atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems Other Telephones & Systems Key System Suggestions

I am retired Bellsouth with limited and general knowledge about key systems. I am considering parnering with a retired co-worker who has more knowledge, but is also inexperienced in this field. We are considering getting training on some basic small business systems, and entering the hopefully lucrative market in the growing metro Nashville area. We are both experienced cablers, and are confident that we can learn installation and programing for basic key systems, but need suggestions and guidance on which brand to begin with. We are considering Atlas, and the reviews that I have read are mixed. Can any experienced installer make some suggestions?

Dale C to the board. This may do better in the General forum but there have been many threads on this already. Use the search feature at the top of the page --- you might be surprised.

Also, to the wonderful world of an Interconnect owner. Grey hair (if you have any left) will soon be upon you !

1. Can you name 5 key systems that are being sold in the Nashville area now?
2. Do you have a supplier---what key systems do they handle?
3. Can you name 5 businesses that YOU do business with in that area---what kind of key systems do they have?? Bank?? Real Estate firm? Etc.

Before picking a system based on...?????....why not just look around. What are the systems that are already popular in your area. If you pick a completely different system--why?? What are the features or factors that make YOU like that system over the ones that some businesses have already chosen. Can you sell YOUR system over the others??

Just some questions you may want to think about. Good luck.

Dale c, You may want to look into a company called ESI in Plano Tx. We have a tight nit group of resellers and the product is tops easy to learn easy to program. Heck the VM is built in and the system is so user friendly. If you have any questions please feel free to give me a call and I will do what ever I can to help you out. & welcome to the board and to the world of inerconnect ownership.

You should find a system that has the right features for the types of business you deal with. What size systems you will need and what type of lines (pot,pri,voip). Product quotas and warranty are also important.

why not go to work for a local interconnect for a while ?

you and your buddy each try to get jobs at different places ,

a couple of years of that and you will see whats out there , what works , what doesn't and if you keep your eyes open you will get insight into what it takes to run a successful interconnect

Consider the local market opportunities based upon what has sold, what is no longer sold/serviced & what the customer base is. The Nashville "market" includes everything from multi-million dollar homes to mom & pop stores to multi-site medical providers to multi-billion dollar factories. Hone a market, get profitable, expand. Don't try to do it all, you can't.

Couple of suggestions: several Avaya Business Partners have stopped aggressively marketing Partners and Magix, fewer still offer IPOffice. The service & repair for those systems is stable and could do with additional vendors. Stay away from systems your techs can't *properly* install and support. Don't sell Samsung (Nortel/Vodavi/Win/Inter-Tel/etc) if your tech can't make one jump through rings of fire! Your credibility is 99% based on your tech's ability to make the customer comfortable.

Bottom line: lucrative is a point of reference. No such thing without hard work, heavy selling and good techs and customer support. How do I know? Been doing telephone service in Nashville for nearly 20 years. Now I do Tier II support for national accounts. Good luck!

Thanks for your advice. The only techs are me and my retired Bellsouth friend. We are trying to start a new business to suppliment our retirement and get us out of the house before our wives kick us out. My background is totally in the installation and repair of outside telephone facilities and inside wiring and jacks. I have also installed special services equipment for a couple of years, and have performed maintenance on the local E-911 system 10 years ago. My partner has the same background, but has experience in turning up SLC systems and fiber Mux systems. He also has been installing satelite dish systems for the state lottery and DirectTV as a sub-contractor. Combined, we have over 63 years experience in the telephone industry, with none in key systems. We can no doubt learn how to program and service basic SOHO systems, but are looking for advice on what would be a good system that we could begin with that would offer good support for a couple of beginners, be easy to learn, a good and reliable system for 3 to 8 lines, and a good value for our customers. Any thoughts or advice from someone who knows will be helpfull. One thing I don't want to do is horn in on someone elses market. I just need some advice on how to break in to the business, what systems to consider, suppliers/distributors, marketing, etc.. Thanks for your help. You can E-mail me at [email protected] if you want to. Thanks again, Dale C

Dale,
At this point the information you are asking for is not for the open forum and just anyone to view. Feel free to choose a moderator, member or installer and PM them directly. Your best bet would probably be 392 who is also in your area.

Members,
please respond by email or PM. Since Dale C does not qualify for the private installer forum, that is your best option.
Mark