Telecommunications Solutions

There can be advantages in going for so-called best-of-breed suppliers. In mobile telecommunications for instance, Vodafone offers a service called Mobile Officer whereby employees within the same organisation can call each other free of charge for a set monthly fee. The company also offers a product called Business Cap, whereby numerous callers within a business can share the same cap plan, providing better cost control across the organisation.

Vodafone’s head of group business customer marketing, Dan Johnson, says the packages are a response to other carriers complicating matters with peak and off-peak pricing, or offering different rates for calling to different networks. And so, what looks like the best price may not be the best deal.

“If they’re just looking for the best price in the market, they could be cutting themselves short,” Johnson says.

There is help at hand, however, with a range of consultants who can provide advice about the various options to find one to match needs. Jenney says much of the work done by Commander starts with a discussion of needs. “If they want to go down the DIY route and piece it together themselves, that’s great,” he says. “But it may be best for them to call a provider and get a consultant to come in, sit down with them and work all that out and deliver one simple solution.”

What’s In The Box

Mid-range: NEC IPKII PABX

Able to operate as a standard telephony system or in hybrid mode, the NEC IPKII PABX solution provides benefits of scalability to businesses with strong growth potential, with a large range of handsets to choose from.

Higher-end: Panasonic KX-TDE Pure IP-PBX System

With full connectivity for desktop computers and networks, the KX-TDE can integrate with a range of business applications to form a complete communications backbone. The system supports ‘hot-desking’, allowing staff to route calls to the nearest handset, regardless of where they are, with built-in call centre and messaging functions.

Mobile: LG Prada phone

While the Apple iPhone won’t be available on Australian networks until at least next year, the fashion conscious can take some comfort in the Prada phone by LG, a sleek silver device that sports a full touchscreen interface, designed by the famous European fashion house.

Accessories: Polaris Soundshield

Acoustic shock is a little known phenomenon affecting wearers of telephone headsets that can lead to permanent hearing damage. The Australian-designed Soundshield device from Polaris can detect and eliminate unexpected high-pitched tones (the acoustic shrieks that lead to hearing damage) in under 32 milliseconds, protecting headset wearers.