Avaya IP Office vs. MiVoice Office Application Suite (Mitel Application Suite)

So I haven't had one where it's not appropriate at all unless somebody was going pure cloud. Obviously, this is not a cloud product, but from an on-premise solution like the IP office is, we've sold it to companies that have five users and we've sold it to customers that have thousands of users. So it's very expandable, adjustable to be it's hybrid, so it's IP and digital mix capabilities. So that's a strong suit.

Incentivized

Mitel is useful for larger organizations where instant messaging can be used throughout departments and in-house phones need to be set to cell phones. I wouldn't say that it's not appropriate for smaller organizations, but they might not need all of the robust features that Mitel offers. The user experience is extremely intuitive and organizations of any scale will be able to easily navigate it.

Incentivized

• Centralization is key. If you want to have all of your facilities on one phone system, to help mitigate telecom costs this is the system for you. You purchase the necessary licensing (one time purchase) and the licenses stay with you as long as you stay on that platform!
• Flexibility is fantastic. Whether you want to use the IP Office as a key system, or replace your existing partner system, or run as a PBX. This system will do it all, I was very impressed with the compatibility of the IP Office with legacy equipment. Have a Partner system? Not a problem. Have a Definity system? Not a problem!
• Broad based technology. You can utilize CO trunks (POTS lines), ISDN/PRI, T1, SIP, etc.... What ever your carrier hands off to you the IP Office can integrate with. No need to work with a third party vendor to get your interface up and running. AVAYA is a one stop shop, and if you have an existing warranty, just upgrade your IPOSS information on the system and your new hardware is covered.

Incentivized

• Call reporting
• Voicemail system and transfers: This is one of my favorite features! I am able to transfer voicemails and leave notes for my team. It also comes in an email notification.
• Integrated with our email system.

Incentivized

• Rush for updates. At times an updated will fix one problem, and inadvertently create another. However with due diligence from your business partner (Tektivity) patches are tested before being rolled out in production environments.
• Part itemization. If you purchase a new system, the power cord does not come with the unit, that is a separate part. Very minor in the grand scheme of things but as a reseller and a customer still somewhat annoying.
• Large convoluted organization. As a user trying to navigate the AVAYA website, and track down information can be daunting. Even calling support can be challenging, you never know if your call will be routed to India, Brazil, or Denver. That is why the relationship with Tektivity is so important. You can leverage your business partner to get the answers you need so you can spend your time tackling issues that need your attention.

Incentivized

• It would be nice if they had more documentation on how to do things within the system that was easier to find.
• The software has so many features that it can be overwhelming.

Incentivized

Oddly enough I have been impressed with the IP Office platform so much that I have integrated one into my home. My wife was not happy with it initially but once she started using it she was very happy with the results. It helped that I programmed it to work just like a home phone but with features and options that I can utilize remotely. I would be more than happy to put an AVAYA IP Office against any other phone system on the market, and let you be the judge.

Incentivized

Avaya IP Office is a great system that is somewhat affordable for most SMB's. However, In our experience, Avaya IP Office has a tendency to shelve some of the license as you upgrade the software release on the PBX switch without giving back any comparable license to compensate. The Voicemail Pro license is quite expensive and most of the functionality that most business needs are not covered in the standard voicemail offering.

Incentivized

Great technical support. My only recommendation would be to have staffed support after hours. They have an after hours answering service and while the technicians always called back it would be good to reach support immediately 24/7. Technicians are very knowledgeable and helpful as is their sales staff. They also have great training to take.

Incentivized

Much better feature set with Avaya IP Office, and I really feel you're getting feature-rich telephony for a well priced switch. The system is very adaptable and a much better fit than legacy key systems and cloud-based UCaaS solutions competing in the same market. With the Avaya brand behind the system, there is also a form of working with a Trusted partner with many years in the UC space.

Incentivized

In retrospect, Mitel was not the right solution for us but it has sufficed while we look for a replacement that integrates with our CRM. Skype for Business was being phased out, we were currently using RingCentral, and we anticipated the conversion back to ShoreTel (we had a hosted environment in the past) would be similar to our previous experience with the system. The Cloud-based software and technology, however, did not meet up to the hosted environments capabilities, at least when it came to call-management

Incentivized

• When selling to a prospective customer, I always do a 10 yr ROI to show the benefits of Avaya IP Office or ACO and which scenario would fit best.
• CAPEX vs OPEX
• Number of phones needed as well as other features need to be considered to determine if Avaya IP Office fits best.

Incentivized

• Efficient, easy to use conference system for better communication
• Useful mobile app to allow employee presence while out of office.
• Global directory removed the need for employees to maintain one.

Incentivized