Avaya IP Office Focuses On End-User Experience

Innovation in the SMB markets continues to be at the forefront with Avaya, whose IP Office product line provides unique solutions to common problems in this market. I recently had the opportunity to spend a few weeks observing the end user perspective of the IP Office platform, which offers a pioneering solution for telecommuters and those working remotely. Utilizing the Avaya 5610 IP phone with VPN client capabilities, and the Avaya PC Softphone, virtually every feature and capability of the IP Office system can be distributed to anywhere in the world. Most importantly, it’s easy to deploy, manage, and use. End user perception is key, especially in the fast-paced and highly-contested SMB market. When first experimenting with the Avaya 5610 phone, I connected the device to my home LAN, and without any end-user configuration, a VPN session was established, and calls were able to be made in less than two minutes. While the initial installation was simple, I still had access to the full range of features and capabilities that the IP Office provides. The Avaya PhoneManager Pro has typical software-phone capabilities, but offers the full portfolio of IP Office features, and a few extras. Ease-of-use is at the forefront of Avaya’s design, and the PhoneManager Pro application boasts a telecommuting option that allows calls to be easily routed to another phone number, such as a cell phone or home phone. Access to telephony features, call handling, and voicemail is easy and intuitive from within the Avaya PhoneManager Pro interface. Managing SMB communications systems can be a complicated and intensive process. With the common knowledge that most SMB customers do not have in-house IT and telecom staffs, the importance surrounding ease-of-use and ease-of-deployment is paramount. The end-user experience surrounding the IP Office product is absolutely stellar, providing intuitive yet powerful interfaces and solutions for telecommuters and in-house users alike. Whether road-warriors and mobile users utilize the Avaya PhoneManager Pro application, or telecommuters decide on the Avaya 5610 with VPN capabilities, I firmly believe that users and business owners alike can expect high-quality results from the IP Office platform. Combined with a full feature set that is easily deployed to the demands of mobile and remote users, the IP Office platform delivers on the promise of a fully-connected and integrated communications system for the SMB market.