Did you know that Microsoft has a VoIP system? Well they do and so far I really like it. They are OEMing the software to several hardware companies to build and integrate into a system. The company I have chosen to start with is D-Link. I have never thought of D-Link as a higher end hardware company but this system is a pretty big departure from the home grade equipment I have used from them in the past.
Getting back to the topic at hand... The Response point system is an SMB to Medium Business VoIP solution with a host of features, bells, and whistles. The features have really been crafted carefully to meet the needs of this space. Most mid-sized PBX phone systems as well as bigger VoIP systems, like those from Cisco, have a pretty big up-front cost. I have sold several mid-sized phone systems and it is nothing to get up to seven to ten thousand dollars. The Response Point system bundled as a 10 user set with a four line PTSN gateway(regular old business lines on copper) can install and be ready to go for less than four thousand dollars complete. Some pre-requisites to that number are a good quality switch but not necessarily something in the layer 3 arena, a good basic network with a really good firewall/router (a SonicWALL TZ180 or similar) but preferably a server like a Small Business Server, and good documentation as to what is already in place. Unfortunately, my first deployment did not have these qualifications in place so it was a little more difficult then it had to be.
The feature that really make the system a winner in my opinion is that everything is voice activated. The phones have a little blue button with the Response Point logo and that is the key to the whole system. For example, if a call comes in and you have a receptionist she can transfer that call by hitting the magic blue button and saying "Transfer to Mike." The system confirms by automated voice that the call will be transferred to Mike and confirms that the attendant can now hang up the phone. Intercom calls are simple pressing the blue button and saying "Call name or Extension number. Calls can also be made to predefined lists that are customized to each user. Out side calls are very similar to intercom calls. The user just states the name on the list. These names can come from any number of sources but the really big plus is that it is integrated to Microsoft Outlook for its contacts and it is seamless. There is a client that installs on the workstations and adds complete management of the user's phone right from the computer screen without having to navigate any cryptic menus. Calls to the users phone show a pop-up with the inbound caller's name, caller-id, or both.
Retrieving voice mail can really be a pain. Leave it to the Response Point system to make it a breeze. The users can choose to forward all call to an outside line like a cell phone. Better yet, if you don't want to ring up all the extra minutes you can have all your voice mails bound to an email and sent to you in an audio file. It is not a 40,000 unified messaging system but this really does fit the bill for those with five to seventy-five users. No guessing on when a message came in or who it was from. All that is included right in the email. Listen to the messages from a computer, smartphone, blackberry, or anything else that can receive an email.
I saw this system back in September of '07 at the SMB Nation Event in Seattle at the Microsoft campus. It was impressive then and now that I have a demo and one installed it is truly an incredible value for the power. I wish it had T1 & PRI gateways as well as a VoIP gateway to interface with VoIP providers worldwide. I hear that is coming though. That would nearly eliminate the need for copper dial-tone altogether. No dates yet on these features but stay tuned. Right now D-Link is selling the systems faster than they can make them. On average the wait time has been thirty days or even longer. Several shipments have made it to the states from over-seas assembly facilities and all those shipments have been bundled into 5 and 10 user skews. Individual phones and gateways are just now becoming available for larger deployments and I am already taking orders for installs with more than ten phones.
Microsoft has a great online demonstration of the system. Follow the link and take a look for yourself. It looks to be a blockbuster solution.
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