So many companies purchased or upgraded phone systems around the Y2K time frame. Primarily due to the change in software that was needed to support the code change for the year 2000. Although that does not seem to long ago, if a company did purchase a phone system at that time, it is coming up on 12 years. If the phone system was upgraded, than a company may be using technology that is over 15 years old. What makes that statement great is that the technology that was installed by manufacturers like Nortel and Avaya over a decade ago is still working and supporting that business. But the one thing a lot of companies have a hard time doing is making the leap to the next generation of technology that is available to them in today’s market place. One way to put it in perspective is to have that same company look at their computer network, is there any piece of hardware on that network that is over a decade old? Very rarely, matter of fact in most cases you are hard pressed to find anything over five years old.
What I am seeing as a telecommunications integrator is that in some cases the systems are starting to fail, but in more cases, companies are starting to see how the new features and ways to communicate with co-workers and customers actually have a fit in their day to-day business activities. When talking about a phone system upgrade with a prospect or existing client, it is crucial to spend time educating them on what is available to them. Most of these businesses have not even thought about technology when it comes to telecommunications in over a decade, so some of the catch phrases like ‘voice over IP’ or ‘Unified Messaging’ instantly may equate to dollar signs, as those technologies were very expensive for companies to purchase a decade ago. Now, in most cases they are included or are a software license, what also makes it more comforting for a company that is looking a new phone solution, is that they are hearing or have heard already about different organizations they deal with upgrading and getting positive feedback.
For all companies that are looking at systems over 10 years old now is the time to start testing the waters as to what is available, how certain solutions are delivered and supported as well as feature and functionality. I say now is a good time, because that system you have had for 10 years or more is still working, and you want to give time to make the right decision, not the decision you have to make when a system has failed.
