The enhancements give even the smallest firm an easy, affordable way to take advantage of advanced, IP-based communications to improve productivity, customer service, and virtually any business process.
Avaya’s new developments also enable companies to access less expensive call services from service providers offering SIP-based trunking, which can cut call costs.
Based on Avaya developments in converged communications technology, the company is introducing two versions of enhanced software for Avaya IP Office, the company’s flagship solution for SMBs.
The Standard edition is designed for very small businesses and serves up to 32 users. The Professional edition enables firms to take advantage of enhanced mobility, multi-site networking or customer service intelligence and scales to support up to 270 users.
In addition to new IP Office software, Avaya is expanding its current portfolio of servers by introducing a new IP Office 500 communications server. Its compact, modular, and flexible design supports telephony, voice messaging, and a complete customer service suite – all at an attractive price for small and mid-size businesses.
Together, the new IP Office software and communications server deliver a solution that enables SMBs to buy only what they need today, while easily adding users or functionality via software licenses that are also compatible with existing IP Office solutions.
“We built IP Office from the ground up for small businesses. That means it has the right entry-level price, ‘big business’ communications capabilities, and options for companies to add more capabilities, capacities or locations as their business grows,” said Geoffrey Baird, vice president and general manager, Appliances, Mobility and Small Systems Division, Avaya. “With this latest release, we believe Avaya certified resellers will now be able to pursue a broader market, as well as better serve their existing customers. In fact, because of the easy way to upgrade for existing IP Office customers and the new features such as SIP trunking and remote diagnostic tools, our channels will be able to make more money and better serve and support the SMB market. And, in the future, we’ll continue to incorporate new benefits into subsequent releases of our IP Office portfolio.”
Over the last two years, Avaya and its worldwide network of certified resellers have nearly tripled IP Office sales to companies of all sizes in nearly 70 countries.
The IP Office 500 Series is powered by Standard and Professional editions of new IP Office Release 4.0 software – an application that offers a number of benefits to SMBs:
It acts as a SIP gateway, whether the SMB has digital, analogue or IP phones. Businesses can subscribe to new SIP trunking services and significantly reduce calling costs.
It introduces new remote diagnostic tools. Resellers can improve customer satisfaction by quickly and proactively identifying and resolving problems remotely.
It adds new multi-site hot-desking capabilities so employees can log into any digital, analogue or IP phone at any of their company’s networked locations and have their calls and voice messages follow them.
It adds new multi-site hunt group capabilities so workers at any networked location can be part of the same call routing group.