01892 676000

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First Office Systems Ltd
14-16a Albion Road
Tunbridge Wells
Kent TN1 2NH

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Canon Solutions partner
Canon Gold Standard
Service Certificate
BSI ISO 9001:2000

First for innovation

At First Office Systems, it is our business to keep up with technological innovation. Here you will find current information that will be of interest to you and your business.

What's new in Imaging & Printing:

Reduce your copy and print costs

‘Reduce your copy and print costs’. That’s what most companies are looking to do in their businesses. First Office Systems in Tunbridge Wells are currently offering their existing and potential customers the opportunity to establish exactly what their print usage and costs are, by offering them a free Print Audit. The print audit enables customers to identify print usage by individual printer, and the reports will highlight areas where cost savings could be made. Local companies in Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and most parts of West Kent are taking advantage of this free service being offered by First Office Systems. Sales Director Andy Brett commented, ‘this is a great opportunity to establish a company’s spend on printing, which costs the customer nothing to find this information out’. What better way to keep a handle on costs, with possible solutions to lower those costs moving forward. To find out more, or to book a free ‘Print Audit’, call Andy Brett on 01892 676000 for more information.

Lifestyle Europe choose First Office Systems

Lifestyle Europe Ltd in Tunbridge Wells recently decided to use the services and support of First Office Systems when they updated all of their branches in Kent and East & West Sussex with new Copiers. They chose Canon copiers, based on the brand name and its known reliability in the marketplace, together with the testimonials from other local companies who had recommended First Office Systems Ltd to them. Chairman of Lifestyle Europe Marc Mathew commented ‘Its great to deal with a local company who come highly recommended, who are supplying the No 1 worldwide brand with Canon, and where the after sales support has been excellent thus far, long may it continue’  …….

Scanning from the Multifunctional Device

More and more companies are starting to use their Copier / Printer to scan their paper documents, converting them to pdf, jpeg or tiff formats, and then sending them electronically as opposed to other traditional methods of communication. Over the last 18 months, staff at First Office Systems have used their own document feeder on their Copier for 18% of its overall usage to scan and send documents, which is 18% more than in the previous 18 months. We have saved over £2500 in postage costs, and we have avoided sending letters and brochures through the postal system. The Canon Copier / Printer activate this type of communication within seconds, rather than the next day, or in most cases in two days when going via the postal system.

Berry Gardens install Document Management System

Based in Five Oak Green, Kent, Berry Gardens Ltd is the UK’s largest fresh berry supplier and offers its retailer customers a year round programmed supply from grower groups and sources. They have acquired a Document Management System, Infonic Document Manager through First Office Systems, and an Infonic Partner in Kent, East Sussex and the South East.  Berry Gardens are implementing Proof of Delivery capture and retrieval.

New Canon Professional Colour Pinter

  

With the introduction of the Image Press C1, Canon will set new standards for digital colour printing quality. The Image Press C1 has been designed and manufactured using a number of new Canon technologies producing documents of a quality not previously achieved. The Image Press C1 comes with a number of options allowing it to satisfy customer needs for multi-functionality, various paper supplies and finishing. The Image Press C1 is designed for the fine art, proofing and short run production offering outstanding image quality and colour accuracy where this is a prerequisite. For more information or advice call David Bossie on 01892-776005 or e-mail him at david.bossie@firstoffice.co.uk

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What's new in telecommunications:

Do I install VoIP

Many small business owners now ask themselves the question, why VoIP? What can it do for me? Am I being sold it rather than understanding the whole thing and buying into the real benefits?

We visit many small to medium sized businesses (5 to 150 users) and we are constantly amazed about how many business owners tell us that they ''want an IP system'' or they want 'IP'' or ''VoIP''. Some say, 'we want the latest technology'' - we can understand this as today's technology gets overtaken at the most alarming rates and business owners are normally torn between being sensible and keeping up to date. Quite often the customer has been visited by a telephone system salesman or even an IT salesman who is 100 times more interested in the order, his sales figures, and what his sales manager or peers might think about him at the end of the month than the customer's best interests.

However, from our point of view, there are several  things to consider.

 The first thing is that , in terms of critical voice applications (ie telephone systems) the more it has to do with IT or technology, the more support will be required and the more prone it is to technical problems and frailties. This is due to the small business being so reliant on ITand often not spending enough on IT and IT support, sometimes, the fewer critical parts of their business that are connected to the IT systems the better (it all works OK in the Lab or until something goes wrong doesn't it?)  Plus, how regularly do businesses have to update  parts of their IT systems  to keep other parts working? . This is not to say that any telephone system connected using IP is bad - this is not the case as we have proved on many ocassions with our customers. However, the point here is that most businesses do not fully understand their options and if they go the 'IP' route, they are often misguided, misinformed and prone to making an ill-informed decision.

The second thing is this - most businesses already have their office voice and data cabling (Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6)  in place. Therefore the argument for having IP phones everywhere so you only need one socket per desk is often ridiculous (unless a customer is moving into large offices and they can save 40% on cabling costs by having 40% less outlets - sockets to you and me). For everyone else, the IP argument could be a complete waste of time and money. which is being fuelled by the media, the marketplace, manufacturers, sales people - this list is endless.

If businesses deploy IP phones in their offices, they need to know the reality - 1. they may need local power supplies - dreadful for the environment and their office electricity bill. and potentially a big drain on their office consumer unit - do they have enough mains sockets??? 2. If they dont use local power, they will need POE switches. For those of you not up on this, with 'normal digital or analogue telephones', they dont  need power as a very small amount of power is driven down the wire  (cable) to the phone extension from the telephone system.  With IP phones, this does not happen. Therefore, a computer hub (actually we call them network LAN switches these days) has to have the ability to drive each port with electricity (Power over Ethernet - POE). This can be expensive to provide these switches and even more so if the business has upgraded to Gb or Gigabit Ethernet (meaning their network runs at 1000Mb rather than just 100Mb) as the business will need to buy switches that satisy both POE and Gb (expensive stuff) .  Note also if they have a busy netowrk, there may need to be switch configuration so that certain parameters are put in place (VLan/ Qsig/PPP) - note anyone installing separate switches for voice and data due to this has completely misunderstood the message and may as well have installed digital telephones (some people may argue with this point)!!

 Anyone needing phones in locations where it is costly  (or impossible) to run cables, then IP is an excellent option - ie warehouses, schools, home or remote workers. Furthermore, using VoIP to link offices that are distant to one another is of course a naturally obvious thing to do. Also, there is an argument that having only one network to manage (ie just data, not voice and data) will be cheaper and that any potential links from the telephone system to the computer database (for dialling from PC's and screen popping) may not be required - this remains to be seen in each individual case.

Also, we have not covered VoIP on the 'lines' side - this is another topic all together and we urge our customers and potential customers to take advice before making a decision!!

SIP problems

Artis in London recently purchased an Avaya One-X Quick Edition business telephone system utilising SIP trunks. After installing the Avaya one-X edition the original suppliers and installers where called back on several occasions to try to resolve various problems with the telephone system and the SIP trunks, resulting in a change of SIP trunk service provider and the subsequent installation of ISDN2E digital telephone lines. The problems experienced could not be pointed to either the Avaya telephone system, the SIP Trunks or the customer's IT network and it was agreed that Artis would look for an alternative telephone system from an alternative supplier.

Consequently, Artis found First Office Systems on the internet and following an initial appointment, Paul Berry (Telecommunications Consultant at First Office Systems) noted the customer's requirements for a reliable, tried and tested solution and proposed an Avaya IP Office IP500 telephone system configured to support ISDN2E telephone lines and Avaya 5410 digital handsets. The customer needed to be reassured that First Office Systems where the right company to partner with - Maria Quevedo, Artis Head of Operations commented, " My experience of dealing with First Office has been fantastic. From my initial meeting with Paul I expected them to be extremely professional and reliable, and that is precisely what they're like."

Paul Berry commented, "With any installation involving new and emerging technologies such as SIP the customer needs to be confident that they are supported by a telecommunications provider that understands the complexities of such solutions. Here at First Office Systems we spent a lot of time researching and talking to various SIP suppliers, before deciding upon Voiceflex as our preferred supplier".

He added ''The customer lost all confidence in SIP as it was apparently badly managed and designed. Had the customer been better advised on the SIP provider and connectivity, there may have been a better initial outcome. This is not the first time we have picked up the pieces from other AVAYA suppliers or on projects involving SIP and I am sure it won't be the last''.

Artis is a leading performing arts education company based in London that works with primary schools on a regular basis to expand children's creative learning opportunities. Artis recruit and train high quality performing arts specialists. They are handpicked to participate in their award-winning and accredited training and development programme. Artis Specialists plan closely with class teachers to align their work to schools' priorities. Artis currently work in more than 100 schools in London, Manchester and Leeds reaching around 25,000 children every week. See www.artiseducation.com.

New AVAYA INDeX to IP Office Upgrade offers released

AVAYA have released new rebate offers for small business telephone users with legacy AVAYA INDeX phone systems.

 20% discounts on most IP Office system components are available until the end of September 2008 with a 15% discount available until the end of December.''Upgrade INDeX phone systems and get some money back while you can!'' is the message! 

First Office Systems have been upgrading INDeX systems using AVAYA rebates to IP Office systems for some time now since the AVAYA INDeX End of Sale and End of Life were announced some time ago.

Nick Brandon, Sales Manager at First Office Systems commented ''Business owners for some time have been asking 'Should I upgrade my INDeX system?'. Although the answer is not always obvious as the INDeX system is perfectly good for many businesses, AVAYA have given INDeX users some excellent reasons to upgrade INDeX to IP Office including this attractive INDeX rebate which we are passing straight on to customers. This is of course on top of the many advantages that IP Office can bring over INDeX''.

''When considering replacing INDeX systems, customers should consider what they may want from a new system and choose a reliable system maintainer who can offer them a truly consultative approach so they can make an informed decision. Discounted phone systems are rarely available in the form of manufacturer discounts and really, if I were a customer, I would be taking advantage this before it is too late!''

 

For more information on AVAYA INDeX rebates and INDeX upgrades, please call Nick or Paul on 01892 676000.

New phone system for Kent based diary distributor

First Office Systems have installed a new telephone system for Castelli (Diaries) Ltd in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Their new AVAYA IP Office IP500 telephone system was installed last Saturday (16/8/08). First office have been supporting Castelli's telecommunications systems for well over 10 years when they first started in the UK. First Office initially supplied and maintained their Toshiba phone system in Chiddingstone near Tonbridge, Kent. They then moved to Tunbridge Wells and First Office relocated the system together with their BT network services and assisted with voice and data cabling. They then moved again circa 2002 to a new purpose built building in Tunbridge Wells where First Office installed their new structured voice and data cabling and installed a new AVAYA INDeX telephone system with integrated DECT cordless telephones.

This INDeX to IP Office upgrade was performed last weekend and is connected to their ISDN30 connection and has been supplied with AVAYA 5410 handsets, IP DECT cordless base stations and 3711 telephones for complete mobility using VoIP, Voicemail Pro with Auto Attendant and queuing and Oak Call Management software enabling Castelli to measure and manage their telecoms activity properly.

When asked why Castelli once again chose First Office Systems to support their ongoing telecommunications requirements, the answers were that First Office have provided excellent customer service and support over a long period and offered a professional solution. Castelli did consider other local phone system suppliers but considered First Office as superior in many ways.

Nick Brandon, Sales Manager at First Office Systems commented ''We are pleased to once again support Castelli with their new telephone system. Just because we have long-standing customers like Castelli does not mean we automatically win their repeat business and this was true in this case as there were other local phone system suppliers bidding strongly for their business as they are a prominent local company. We had to work hard to try and show Castelli that we were more professional and had a better understanding of telecommunications from both a Sales and Technical viewpoint. When you consider also that we supply and support nearly 200 businesses just in Tunbridge Wells alone, are BSI accredited, have achieved Silver AVAYA accreditation, employ our own team of fully-trained engineers, employ 23 people, have a bespoke computerised service management system and have been in business for 17 years, we can demonstrate that we have a truly unique proposition. I also think continuity counts for a lot. I have been with First Office for 14 years and consequently, Castelli's account manager has never changed. In fact nearly half of our people have been with the company for over 10 years and the remainder over 5''.

Castelli took advantage of AVAYA's current INDeX to IP Office upgrade program which means extra pricing support from AVAYA on top of the competitive package already offered by First Office Systems. Castelli are now looking forward to the next major release of AVAYA IP Office software which AVAYA have implied will allow IP Office Phone Manager to be used on their Apple Mac workstations via a web browser.

New Samsung Telephone System launched

Samsung recently announced a new business phone system that they are adding to their range of Samsung OfficeSERV telephone systems, the Samsung OfficeSERV 7030 telephone system.

This new business system will eventually replace the ageing Samsung DCS816 phone system and compliments the existing range. It offers many of the benefits of a large business phone system and is available for small businesses wanting a new phone system for their office.

All of the usual features and functionality are available including Voicemail, CTI and VoIP enabling businesses to give IP phones or soft phones to remote and home workers.

Paul Berry, Account Manager at First Office Systems commented ''For small businesses, a major problem for the business owner is deciding on which phone system to choose. Small businesses often have less budget available and the new Samsung 7030 phone system will help to fit their requirements of a cheap phone system offering a high degree of functionality''.

A small business phone system project can be daunting for business owners to embark upon. Which phone system to choose, which phone system supplier or phone system maintainer can be trusted? First Office Systems offer a consultative approach and will find out about each business and recommend a suitable system from their portfolio which includes AVAYA (INDeX and IP Office), Inter-Tel (5000 series - Mitel) and Samsung (OfficeSERV). First Office Systems can also offer Panasonic telephone systems if required.

First Office Systems are a telephone system installer and maintainer based in Tunbridge Wells in Kent covering Essex, Kent, Sussex, Surrey and London with customers in Befordshire, Hertforshire and surrounding areas.

Essex travel company benefits from New AVAYA IP Office IP500 telephone system

The Leisure Breaks Company Ltd have recenctly moved into new offices in Epping in Essex and are benefiting from a new AVAYA telephone system, an IP Office IP500.

AVAYA installers and maintainers, First Office Systems installed the new system last week. Installed with a BT ISDN30 connection, IP Office Voicemail Pro and 5410 digital station handsets, Leisure Breaks staff can now enjoy the benefits of one of the market leading telephone systems in the UK.

The telecommunication project was managed by First including ordering of the BT network services and a combination of new and re-terminated category 5e structured cabling which First Office tested with their Fluke testing equipment.

This is the third AVAYA telephone system that First Office have installed for the Albatross Travel Group Ltd including The Leisure Breaks Travel Company Ltd having already installed AVAYA systems in Albatross' Head Office near Maidstone in Kent as well as their Derbyshire office in Buxton.

 Nick Brandon - Sales Manager: ''We are very pleased that Albatross have once again favoured us with their business. I know they are pleased with the AVAYA systems and our continued focus on service and support''.

First Office Systems are an AVAYA silver accredited Business Partner and have installed IP Office systems throughout kent, sussex, surrey and London as well as other parts of the UK. If businesses are looking for a reliable AVAYA supplier and maintainer, First Office systems can deliver.

First Office Systems focus on AVAYA INDeX customer support and upgrades

AVAYA announced some time ago their INDeX telephone system would no longer be supported from June 2009.

First Office Systems have been re-assuring their customers that maintenance, service and support will still be provided after June 2009 even bearing in mind AVAYA INDeX discontinuation, although support pricing will inevitably rise. Some customers are very happy to continue using their INDeX phone system. The INDeX has been around since 1996 when it was known as the SDX INDeX system and then became the SDX Lucent INDeX. It then was known as the Lucent INDeX finally ending up as the AVAYA INDeX when Lucent spun off their telecommunications business into AVAYA.

First Office Systems have also been upgrading quite a few of their INDeX telephone system customers with AVAYA's latest platform, the AVAYA IP Office. AVAYA have been running incentives for businesses to do INDeX telephone system upgrades such as providing extra discount and offering 0% finance on the IP Office systems.

Although INDeX was a good system in it's day, you can no longer buy licenses for it although hardware is still plentiful in the second-hand market. The license issue is a major one however and it is very likely that servicing costs will rise.

The AVAYA IP Office offers excellent features and functionalities compared with INDeX such as Phone Manager call control from the user's PC, click and dial from Microsoft Outlook and other applications, VoIP for remote workers or to link offices, IP telephones and a whole lot more.

First have performed a lot of INDeX to IP Office upgrades for customers locally in Kent, Sussex, Surrey and London. One customer in Borough Green near Sevenoaks benefited from a rebate of nearly £ 3,000!

To find out more please contact Nick Brandon on 01892 776004 or Paul Berry on 01892 676710.

First Office Systems partner with Voiceflex for SIP trunking

First Office Systems have agreed to partner with Voiceflex. Voiceflex offer SIP trunks which are the very latest way of providing businesses with telephone network services. Nick Brandon, Sales Manager - Telecommunications, at First Office Systems stated ''We have been methodically searching the market place for the last 2 years or so for a reliable SIP partner. Many of our competitors have been offering SIP for some time now and all we have seen is one disaster after another. We have, on several occasions, 'ripped out' SIP connections provided by others and replaced them with a conventional ISDN connection. This partnership allows us to offer a reliable SIP solution at long last. SIP will start to replace conventional ISDN and PSTN connections as it is cheaper and more flexible. We have ordered a SIP connection for our system in Tunbridge Wells in Kent and once we are 100% happy with it, we will start rolling it out to both prospective and new customers. We chose Voiceflex as they are the partner of choice for AVAYA and they have also fully tested their product with Samsung, one of our other main partners''.

SIP from Voiceflex can be delivered in different ways to suit the customer. It can be delivered across an existing broadband ADSL connection. However preferably, it is provided via Voiceflex's own connectivity and can be used for voice only or voice and data for a truly converged solution. SIP can save small businesses between 30% and 50% approximately on their current ISDN line rental costs and is also an excellent disaster recovery solution.

 SIP uses IP (VOIP) technology and is now the present and the future of telecommunications globally. Small businesses have historically been lured into changing from BT to other carriers by cost savings on lines and calls. Whilst there are still many opportunities out there in this scenario, SIP now provides businesses with even more opportunities to reduce their costs, with the majority of businesses being able to use the savings made via SIP to invest in a new telephone system for real business benefits and improvements. This is particularly important given the current economic climate.

Inclarity and First Office Systems form new partnership

Inclarity recently partnered with First Office Systems who will resell their Hosted IP Telephony Solution (IP Centrex).

Hosted Telephony is quite a new offering available to businesses and negates the need for the customer to have thier own telephone system in their premises.

First Office have been patiently researching the marketplace for a suitable hosted partner who can offer a reliable solution. Inclarity fits the bill in this respect and First Office Systems will be offering Inclarity solutions to prospective customers and new customers who are looking for the most cost-effective telecommunications platform.

''Like SIP, hosted has taken off in the main stream recently'' - Nick Brandon, Telecommunications Sales Manager. Nick added ''We have seen competitors install hosted solutions for businesses who have been lured by low prices, compared to conventional systems. However, all that glitters is not gold and we have seem some real nightmare scenarios. Consequently, we have been very selective on who we partner with. It is estimated by some that by 2012, 25% of systems installed in the UK will be hosted which is why we have been keen to embrace the idea and the technology. This will give customers more choice and particularly for those customers who are driven by budget more than anything else, this is a great opportiunity for both the customer and First Office Systems.''

Inclarity's hosted solution is delivered by ADSL broadband provided by Zen or BT using IP (VOIP). Inclarity's platform checks the connection continuously and in the unlikely event that any faults or problems are detected, these are normally known by Incalrity before the customer even notices. This approach is critical.

The customer can choose from Cisco or LG handsets and have the choice of benefiting from most of the normal features that conventional telephone systems offer including hunt groups, voicemail, automated attendant, remote working, call management information etc.

First Office Systems install new AVAYA IP500 telephone system for new Surrey-based start-up

First Office Systems have recently installed a new AVAYA IP OFFICE IP500 telephone system for surrey-based, My Business Partner Ltd.

Based in Croydon, My Business Partner answers telephone calls for local businesses using their new AVAYA IP Office phone system. The client calls are answered by staff using NCall (see www.nsolve.com), a database program that 'pops' on the user's PC when the call arrives. Calls can be answered in the businesses name with messages being taken and/or and forwarded to voicemail or directly transferred to the client.

 Additionally, My Business Partner has home workers answering calls using VoIP. The remote workers can answer calls either with the AVAYA soft phone on their home PC (Phone Manager) or with an identical phone to those used in the office (AVAYA 5602, 5610 etc), via the internet (ADSL).

The AVAYA system has been deployed with an ISDN30 connection together with Voicemail Pro, IPSEC and CTI Link Pro using VPN technology. It uses AVAYA's VCM card to connect IP phones across the internet.

Nick Brandon, Sales Manager at First Office Systems commented ''We are pleased to provide services for MBP and to be able to demonstrate the versatilty of the AVAYA system as well as the technical capabilities of our staff. We are shortly going to set up a competitive call routing package for the customer, including 0800 numbers so they can rest assured that, not only do they use the best system and maintainer, but they will also be benefiting from the most competitive call rates'.

First Office Systems have supplied many such IP solutions to local businesses across Kent, Sussex, Surrey and London and have recently attained Silver Accreditation from AVAYA.

For more information on My Business Partner, please visit www.mybusiness.partner.co.uk.

Samsung release news of their entry into the hosted telephony marketplace

Samsung have recently announced a new product that will provide customers with Hosted IP Telephony, backed by a major global brand. This, as far as we are aware is a world first. Until now, hosted telephony had been offered by companies that may be unknown to the 'man in the street'. Paul Berry, Account Manager at First Office Systems had this to say: ''We have been looking at bringing such a product into our portfolio for the last 2 years or so and have been hesitant due to stories of unreliability. Now Samsung have launched this new hosted IP telephony product, it will give resellers and customers alike a feeling of comfort knowing that, as it is backed up by a global brand, it is more likely to work without problems and, should problems ocurr, Samsung will have huge resource to resolve and deliver''. Samsung have teamed up with Thus and Teleware and the hardware is delivered by a Ubigate router. This solution will allow small to medium-sized businesses (up to 300 extensions) to have a workable alternative to traditional digital and PSTN/ISDN lines with the benefit of IP phones throughout their office and other offices wherever they are. Users can even install a special SIM into their mobile phone so it acts as an internal extension when they are in the office and a mobile phone when they are out - the term 'fixed to mobile convergence' applies.

First Office Systems will incorporate this new offering into their portfolio which will complement perfectly their impressive range of systems from AVAYA (IP Office), Mitel (Inter-Tel) and the popular Samsung OfficeSERV range of systems which all offer a traditional digital or analogue interface along with combined IP telephones and IP trunking. Free calls throughout their organisation is now possible without any complicated IP networking. Businesses will have the option of paying monthly, reducing the need for upfront outlay as Samsung are also offering leasing terms.

Mitel announce massive price reductions on Inter-Tel 5000 series telephone systems for small businesses

Today Mitel stunned the telecoms market by slashing their pricing on Inter-Tel 5000 series small business telephone systems.

Their starter pack bundles have reduced in price by between 41 and 50%. Nick Brandon, Telecommunications Sales Manager at First Office Systems commented ''This now positions Inter-Tel in a better price slot - previously, Inter-Tel had always been a more expensive option for customers and, although the Inter-Tel offers some really clever and attractive features, it has often been difficult to offer their product - now they really compete and will offer smaller business (meaning up to 100 extensions) real value and choice''. This is of particular interest to customers wanting to dial from their computer databases or deploying remote IP phones for remote workers at a modest cost.

First Office Systems supply and support 1,300 business customers throughout London and the South East (mainly) including Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hertfordshire, Befordshire, Cambridgeshire etc. They are also Samsung Advanced Partners and Silver Accredited AVAYA Partners for AVAYA IP Office.

First Office Systems is awarded AVAYA Silver Accreditation on IP Office

We are proud to announce that we have been awarded Silver Accreditation by AVAYA on IP Office. Nick Brandon, Sales Manager, Telecommunications stated ''This is an excellent achievement and one which stands us in even better stead when speaking to customers. We have put in alot of effort recently in engineering and sales training as well as installing many IP Office systems recently, thus increasing our spend on AVAYA purchases. This is another clear differentiator which will help us win more business. There are quite alot of IP Office resellers out there and we are now in the top 'echelons' when it comes to accreditation. Now we are aiming for Gold Accreditation through additional training for our engineers so they can become real experts in their field in the UK.''

 First Office Systems, based in Tunbridge Wells, have supplied a large number of AVAYA IP Office systems in the South East and London including Kent, Sussex and Surrey.

Samsung release new OfficeSERV 7100 telephone system

Samsung Electronics UK have launched their new Samsung OfficeSERV 7100 system. This new telephone system joins the OfficeSERV 7200 and 7400 in offering VoIP and SIP trunking 'out of the box'.

It is designed for small to medium sized businesses supporting ISDN2e lines and up to 32 extensions or 48 using IP telephony. It offers embedded voicemail as standard and comes with a converged CPU with switch and router.

First Office Systems install and support telephone systems in Kent, Sussex, Surrey and London. They cover the whole of the Sout East. Based in Tunbridge Wells, they also cover Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, Maidstone, Ashford, East Grinstead, Haywards Heath, Croydon and surrounding areas.

Please call Paul on 01892 676710 or Nick on 01892 776004 for more details.

First Office Systems become Inter-Tel Reseller

First Office Systems have recently become resellers for Inter-Tel Europe.

First will be marketing the Inter-Tel 5000 series range of telephone systems including the Inter-Tel 5200, the Inter-Tel 5400 and the Inter-Tel 5600 systems. These systems are delivered with IP capabilities 'out of the box'. Crucially, they also allow the customer to add analogue lines and extensions and digital extensions making this an excellent choice for small to medium-sized businesses.

The Inter-Tel systems offer all of the usual facilities you would expect from a telephone system including voicemail, direct dial, remote IP soft phone working and Computer Telephony Integration.

Nick Brandon suggested the main reasons for partnering with Inter-Tel: ''The Inter-Tel solutions offer something different for customers than the AVAYA IP Office, Samsung OfficeServ and Panasonic KXT-DA systems that we have been installing historically. As IP is on board fom the start, it offers a different kind of solution. However, almost as important is the fact that the Inter-tel systems are extremely strong on CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) enabling customers to dial any number that they see on their computer screen and also call centre working through the Callview Software''.

Inter-Tel also seem to be more proactive than some of the other manufacturers and their technical support team look very strong.

First Office Systems, based in Tunbridge Wells, are planning on marketing the Inter-Tel systems to new and existing customers. They will be particularly targetting customers using AVAYA INDeX customers as Inter-Tel are incentivising customers to upgrade from INDeX.

First Office Systems install and support telephone systems in Kent, Sussex, Surrey and London. They cover the whole of the Sout East. Based in Tunbridge Wells, they also cover Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, Maidstone, Ashford, East Grinstead, Haywards Heath, Croydon and surrounding areas.

Please call Nick on 01892 776004 or Paul on 01892 676710 for more details.

First Office Systems see AVAYA launch their new IP Office version - AVAYA IP 500

AVAYA have launched their new version of IP Office, IP500, along with a new version of IP Office software, version 4.

IP 500 and IP Office version 4 offers legacy IP Office customers an upgrade path so that legacy modules and cards can be used in the new hardware variant. IP 500 is available in two variants, Standard (up to 32 extensions) or Professional (up to 272 users). The new features available through IP500 are SIP trunking, enhanced call handling, improved administration, visual voice mail on AVAYA 5410 and AVAYA 5420 digital station handsets and networking enhancements (when linking sites using VoIP).

Paul Berry, Account Manager at First Office Systems commented ''This release sees AVAYA take some important steps such as the support for SIP trunks. SIP is the future and it is important for customers to rest assured that they are able to migrate to the latest technologies when upgrading their telephone systems'' He added ''We also can offer SIP via the Samsung OfficeServ and will also be able to offer this with the Inter-Tel 5000 series shortly so AVAYA's move enables us to offer our customers the latest technology right across the board. Panasonic may also follow suit in the future but this remains to be seen''.

First Office Systems install and support telephone systems in Kent, Sussex, Surrey and London. They cover the whole of the Sout East. Based in Tunbridge Wells, they also cover Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, Maidstone, Ashford, East Grinstead, Haywards Heath, Croydon and surrounding areas.

Please call Paul on 01892 676710 or Nick on 01892 776004 for more details.

New AVAYA IP Office Software

AVAYA has released Level 3.2 software for their market leading IP Office system. IP Office is designed to be a global solution for users with up to 360 extensions and 120 lines. This latest software release combines high-end voice and data applications, allowing businesses to deliver cutting edge customer service. As well as increased reliability through improvements to the core system software, the new software also incorporates technical resolutions to previous ‘bugs’ together with a new ‘wizard’ installation programme.

IP Office has revolutionized the telecommunications market place in recent years with on-screen call control and voicemail to e-mail integration as standard. Most of the other manufacturers are busy trying to play ‘catch-up’ with many failing to replicate the features, facilities and benefits offered by IP Office at the IP Office price level.

First Office Systems have the required technical competence and have successfully installed many IP Office systems locally. Indeed, due to our competence we have been chosen by other IP Office customers to provide technical support for their systems as they have been dissatisfied with the technical support provided by their original supplier.

For more information or advice call Nick Brandon on 01892-776004 or e-mail him at nick.brandon@firstoffice.co.uk

New Samsung OfficeServ 7400 Series

Samsung Business Communications has recently launched the new OfficeServ 7400 Series voice and data system. The OfficeServ 7400 uses ‘wireline’ and ‘wireless’ technologies, making the new 7400 Series one of the most efficient and flexible platforms for business communications solutions currently available.

The new 7400 Series offers the same facilities as the successful and proven 7200 Series. However, the 7400 series will additionally satisfy customers who require a larger system that cannot be supported by the 7200 Series. 

"The convergence of wireless and wireline is the next step in enterprise communications. For our business end-users, the platform increases convenience, efficiency and application possibilities while reducing costs by maximizing the capabilities of one platform." said Steve Gobeli, vice president of Samsung Telecommunications America, Business Communication Systems Division.

A month after the launch of the OfficeServ 7400 Series the system had won the coveted 'Best Buy' recommendation from What to Buy for Business.First Office Systems have installed many 7200 Series systems and are excited by the opportunities offered by the 7400 Series systems.  We are fully resourced with the required technical competence to successfully deploy both systems.

For more information or advice call Paul Berry on 01892-676710 or e-mail him at paul.berry@firstoffice.co.uk

New Samsung Voice Recording Software

Samsung Business Communications has also launched new voice recording software providing a fully encrypted recording solution at an entry-level price. For more information or advice call Nick Brandon on 01892-776004 or e-mail him at nick.brandon@firstoffice.co.uk

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What's new in office refurbishment:

Komfort Workspace - Polar Single Glazed - Now Fire Rated

Polar now combines aesthetics with fire performance. New components including the square doorframe profile and aluminium patch hinges contribute to providing 30 minutes integrity fire resistance. Compliance is achieved with Pyran 'S' 12mm glass using a new SJ35 aluminium doorframe.