Phone System Services -Oak-Brook, IL 60523

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!

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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.

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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.

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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:

There are many options available to you when purchasing a professional telephone system.

And there are many companies out there that want you to purchase your professional phone solutions from them.

So – how do you make sure you are getting the best phone system for your business AND make sure that you are working with a company that puts your interests first?

We’ve put together a list of 5 of the top questions you should ask yourself when it comes to a professional telephone system and the telephone service providers that install them for your business.

5 Questions You Want To Ask Yourself  Before Purchasing A Professional Telephone System

1. What are your 5 year total costs for the system?

This is an important question that is often overlooked when purchasing a professional telephone system. There are many factors that impact total cost but typically there are two different types of systems that you are taking into consideration.

• Hosted VoIP Telephone Systems
• On Premises PBX Telephone Systems

Within those two options there are different options and models but the key difference is where the majority of the hardware exists.

In a hosted or cloud based phone system, you don’t have equipment in the office. Instead it is ‘hosted’ in the cloud. You simply have phones that you plug into the network.

With an on premises solution, your professional telephone system and equipment exist in your office. Most of the time this is in a ‘box’ mounted in your IT closet.

The reason the distinction between these two is important is because they have different costs associated with them.

With hosted VoIP you are essentially paying every month for service to the phones and the software that allows inbound and outbound calls to your network.

With an on premises system, you buy the hardware up front and you pay for telephone lines (POTS lines) to give you connectivity.

To look at costs for each type of system you’ll want to consider recurring monthly service charges, hardware costs and service/maintenance costs.

NOTE: when considering a hosted VoIP phone system, make sure that you find out what your taxes will be each month. Many times, these rates are not included in quotes and can add on hundreds of dollars to your monthly costs.

2. Who owns the equipment?

When it comes to any hardware you are using at the office, it is important to figure out who actually owns the equipment.

With an on premises option, you buy the hardware up front and install it. You own it. Simple as that.

If you choose to go with a hosted solution, you want to look into who actually owns the equipment. Many times, you are renting the phones you use from your service provider. Even if you are only paying $25.00 per phone per month, multiply that out over a year and look at how much you’ve paid to rent out phones you don’t own.

On top of that, if you ever want to switch providers or decide you want to purchase an on premises system, you have to give the phones back and start from scratch. All that money spent on renting equipment is out the door with nothing to show for it.

3. Who is going to help you service your telephone equipment?

Things break – unfortunate but true. So when you are having issues with your phone system, who will you call to come out and service it? How long will it take for technicians to get to your issues? Do you have a dedicated team or is it just whoever is available? Do they offer emergency service?

These are all questions you’ll want to ask anyone proposing their phone solution to you. All too often, business owners are sold on phone solutions that have no local service providers for technical issues.

Different technology vendors work with specific types of systems and you want to make sure you are buying a system that you can get serviced professionally and promptly.

4. Will the telephone solution grow with your business?

Each telephone system has its own list of features and compatibilities. But each one also has specific capabilities when it comes to scaling.

There are specific hardware components in phone systems that limit the number of telephones, calls or mailboxes you can set up at any one time.

If you are purchasing a system today but plan to add a call center next year, you want to make sure that you talk to your vendor about that before you purchase. That way, you can make sure that your solution is capable of that type of growth.

Not only that, depending on your business model and needs, you’ll also want to make sure that you choose a telephone system that best suits your day to day practices which brings us to our fifth question.

5. Does this phone system offer all of the features and functions you need?

Every business has its own needs when it comes to phones. Some are very simple and others are more complex. If you use your phones the way many small to midsized business do, all you’re looking for is a connection, some basic functionality (receptionist phone, easily transfer calls, put people on hold, maybe a conference phone for conference calls etc.).

At the same time, you may have a sales team that is constantly on the road which means you’d like the ability to transfer calls to your cell phone, voicemail-email set up, voicemail to text set up. You may want direct extensions or maybe when an inbound sales call comes in you want every sales person’s phone to ring until someone picks up.

The list of features goes on and on. And that doesn’t even include third party applications that integrate security, presence management and more.

Make sure you are working with a vendor that can help guide you and manage the different functions and features on the market.

Request a Consultation

A Professional Telephone System can be complex but it definitely doesn’t have to be.

If you’re in the right hands with a vendor who makes it a priority to get to know your business and your needs, most of these questions can be answered without an issue.

If you’re thinking about adding to your phone system, switching to a different type of system or you know you need something new but don’t know where to start, our account managers are ready and more than willing to help guide you through the process.

Take the first step and give us a call at the office (815) 836-0030 or fill out the form below and request a phone call with our team.

The post 5 Questions You Want To Ask Yourself (And Your Vendor) Before Purchasing A Professional Phone System For Your Business appeared first on Andromeda Technology Solutions.

We regularly reach out to clients for feedback on our products and service. Over the twenty plus years we have been in business, at least one thing has remained constant. Phones are a necessity for every business and professional phone systems remain a mystery to most users. Just like the other technologies in your office, your phone system changes with time and modern phone systems have many new enhanced phone features. These phone features can improve productivity, improve accessibility and assist with client relations. There are many different enhanced features available to you. With this in mind, we are bringing you a three part series focusing on enhanced phone features for enhanced business.

 4 Enhanced Phone Features You Didn’t Even Know You Needed

Twinning

The first in our phone features list is Twinning. Twinning allows a primary extension and a secondary number (extension or external) to operate together as a single telephone. When a call presents to the primary phone the secondary will ring. If the primary telephone does not ring, for example in Do Not Disturb, the secondary phone will not ring. For example, imagine you have twinning set up for your mobile phone and your office phone. When a call comes through, both phones ring so you can receive calls whether you are in the office or on the road (of course, as mentioned, you may set your phones to Do Not Disturb because you are gone for the day, or in a meeting so you aren’t interrupted by phone calls 24/7).

Internal Twinning

This next phone feature is typically used in large spaces like workshops or warehouses where team supervisors may have a desk with a fixed phone but also have a wireless extension (e.g. DECT). When a call is made from either internally twinned phone, the call will appear to have come from the primary phone (when the secondary is an extension on the IP Office system). Other users of the system need not know that the supervisor has two different phones.

Mobile (external) Twinning

A typical use for Mobile Twinning would be for a salesperson or other employee who has a desk extension but is often out of the office. They can give out one phone number to clients, but it will ring their mobile/cell phone as well as the desk extension. External mobile devices can be set as twinning targets even if the primary telephone is logged out.

Mobile Call Control

This enhanced phone feature allows a user who has answered a twinned call on their mobile phone to use features they would normally only be able to access on their desktop phone (i.e. transfer calls, park calls, conference etc.) There is traditionally a sequence such as ** (star star) that the user must enter to engage this functionality.

If any of the above look like something your business is missing, feel free to give us a call. Make sure to check back in for part 2 of the Enhanced Phone Features series next month

The post Enhanced Phone Features For Enhanced Business Part 1 appeared first on Andromeda Technology Solutions.

Be advised, according to a recently published Microsoft support document, certain Bluetooth devices may experience pairing and connectivity issues after installing the latest Windows 10 update.

The bulletin reads in part, as follows:

"These security updates address a security vulnerability by intentionally preventing connections from Windows to unsecure Bluetooth devices.� Any device using well-known keys to encrypt connections may be affected, including certain security fobs."

The reference to security fobs in the bulletin refers to Google's BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) Titan Security Keys with a T1 or T2 code and to the Feitian Multipass CTAP1/U2F Security Key.� These were recalled last month when it was discovered that "an attacker who is physically close to you at the moment you use your security key - (within approximately 30 feet) - to a) communicate with your security key or b) communicate with the device to which your key is paired."

Microsoft has blocked the pairing of these Bluetooth Low Energy keys with the pairing misconfiguration.�If you experience a connectivity issue, check your Event Log to confirm that your device is affected.� If it is, you'll find the following message:

"Your Bluetooth device attempted to establish a debug connection.� The Windows Bluetooth stack does not allow debug connection while it is not in the debug mode."

The following updatees could lead to pairing and connectivity issues for some Bluetooth devices:

• KB4503293 or later LCU for Windows 10, version 1903
• KB4503327 or later LCU for Windows 10, version 1809 and Windows Server 2019
• KB4503286 or later LCU for Windows 10, version 1803
• KB4503284 or later LCU for Windows 10, version 1709
• KB4503279 or later LCU for Windows 10, version 1703
• KB4503267 or LCU for Windows 10, version 1607 and Windows Server 2016
• KB4503291 or later LCU for Windows 10, version 1507
• KB4503276 or later Monthly Rollup for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2
• KB4503285 or later Monthly Rollup for Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard
• KB4503290 for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2
• KB4503263 for Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard.

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