Avaya IP Office vs. Vonage Business Communications

The limitations of this unit are 2000 users, across 32 different locations. It is an SME product that is well past the border into enterprise territory with out having the enterprise expense. To top it off you can virtualize the servers! Anything outside of this scope would need to step into an Avaya Aura system. Do not forget to check with your vendor for leasing options if you do not want to have your new phone system fall into the category as a capitol project.

Incentivized

Vonage Business Communications excels in scenarios requiring seamless remote work, such as virtual teams and remote workers. It's also ideal for businesses needing reliable disaster recovery solutions. However, it may be less appropriate for very small businesses with minimal communication needs or those with limited budgets, as the comprehensive features might be more than necessary.

• It is a phone system. It dials calls, makes sure there's a secure login, and keeps securities actually quite good on it. It provides and allows for VPN access into the VPN phones, into it via SIP or via IP sac, and has a good voicemail system.

Incentivized

• Eliminates physical phone consoles that can be pricey and unnecessary for staff.
• Has a companion app that allows you to use your personal cell phone to check messages or make calls.
• The desktop application is easy to use and has a number of customizable settings so that the app can be minimized but alert you of incoming calls.

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

• Relies on internet connectivity (no separate trunk like an on-prem system).
• Phones can be on the expensive side if you purchase through the Vonage store, especially conference phones. Thankfully Vonage is so flexible and is compatible with phones purchased from other places.

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

I think it will be renewed as overall it is a midrange product that mostly does what we need it to

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

I thought it had very practical and useful usability. It has a clean and simple interface with large fonts that make it easy to read. It isn't particularly difficult, although figuring out some operations may be a bit challenging. For the most part though, it isn't very difficult to use

Incentivized

Sometimes there is a disconnect between support and customer success. We had an issue where the support team was automatically assigning numbers to our extensions without informing us. This was something that was not communicated to our account manager. I would just recommend to pay attention to your account when changes are made.

Incentivized

I've evaluated Cisco and Mitel as well. So from the phone system, while feature functionalities, they've all do some of the same things. The biggest benefit of the IP office is that it is hybrid. You can do digital analog and IP all out of the same box, the same telecom system.

Incentivized

I haven't used anything else too closely related but Skype for Business has a lot of the same issues. Vonage's abilities and pros way outweigh the cons. I don't think I have heard of more viable software to fit our needs in the market right now. It has become essential to my workflow.

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

• Cut down phone hardware expense since the soft phone is free and easier to use.
• Text is becoming a more important and effective way to reach clients. Some will not answer a call or accept voicemail but respond quickly to text messages.
• Allows me to work from anywhere with smart phone app saving hours at work.