Item: MiVoice Office Application Suite (Mitel Application Suite)
Rating: 6
Author: Kenneth Harrington-Colon

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We currently use Mitel strictly for the VoIP application and conference bridge company-wide; the Mitel TeamWork application is currently not being utilized. The organization is split evenly on utilizing handsets with desk phones and the softphone with a PC headset. The system is configured with a structured automated call-flow workflow and manages our inbound and outbound telecommunications traffic.

Pros and Cons

Enabling users to load their profile to an unassigned desk phone, which is useful for switching work locations
Transcribing voicemails and forwarding the transcription to the user's email
Ability to configure scheduled holidays and company events into the automated answering service workflow

Softphone upgrades are disruptive and come out too often
Automated workflow is difficult to configure for re-directing a call to a specific number instead of an extension
Automated workflow doesn't always take a phone's presence into consideration when attempting to use it in a workflow

Return on Investment

Initial roll-out had multiple instances where the Phone would restart for an upgrade during business hours, cutting off the internal LAN switch
Once configured, the Auto-attendant has been reliable during normal business hours and under predictable circumstances
Lower cost than some higher-end providers, which helps in ROI when higher-end functionality is not required

Alternatives Considered

RingCentral, Skype for Business (formerly Lync), Microsoft Teams, GoToMeeting and Skype

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.

Other Software Used

Microsoft Teams, GoToMeeting, Skype for Business (formerly Lync), Microsoft Office 365

Likelihood to Recommend

The Mitel Applications Suite is well suited for individuals that don't have existing internal messaging or Skype-analog capabilities. It doesn't match up to Microsoft Office365 in that regard (Microsoft Teams is considerably more user-friendly and has an abundance of 3rd party integrations), but it will get the job done. If you are utilizing, say, GoDaddy Webmail, then Mitel would be a good next step. If you are utilizing Google Suite technology, however, I would go elsewhere (i.e. RingCentral, 8x8.)

Mitel Applications Suite - a middle-tier solution for a growing business

Overall Satisfaction with Mitel Applications Suite