Technology
means change. Usually, change for the better. Today's
phone systems are smaller, more modular, and more scaleable.
They attach to more sophisticated peripherals, drive better
station sets, and support more features than models of one,
two, three, or more years ago.
For a
lot of companies, this stuff matters. They want to be able
to upgrade their PBX internally to support ACD features on
ten stations. They want to create a transparent, four-digit
dial plan across six small regional offices. They want ISDN
PRI support. They want super-integrated voicemail that prompts
users via station-set LCDs. They want a PC-based attendant
position. They want digital phones that provide analog ports
in the back, for hooking up fax machines and modems. They
like the slick, up-to-date look of this year's telephones.
These are just a few good reasons for buying new telecom equipment.
On the
other hand, a lot of compa-nies aren't sold on all this new
fangled stuff. What they want from a phone system is what
people have always wanted: to dial, answer, transfer, hold,
and conference. They don't anticipate doing a lot of sophisticated,
PC-based call-control. Or maybe they do - but figure that
most of the features they're looking for (e.g. the "universal
inbox," desk-top call-control, etc.) can be supplied by hooking
a unified messaging server to their LAN and integrating it
with any-old-standard-PBX on analog ports.If
this sounds more your speed, i.e., you're looking for reliable,
conven-tional, maintainable core telecom equipment; you don't
mind driving last year's model; and you want to save some
money, you should consider the secondary market.
GOOD
REASONS, DETAILED BANG FOR THE BUCK. Same reason why someone
would want to buy a used car. It works, it takes you from
point A to point B, but doesn't cost you an arm and a leg
(or any other appendage you value) to do so. Refurbished equip-ment
costs 15% to 75% less than new. If you're not made of money
- e.g. you're a start-up company that needs a working phone
system in a hurry - this reason alone should be good enough
to send you to one of the superior secondary dealers in our
listing.
Or suppose
you're an established company whose spending allowance isn't
as tightly reined, but you need an additional phone system
(at a new, smaller branch office), right away. You don't need
bleeding-edge technology, but you need the new office up and
running, yesterday. Well, AVAILABILITY is another reason for
ordering secondary. No weeks of waiting for your new system:
you can get secondary pretty much right away, because dealers
usually keep volumes in stock. They frequently offer to ship
on the day the order comes in, and via overnight delivery,
if necessary.
EXPERTISE
AND SUPPORT. Good secondary dealers know precisely what
they're dealing with. Many of them specialize in certain brands
of equipment; most, if not all of them, actually get inside
the equipment during the refurbishing process. So an elite
secondary dealer can usually act as a single-point-of-contact
for supply and technical support. They'll help you with MAC's,
upgrades, and maintenance. And when it comes time to add that
slick, new unified messaging system, they'll help you graft
it onto that old, reliable PBX.
EVOLUTIONARY
PRESSURE TO PERFORM. Competition is stiff, so those refurbishers
who don't do a good job don't last long in the business. Most
"long-term survivors" do tip-top work. And if something goes
wrong (e.g., a station set shows up DOA), they'll bend over
backwards to cor-rect the problem, instead of bobbing, weaving,
and pointing fingers at the manufacturer. It's worth noting
too, that many secondary firms offer war-ranties as good,
or better, than the equipment's original manufacturer.
By
Betty Yuan, Teleconnect magazine