Phone System Services -Chicago, IL 

Whether you need a legacy phone system maintained, or an entirely new communications system for multiple offices, Andromeda Technology Solutions is the answer you have been looking for. As our expertise also includes complete data network solutions, you can rest assured that we can fully integrate a communications system that will best leverage your existing or future IT infrastructure.

In many cases, your telephone system is the first thing people will experience when dealing with your business.

• Does it show your company in a good light?
• Is it set up so your clients have a good experience?
• Does it help maximize employee productivity?

Let us show you how a phone system should be set up!

Experience the simplicity of having an experienced company to handle all aspects of your communication systems, letting you focus on running your business.

Contact us or fill out the Request form on this page now to ask us to contact you!

^
Hybrid PBX and IP-based Phone Systems

We support a host of major phone systems—from Avaya, NEC, Panasonic to Toshiba— and are a certified Panasonic dealer for both a traditional PBX system, as well as a true IP-based VoIP system. The beauty of these systems lies in their very extensive feature set (over 800 features) and their mix-and-match capabilities. Each system can mix analog, digital and IP phone sets to match almost any application. Also, each system has extensive functionality built-in for incorporating branch offices, work-at-home employees and other remote workers.

We spend a great deal of time understanding all your requirements, so we can select the system and functions that are exactly what you need.

^
The Phones Become the Network

If you are considering an IP-based telephone system, it is important to understand these systems are more data systems than phone systems. Unlike a traditional PBX system, a VoIP system puts a significant burden on your data network, and requires specific equipment and configuration to ensure everything is running properly.

Many traditional telephone service companies lack the skills to properly install and maintain a VoIP system. Andromeda Technology Solutions excels in all aspects of voice and data, and will ensure you get the system that is right for you.

Whether Cloud-based, Hosted/virtual PBX, or completely on-premises, we have the knowledge AND experience to guide you and implement your voice communication system to perfection.

^
Replacement of Legacy Phone Systems

We have many years of experience upgrading/replacing legacy phones systems from: ComDial, Nortel, Toshiba/Mitel, and Samsung just to name a few. If you would like to experience service from a truly customer-focused organization, call us when you are ready to replace and upgrade your existing legacy telephone system.

			KX-TA KX-NCP KX-TDA KS-TDE
			IP Office Definity Magix Legend Partner
			Aspire Elite IPK I-Series DS/DSX

AndroPedia Tech Library

As part of our service, it is important to keep our client-partners well informed on Telephone system developments, news, and best practices. Here is just a sampling of typical items from our AndroPedia^SM library archive:

We’ve all been there. . .you’re on the line with tech support, trying to figure out why a piece of equipment isn’t working properly. You’ve been connected with a friendly (hopefully) employee at a help desk somewhere and they ask a few famous questions: “Did you check to make sure it’s plugged in?” “Is your internet working?” “Did you try turning it on and off?”These questions can seem a bit ridiculous when you are on the phone, but you wouldn’t believe how often something as seemingly simple as checking a cable, power source, or on/off switch can be the solution to some of your technical issues.These strategies don’t just work for your office PC or your entertainment system at home either. The questions might be a little different, but you can do some basic troubleshooting on your business phone system when things are acting up. Read on to learn three basic steps you can take to troubleshoot common telephone system issues before calling in your telecom vendor for advanced assistance.

Top 3 Common Professional Phone System Issues

1. Check to See if Your Power Source is Functional

There is almost nothing worse than walking into the office in the morning to find your professional phone system is down. This is a big deal and you’ll want to get the system back up as soon as possible: but before you panic, you’ll want to head to your IT closet (or wherever the PBX box is stored). Once there, our technical team recommends locating the power cord and your backup power source or UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). Unplug the PBX power cord from the UPS and plug it directly into your electrical outlet. If the system receives power and turns on – you know that the issue isn’t your phone system. You just need a new UPS.

An average life cycle for a backup power supply is approximately 3-5 years. So having a spare is a good way to avoid issues related to UPS failure.

If plugging your system directly into your electrical outlet doesn’t get you up and running, it’s time to call your telecom service provider and get advanced technical assistance.

2. Check Phone Cords and Handsets

Sometimes your professional phone system is working, but call quality is on and off. For example, you are on the phone and you can hear the caller, but they can’t hear you speak or vice versa. You may also feel that the sound quality is distorted from time to time.

Often, these issues can be resolved by replacing the cord that connects your phone to the physical handset. If that doesn’t work, you may want to consider replacing the entire handset. It can be helpful to keep a few spare parts like these at the office to quickly change things out and fix these small issues. If you end up needing to replace an entire handset, you may need to call your professional phone system support team so that they can program your handset. In some cases if you have your system configured properly, this can be accomplished remotely and you don’t even have to have a technician come on site.

3. Determine if All of Your Lines are Down or if Only Certain Lines are Down

Sometimes for a number of reasons you may have one, multiple or all lines ‘down’ (no ring tone and no ability to make outbound or take inbound calls). Before you reach out to your service provider or your telephone system vendor, it is a good idea to determine which lines are impacted.

To do this, all you have to do is grab a list of your various phone lines and try to make an outbound call from each. If you can make a call, that line is working fine. If you don’t get a dial tone and can’t make a phone call – you’ve got a dead line.

Your next step is to call your telephone service provider and have them troubleshoot the issue to get your service reconnected.

It should be said that you can always call your professional phone system support company to help you troubleshoot any issue you have with the telephones at your office. That’s what we are here for! But, you can save yourself some time and potentially even some money by going through some of the tests above before scheduling a technician to come out on site or work on your system remotely.

The post 3 Professional Phone System Troubleshooting Techniques for Common Issues appeared first on Andromeda Technology Solutions.

There is a whole lot of hype and buzz around VoIP Phone Systems (Voice over Internet Protocol). This solution differs from its main competition (digital on-premises PBX) in a few ways but the main difference is the source of service.

While digital systems pass information over traditional analog or POTS lines, an IP or VoIP system uses your internet to transmit data and make phone calls.

When it comes to VoIP there are both on-premises options and cloud based options. On-premises VoIP solutions are often hybrids that offer the advantages of IP solutions and digital solutions in one.

Hosted or Cloud based VoIP systems have no “head end” hardware in your office. That hardware is hosted in the cloud along with all of the programming and interface for your system. You simply have handsets in your office that plug into computers and use the magic of the internet/the cloud to make and receive calls.

Many business owners and decision makers are attracted to the versatility, hardware cost and high tech features of hosted VoIP options.

With that in mind, implementing hosted VoIP sounds like a no brainer but it is important to consider certain requirements and factors before making the switch.

5 Things You Must Consider Before Installing a Hosted VoIP Phone System At Your Office

1.  Is your internet steady enough and robust enough to handle the added demand of a phone system?

An internet outage is one of the most frustrating things isn’t it? Unless you have a failover it slows down productivity, prevents you from using certain programs and if you are in the cloud you can’t do anything at all.

Cloud based solutions require an internet connection to operate. That is true for cloud based software and it’s also true for a hosted VoIP solution. The issue doesn’t stop at a complete outage though. Any disruption of service will impact the quality of your phone calls. You may experience poor reception or you might drop calls completely if your internet connection isn’t steady and strong.

So, what do you do about that? For starters you can implement a failover. This failover service will take over if your main provider goes down allowing you to keep moving in the event of an outage.

Additionally, you should consult with your internet service provider to ensure that your bandwidth can handle your typical call volume. If you don’t have proper bandwidth, your internet won’t be able to keep up with your system and you won’t be happy with the quality of your service.

2. Is your network infrastructure compatible with a VoIP solution?

Every business has their own specific requirements when it comes to network infrastructure and a hosted VoIP solution but there are some standards you can look for right away.

In regards to your cabling – industry standards now recommend at least Cat6 wiring. Andromeda suggest a minimum of Cat6e cable to support all IP solutions.

You will also want to connect your IT partner with your VoIP provider to make sure any other requirements are met.

Some of those might include:

• Quality of Service Routers/Switches
• Optimized Network
• Backup Power Source
• Redundant POE Switching
• Gigabyte Network Support

As mentioned before, hosted VoIP can be a much more cost efficient choice when it comes to the actual system hardware (basically just the phones), but there are many instances where the infrastructure updates needed are just too hefty.

3. Do you own the equipment? If not, who does?

It is important to look into who actually owns the equipment when you purchase a hosted VoIP solution. Many times, your purchase is part of a leasing program where you pay a small fee every month to ‘rent’ the phones.

This is most common with hosted solutions and far less common with on-premises solutions.

It may not look like a lot of money at first but over time it adds up.

For example – in a typical three year contract, your handset costs might start at approximately $15.00 per month (this is just the cost of the equipment – not service). If your office has 20 handsets that means you are spending $3600 annually and almost $11,000 across the lifetime of your contract on equipment you don’t even own. Not to mention the monthly service charges and taxes involved.

These costs only increase when you add in higher quality phones and special features.

4. Have you looked into the tax rates applied to VoIP services in your area?

“Taxes, surcharges and fees apply” – Cryptic right?

Statements like this are used often when VoIP vendors pitch their solutions and too often, business owners aren’t made aware of the taxes required for their VoIP solution on top of the basic equipment and service fees.

Each state and region has their own tax codes and it is not unheard of for these taxes, surcharges and fees to reach hundreds and hundreds of dollars a month.

All of a sudden that cost savings you were anticipating is chewed up and spit out by these hidden fees.

The worst part is many national VoIP providers don’t even give you the hard numbers when they deliver their proposal. Imagine opening your first bill, expecting to see a $600 total and finding that you owe $900! Now multiply that out over the course of your contract and you get the picture.

For Illinois specifically you can learn more about VoIP specific taxes here.

5. Have you looked into who will support your phone system if there are programming or equipment issues?

With a hosted solution, you don’t have the head end equipment in your office. There isn’t a box or piece of hardware that a technician can come work on when things go wrong. Instead, there is cloud hosted software that connects to the handsets plugged into your computers.

If there is an issue and you can’t seem to get things resolved, it is highly unlikely that your VoIP provider has technicians available to come visit your office. At that point, you are stuck calling around and googling to try and find a company to come work on your phones.

It is not safe to assume that the same people who handle your IT will know how to help you with your hosted solution. They may not be trained on the software and they may also have no knowledge of the phones themselves.

Hosted VoIP enters into a gray area where there are IT and Telecom pieces at play.

Before you sign up and install a hosted solution, you should figure out who will be able to service you in a pinch.

Your phone system is one of the most important communication tools you’ve got. There are many different options out there and hopefully this list of questions will better prepare you for a hosted VoIP system if that is the solution you choose.

Andromeda helps businesses select professional phone systems in many varieties every day. Give us a call and let us help you determine which solution is right for your needs.

The post 5 Things You Must Consider Before Installing a Hosted VoIP Phone System At Your Office appeared first on Andromeda Technology Solutions.

For a while now, Microsoft Outlook users have enjoyed a highly popular addition to their email service. In a nutshell, it allows them to recall messages that have been sent using Outlook, which is an Exchange Online hosted cloud email service for business.

They can un-send the emails, provided that the recipient is using Outlook and the messages haven't been opened yet.

It's a good, well-implemented feature. Recently, Microsoft announced that it will be expanding its availability, adding it for all Office 365 environments during the fourth quarter of 2020.

The company had this to say on a recent blog post on the subject:

"The Outlook for Windows Message Recall feature is extremely popular with users, yet it doesn't always work so well. Part of the problem is that the recall is client-based and the recall can only happen if the recipient also uses Outlook.

With millions of users with mailboxes in Office 365, we're now able to improve upon that feature by performing the recall directly in the cloud in Office 365 mailboxes, so it doesn't matter which email client the recipient uses, the recall takes place in their Office 365 mailbox, and when their client syncs their mail, the message is gone."

As part of the Office 365 implementation of this feature, users will also have an aggregate message recall status report available to them that they'll be able to use to tell at a glance which messages were successfully recalled and which ones were not.

If you want more, you should know that Microsoft has recently announced it will be adding protections against Reply-All email storms. They have not-so-affectionately been referred to as 'Reply-allpocalypses' that are set off when people send emails with a large email distribution list. They can easily lead to accidental denial of service that can bring even the most robust email servers to their knees.

Both are welcome additions indeed. Kudos to Microsoft for the coming improvements.

Aggregated