

 

[C.J]

Have you looked at cisco hosted?

No, but I'd assume very expensive for a small office on a budget?

 

[B17BLG]

Are an absolute shower of sh1t.

Installed in our office where there is no voda signal (plenty of o2), took 3 months to get a sure signal, lines drop out all the time & the mobile signal is generally awful.

Heap of ar5eholes.

If you knew there was lack of Voda signal why on earth did you get landlines based on 2G and 3G?

They can supply you with DIA and run it through that where you are not reliant on signal. The other upside is integration with your mobiles and integrated with Lync and Office 365.

 

[Sir_Dave]

We didnt know there was no signal, new office. They certainly didnt tell us lol. Im sorry but theyve been an absolute shower of sh1t from start to finish.

Integration between mobile/landline is useful, but personally i preferred havinh a normal landline & an o2 mobile.

The landlines are fine as they come in via voip, bit crackly on occasion though.

Tbh i dont know much about phones, but i wouldnt say one net was an upgrade. Especially as most of us have now bought o2 sim cards instead for when were out & about.

 

[B17BLG]

We didnt know there was no signal, new office. They certainly didnt tell us lol. Im sorry but theyve been an absolute shower of sh1t from start to finish.

Integration between mobile/landline is useful, but personally i preferred havinh a normal landline & an o2 mobile.

The landlines are fine as they come in via voip, bit crackly on occasion though.

Tbh i dont know much about phones, but i wouldnt say one net was an upgrade. Especially as most of us have now bought o2 sim cards instead for when were out & about.

As of September you'll have the same signal strength on Vodafone as 02 aswell, they are mast sharing.

Didn't you have one of their BDM and one net specialist as they normally carry test equipment to ensure your going to get full service?

I know of a business that wanted one net but were turned down by Vodafone because they couldn't get a strong enough connection there.

Probably depends on how long ago you had this service as if it was new they were probably just trying to get it out there.

 

[Sir_Dave]

It was installed in December 2013 when we moved to new premises.

Re: mast sharing, does that mean voda will be as good as o2, or o2 will be a sh1t as voda? Its utterly useless in hampton where i work lol.

 

[B17BLG]

It was installed in December 2013 when we moved to new premises.

Re: mast sharing, does that mean voda will be as good as o2, or o2 will be a sh1t as voda? Its utterly useless in hampton where i work lol.

It'll be the same as EE so it's goes on the better signal strength, so hopefully good news for you even on 02, as there will be places where 02 suffers and Vodafone doesn't.

 

[cava83]

Lots of opinions and thoughts without actually asking what is blindingly obvious.

What internet connection are you going to have there? Will you be using the same line for your data???

As stated you have two options, both have pro's and con's

HOSTED

Pro;

1) nothing really to manage
2) install and forget
3) company can assist you
4) will work on most SIP handsets
5) most include all the features you want

Cons;

1) increased bandwidth if transferring internal calls (negligent)
2) can be a pain to move if they do your billing
3) not so good, the higher extensions you get, but you would be fine

Internal

Pro;

1) You do what you want
2) You normally don't get charged for the extras
3) You can integrate with internal apps if required easier
4) You can backup voicemails easier
5) You can add encryption to voice recording, so you can use in court easier (some hosted platforms don't encrypt)

Cons;

1) More configuration
2) If something goes wrong and you don't know how to fix, unless you have a support contract, you are a bit stuck.
3) Can be daunting if you have not done it before
4) Depending on product i.e open source or paid CISCO/Avaya, can cost a lot of money.
5) normally require a fixed IP from your ISP for SIP to work, CRUCIAL !!!!!!!!

Summary

Your internet is crucial, if you can get something like BT's fibre, that would be great. You can use voice and data on it (not recommended but you can) and prioritise voice packets over data. You should be fine.

I would not bother with Cisco handsets.

I would consider either hosted from someone like Voipfone (who I have used and works well) or Soho66. Have a look at other providers that have a backbone to your ISP.

If you want internal, Elastix should be considered (free) and use the operator add ons as a receptionist (paid module) or look at 3CX or SNOM. Both good.

For Handsets, SNOM do nice stuff, their 715 model is nice. Or Yealink are pretty cheap. Grandstream are ok but never used them so don't know. Polycom is another but more expensive.

Remember that most of these VOIP phones don't come with power adaptors anymore, so you need to think about PoE or buy the power bricks.

Also don't forget, if you buy a PoE ready switch (any dumb one is fine unless you want to vLAN network, but no point in small size) they can have LOUD fans.

That's it for now

Sorry for essay.

JIMMYJ did make a good recommendation of Lync, if you're using office365 you might be better off with that.

Leave one line for resilience.

Over and out.

 

[C.J]

Thanks @cava83 , some great advice there.

It's looking likely I'm choosing 3CX. It has all of the features I want, it's cheap and remote support is available on a contract basis (or the forums).

We're looking at hosting it ourselves as it will integrate with our CRM and allows us full control over recordings and settings. We will only need 4 simultaneous calls (maximum) with 6 extensions. It also means we're not paying maintenance.

The company I'm looking at using to purchase the software will install it (for a small fee), and set all phones/apps up within a couple of hours. They can also provide the phones, router, switches (for PoE) at a cheaper rate than I can get them on Amazon. They will sort our phone line, broadband and SIP trunk, which will drop our bill by 51%. Their service includes a failover should our line/broadband go down, it'll automatically point all calls to a number of our choice (mobile).

I've been in touch with 3CX directly (asking their advice on a preferred supplier/installer) and they recommended the company I'm in contact with.

All this will be run from 1 broadband connection (we get around 18-20mb down, 1-1.2mb up (no fibre here)), they advised this is doable as each call will only require around 100kb (max of 4 calls).

 

[cava83]

Thanks @cava83 , some great advice there.

It's looking likely I'm choosing 3CX. It has all of the features I want, it's cheap and remote support is available on a contract basis (or the forums).

We're looking at hosting it ourselves as it will integrate with our CRM and allows us full control over recordings and settings. We will only need 4 simultaneous calls (maximum) with 6 extensions. It also means we're not paying maintenance.

The company I'm looking at using to purchase the software will install it (for a small fee), and set all phones/apps up within a couple of hours. They can also provide the phones, router, switches (for PoE) at a cheaper rate than I can get them on Amazon. They will sort our phone line, broadband and SIP trunk, which will drop our bill by 51%. Their service includes a failover should our line/broadband go down, it'll automatically point all calls to a number of our choice (mobile).

I've been in touch with 3CX directly (asking their advice on a preferred supplier/installer) and they recommended the company I'm in contact with.

All this will be run from 1 broadband connection (we get around 18-20mb down, 1-1.2mb up (no fibre here)), they advised this is doable as each call will only require around 100kb (max of 4 calls).

Hey,

No worries for help, let me know if you have any questions or need anything.

I am not selling you anything, or any service, just like helping people out, as sometimes you can get shafted

Thanks,

G.

 

[zeta]

I'd consider Hosted Lync as part of an Office 365 medium plan and bang some SIP's onto that. So much more than just a phone system, and not as pricey as you may think

 

[cava83]

I'd consider Hosted Lync as part of an Office 365 medium plan and bang some SIP's onto that. So much more than just a phone system, and not as pricey as you may think

Good option if you are already using an E3 plan or greater in your environment, but if you already have office paid for, this can be rather costly.

Lync is good though

If I had an office with all windows software, I would go for this setup probably.

 

[C.J]

Well I've been using 3CX now for a couple of months, and it's brilliant.
I host it from the office and have full control over everything (no need to worry about a 3rd party). The fail safe I have (which I've used a couple of times already) is if the power fails or the broadband goes offline, all calls are diverted to a mobile phone, so no business is lost.

Version: I went for the call centre edition which allows in depth reporting. All calls are recorded and backed up to two locations (one onsite, and one offsite). It also runs a backup every 24 hours, and could be loaded onto another machine within minutes (should the first one fail).

Hardware: I'm using Yealink T22P phones, they are entry level but do everything the office need (around £60 per handset). They allow 3 lines each, caller display, call history, phone book etc. I'm using a DrayTek Vigor 2830 router, which was recommended by 3CX.

Soft phones: We use Sage ACT as our CRM, so I installed the 3CX softphones (software) on each machine too. This allows calls to be made directly from the PC/Laptop using a headset, or they can send the call to their hardphone. If a customer calls us, provided their number is in our CRM, their name will pop up on each PC too. Pretty neat.

Reliability: I've not had any direct problems with 3CX. Our broadband speed was 16mb/1mb, and the phones had no problems, even when our broadband was being throttled by large file sharing/uploading. I set the router to a 50/50 split on bandwidth, which meant VoIP would never be effected by office broadband usage.

We're now getting 60mb/16mb and the 50/50 split has been reduced to a 90/10 split.

Overall very happy with the kit.

 

[cava83]

Well I've been using 3CX now for a couple of months, and it's brilliant.

I host it from the office and have full control over everything (no need to worry about a 3rd party). The fail safe I have (which I've used a couple of times already) is if the power fails or the broadband goes offline, all calls are diverted to a mobile phone, so no business is lost.

Version: I went for the call centre edition which allows in depth reporting. All calls are recorded and backed up to two locations (one onsite, and one offsite). It also runs a backup every 24 hours, and could be loaded onto another machine within minutes (should the first one fail).

Hardware: I'm using Yealink T22P phones, they are entry level but do everything the office need (around £60 per handset). They allow 3 lines each, caller display, call history, phone book etc. I'm using a DrayTek Vigor 2830 router, which was recommended by 3CX.

Soft phones: We use Sage ACT as our CRM, so I installed the 3CX softphones (software) on each machine too. This allows calls to be made directly from the PC/Laptop using a headset, or they can send the call to their hardphone. If a customer calls us, provided their number is in our CRM, their name will pop up on each PC too. Pretty neat.

Reliability: I've not had any direct problems with 3CX. Our broadband speed was 16mb/1mb, and the phones had no problems, even when our broadband was being throttled by large file sharing/uploading. I set the router to a 50/50 split on bandwidth, which meant VoIP would never be effected by office broadband usage.

We're now getting 60mb/16mb and the 50/50 split has been reduced to a 90/10 split.

Overall very happy with the kit.

Splendid. Thanks very much for the update. Will help others out.
Out of interest, when the broadband goes offline, how are you redirecting it to the mobile, via the SIP provider?
Excellent news all is ok

 

[C.J]

Splendid. Thanks very much for the update. Will help others out.
Out of interest, when the broadband goes offline, how are you redirecting it to the mobile, via the SIP provider?
Excellent news all is ok

Yeh the SIP provider takes care of the redirect. I can log into their website and change the number at anytime, but my mobile is the current number. I plan on getting a PAYG mobile that can stay in the office and be used to take calls.