Make your next telephone system VoIP capable (voice over IP) especially if you have branch offices, home office workers, or a lot of international or long distance calling. Seamlessly centralize voicemail, and integrate your cell phone with your telephone system. With a flat rate monthly account with one of the Internet telephony service providers can provide SIP lines anywhere. Remote workers only need a high speed internet connection to be plugged into the office system. You can often save enough to offset the price of the system. You just have to do the math – or we’ll do the math. A short analysis can help determine if a VoIP system would save you money. 90% of the inquiries about new telephone systems that we get are customers shopping for VoIP!

Allworx, a maker of IP-based telephone systems with 1000 resellers in North America was bought by Paetec, a telephone services provider in late 2008. Allworx had been privately held. Paetec’s offerings dovetail with Allworx’s IP-based telephone systems. Allworx was featured in ‘Business Solutions’ magazine and their new phone models, and upgraded website. Check out the entire Allworx line, Allworx . DTEL is an authorized Allworx reseller.

Reporting a business telephone trouble….first things first. A little narrowing down of the symptoms will help whoever it is reported to. Is it a telephone line trouble that needs to be reported to the telephone company, or a telephone equipment trouble that needs to be reported to your telephone equipment vendor (DTEL)?

Here’s a couple of things you can do to isolate it and give us a more accurate report. If a telephone is dead or acting up, try moving it to another jack that is working. If the trouble follows the phone, it is most likely the phone that is bad.

If a line is dead or noisy, is it dead or noisy at all phones? If so, it could be a line trouble. Report it and have the telephone company test it (which they will do for free). Do not authorize a dispatch (which they will not do for free) if they tell you they think their line is good. If this occurs, you have effectively isolated the trouble; call DTEL and we’ll take it from there.

Start a “TELEPHONE” file, either paper or electronic, that the person responsible for the phone system can maintain. Nothing fancy – a printed copy in the equipment room is very handy – just some general configuration information for the phones and the voice mail, the telephone company you use, records of phone system software upgrades, expansions, moves, and changes, and warranty dates. This type of info can save a tech time by very quickly orienting them to your individual setup. DTEL techs can make back-up discs and thumb drives on most systems for disaster recovery also.

Back up power for your phone system is not only convenient when a thunderstorm rolls through, it also acts as a last layer of protection from surges, brownouts, and other minor power fluctuations and feeds a nice, clean 120v/60hz to your system. A UPS, or uninterruptibe power supply (also called a battery back-up) will extend the life of your system and protect it from “dirty” power. They do need the batteries changed out periodically – usually at 3 yr intervals, and the batteries are inexpensive.