Bicom Systems vs. Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)

Small to medium-sized businesses looking for a reliable and flexible communication solution would definitely see their IP telephony taken to the next step with PBXware and its ability to configure lots of different call scenarios, have an ability to manage their working hours very precisely but also businesses with multiple locations that require centralized communication and management or even service providers looking to offer their own hosted PBX services to their clients. I would end by saying that call centers or customer service departments that require advanced call routing and management features would definitely be satisfied using PBXware Call Center edition and gloCOM Agent & Supervisor edition that contains advanced queue features and real time monitoring.

Cisco Unified Communications Manager is suited for medium to large customers who are in search for a solid call control platform with added security in mind. Cisco Unified Communications Manager also supports receptions, small groups and also a mini contact center type of set up with its Hunt Group, Pick up Group and call queuing facilities and also with set up of music on hold function while calls queuing.

Incentivized

• Emergency Support - 24/7
• Explain the solution so that you are aware and understand
• Remote into servers for hands on troubleshooting

• This solution is extremely stable and has been running in our environment for several years without (unscheduled) downtime.
• The ability to have voicemails automatically sent as an email message is extremely helpful in helping us to keep in touch while away from the desk.
• The Call Manager provides us very granular settings to route our calls as we want.

Incentivized

• Bulk changes for extensions, ability to make a change for every extension of the system

• Administration web page is little bit hard to understand at the beginning specially if you are not familiar with naming convention and GU Interfaces.
• Call Detail Record interface is fine but would be desirable to include more options that fit organization needs in terms of reporting purposes.
• Self Care Portal interface could be more useful to the end user if it includes options to manage some features without administrators involving.

Incentivized

We have been using this product for 20+ years and will continue too. This is a great product and new features are always coming out.

Incentivized

The usability part of Cisco Unified Communications Manager is very much simple from a usability point of view. Day-to-day Move Add Change Delete (MACD) can be performed by the administrators very easily with simple training. From the initial deployment point of view, some of the thing can be improved to simplify the process.

CUCM is supported by most third-party vendors for related products, so it makes finding solutions to specific needs easy. Also Cisco TAC is very knowledgeable, and we have never run into a problem they have not been able to resolve. Usually they are resolved without the need to escalate tickers either.

Incentivized

This was the first phone system we implemented that could span multiple locations. We were very satisfied once fully implemented

Incentivized

Having the ability to use Muli-Tenant and one single instance definitely made us stand out whenever prospects were seeking for a new UcaaS solution for their company. The fact that we can make extremely detailed scenarios easily within PBXware also makes Bicom Systems a solution of choice. Also the ability to fully brand every single product is something that prospects were seeking for and are satisfied today using Bicom Systems products. PBXware offers a range of flexible licensing options, including both perpetual and subscription licenses, which makes it easier for businesses to scale up or down as needed. 3CX only offers subscription-based licenses.

We have been a Cisco based shop and have looked at other cloud voice options such as MS Teams pbx, and others, but ultimately, the features, endpoints, and reliability of Cisco has been the common factor in staying with them as our voice provider. Their integrations, room systems, and hybrid design allows for us to be flexible and keep a high up time vs reliance on 100% cloud.

Incentivized

• We have many clients on it that are happy with it

• Communication and collaboration - Our offices are able to communicate both internally and externally due to this system.
• Down time - Struggles with CUCM has caused a lot of down time due to the instability of the system.
• High Costs - the cost of both the license and the maintenance was much higher than other systems.

Incentivized