Five immediate ways you can trim your telecom budget

Let's take a minute to point out to you five immediate ways you can trim your telecom budget: 1. Consider canceling your maintenance or SMARTnet for your endpoints Many of our customers are moving to depot maintenance and saving thousands of dollars. Estimate how many phones break in a year, then divide by the amount you are paying for end point maintenance. This gives you the actual dollar amount you are paying per repair for the phones. Our experience shows that about 2% of desk phones break annually, and Telesource has proven time and time again that we can repair for less than a maintenance contract. So keep the maintenance on the big iron if you need it, but save money by repairing the phones as they break.

2. Buy remanufactured or unused, not new Perfect equipment. Cost savings up to 60%. Better warranty. We deliver more quickly. Why wouldn’t you? 3. Use Video Conferencing for meetings, not airplanes and hotels Desktop from $350. High Definition from $4000. You can save your company thousands in travel costs and look like a hero. 4. Close your telecom warehouse $250,000 was the first year cost savings realized by one of our customers who switched to our inventory management system. They closed their telecom warehouse, redeployed the people, and used our internet based inventory management to manage their out of service equipment. If you are opening and closing offices and managing a lot of out of service equipment, call me for details. 5. Extend the life of your legacy equipment, even if it’s Manufactured Discontinued We can keep those old phones on the desk for years and years to come. We can repair them, and we can sell you additional as you need them, so don’t let your local sales person scare you in to thinking it’s the end of the road. In this economy, should you spend the money to upgrade a handset? If so, go back and re-read #2 above. At Telesource we have two goals: 1. Save you money. 2. Make your life easier. If we do the second, the first becomes less important... but we do it anyway.

Call me for details. Tim Barr, Vice President of End User 800-525-4300 • tbarr@mytelesource.com

Speakerphones that sound like you’re not using one

Using a speakerphone can have great advantages – but the benefits are usually one-sided. To the person on the other end of the line, it’s not always that great of an experience. Why??? Most telephones with built-in speakerphones have half-duplex technology, meaning that only one participant can speak at a time. This sometimes equates to echoing and clipping. Manufacturers are taking notice and are equipping certain telephone sets with full-duplex speakerphones, with technology similar to that of Polycom and ClearOne conferencing units (both parties can speak at the same time, like you are able to with a traditional handset receiver). However, most businesses are not going to fork over money for a new phone system just so you can have a speakerphone. But don’t despair, there’s still solutions that will allow you to use a full-duplex speakerphone with your existing telephone….and the person on the other end of the line won’t be the wiser. The ClearOne Chat 50 and Chat 150 are personal conference units that attach to your existing phones. Plus you can use them with your MP3 player and computer. Very versatile. Another option is to use the Polycom VoiceStation 300 (a smaller version of their extremely popular SoundStation conference room speakerphone). With the VoiceStation, you’ll need a Konexx adapter that plugs into the handset port on your phone. Available online at: http://www.tsrcdirect.com/clch50usbpec.html

Wireless receptionists

Looking for a wireless headset solution for your receptionist? We already know what you’re looking for: “I’d like to allow my receptionist to move about the office, but still enable them to answer incoming calls. Which wireless headset will work best?” Surprisingly, this question comes up a lot. The reality is that no wireless headset allows multiple-line access and the ability to transfer calls. The good news, is you can purchase cordless telephone sets that work with your existing system. Like home cordless phones, they are light enough to be clipped to your belt and can be used with a wired headset for convenience. The Aastra CM-16 cordless phone works with Nortel Meridian and Succession systems, and can handle up to 14 line appearances, allowing you to answer incoming calls and direct them to the appropriate recipient. Similarly, the Norstar T7316 works with the Nortel Norstar and BCM platforms, and Avaya offers Transtalk and Avaya Wireless series to work with Definity, Partner, Magix and Legend systems. With any of these cordless solutions, your receptionist can be free to move about the office and still perform call routing duties. CM-16 available at: http://www.tsrcdirect.com/nomecmcophby.html

Small office telecom solutions that are big on features,small on cost

One question we’re asked many times is “can you suggest a low-cost, feature-rich telephone system for my small/home business?” So you want Cadillac features at Chevette prices? No problem. Two solutions that are easy to install, easy to configure, and easy on the budget are systems from TalkSwitch and from Linksys. The TalkSwitch 240vs features two outside lines, 4 analog or VoIP extensions, voicemail and auto attendant. The really nice feature about the TalkSwitch is that you can use the analog (household-type) sets you already have. The LinkSys SPA9000, has similar features as the TalkSwitch. It supports four SIP-compatible IP sets (extensions), out of the box and can grow to accommodate up to 16 sets. Both systems are relatively easy to install and you add phones as your business grows.

Go Green with Telesource!

"Going green" isn't a new concept to most businesses today. You will find many companies and organizations using recycled paper and packaging, biodegradable packing materials, and switching to energy-efficient lighting and office equipment. However, did you know that you take your "green" effort one step further by purchasing remanufactured communications equipment?

Chances are you are not using the same computer that you were using back in 2000. But how about your telephone set? While computer components can have a tendency to quickly become obsolete, that isn't the case with telecommunications products. One of our best selling telephone sets is the Nortel Meridian M2616 which was manufactured by the OEM for 15 years. The reason that the M2000 series enjoyed such a long production life was the fact that the sets have intuitive, easy-to-use features, are extremely durable, and have features that are still current by today's standards. Telesource remanufacturing effectively recycles defective and out-of-service equipment so that it can be placed back into service without any compromises in quality.

In addition to the wide variety of legacy telephone sets we sell and support, Telesource also carries cutting-edge equipment, like VoIP sets and peripherals. Regardless of your needs, we have you covered. Call me today to learn more about how buying Telesource remanufactured equipment is not only great for your budget but good for the environment too!

Separating fact from fiction......

Fact or myth? "Utilizing remanufactured equipment really does help the environment and my budget." FACT. By purchasing Telesource remanufactured equipment and utilizing our industry-leading repair services, you're easing landfill burdens and reducing carbon emissions while saving money at the same time!

Fact or myth? "Newer technology is not yet available in the remanufactured market." MYTH. Telesource stocks the latest, current technologies, including VoIP and wireless sets. Of course, we also stock a complete selection of TDM, Centrex and analog equipment!

Fact or myth? "Telesource remanufactured sets are like new." FACT. You literally cannot tell the difference between a Telesource remanufactured telephone set and an OEM factory-new one. It looks and works like new, plus you get a one year warranty.

Fact or myth? "I have no choice but to discard the older phones I am displacing with my upgrade." MYTH. Telesource's "Trade-In, Step-Up!" program allows you to trade in your existing equipment for the latest technology. It's a win-win situation - you can trade in your equipment and save hundreds or thousands off of your purchase...not to mention it keeps your old equipment out of the landfill!