Pirates_Ghost

SIMPLE? Depends on your definition of the word...

You can check around on this site, especially on the Home page for various articles, opinions and white papers on the different systems available to you.

I'm Nortel biased, and from what you described, I would suggest a small scale 11c (one cabinet should do ya for now) and go with that t1 the phone co. want's to sell you. It would offer up a lot of features the Merlin has as well as being able to be expanded. Another Nortel option would be a Norstar, which is similar to the Merlin you're currently using (at least that's been my experience).
Both you should be able to find a good vendor for on the web, or even Ebay! (I know of a guy in the Dallas area that's selling a system and will even install it for you)
Good luck....
Anyone else have a suggestion?

PG

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leskatspr

Thanks.

We are so confused. I have hated this system but I think it's more the vendor than the equipment. We had a serious falling out early on and I was left without support throughout the lease. Has been a nightmare.

The last phones we had that we liked were a TIE system (?). They worked, ever since then we have been confused (10+ years).

k

test-ok

First off...How many lines do you have in the 2 groups?
How many phones are you needing, are there any special features your requiring or wanting? (voicemail, auto attendant, call record,caller ID, speaker phones, speaker display phones, etc.)

leskatspr

we have 9 lines in 1 group, 2 in another We have two groups because we forward the main line to the ans. service at night and the main line of the second group to the boss' house. Had to have two groups or the forwards conflicted (a centrex thing apparently). we have fax lines, data lines (we use the data lines for alpa/num paging) private lines.

I like to see the phone ringing, how many lines are active, etc. to keep an eye on my staff and make sure they are getting the phones answered timely. Do not want automated attendant. OUr clients like to speak to humans right away.

Whoever is not on the phone answers the phone so no one "receptionist" location from which calls are directed. Also we move around office alot seeking misc. info. I might answer in my office, put on hold, go to file room, retrieve necessary info and pick up line back there to give answer. We all do this. During cold/flu season we lysol phones alot because we share them alot. I keep hearing about "parking" and am concerned this may be a problem but don't really understand it.

k

Icy

I would say you need a key system like Panasonic, Iwatsu, Nitsuko, etc.
Your need is based on picking up lines from many places, putting them on hold and picking them up at another place or have someone else pick it up. There you don´t need park. It´s easy to monitor other sets you just add on a DSS on your set. This is my suggestion.

Ramjet

My 2-cents worth!! I would go with a Norstar. You will get the most longevity with this system. The new T7316E sets will give you enough keys to have line apperances on all the sets. You can add key indicator modules to the 7316 sets with 24 keys to each module, up to a maximum of 9 modules per station. The new Call Pilot voice mail will not only give you good service, but if you use the desktop messaging, you can foward voice mail from your e-mail client to anywhere via a WAV. file. Another feature likable by attourneys, is the call record feature. You will by far get better service from the Norstar than any other system on the market. Am I biased, Yes, but I have also been in this business for 30 some odd years, and when something works, I tend to stick with it. Just go to www.nortelnetworks.com/norstar and look up a channel partner in your area.

Oh, as for the T-1 line. You can use this and still have line apperances on your sets. It will give you alot less headaches than regular copper (or analog lines). Also, ditch the centrex, you have no need of this service!!!

Anonymous

There are many good phone systems out on the market which can do just about anything until you start to get involved with T1's or PRI's. You want a phone system that will grow as your business grows and can offer such enhancements as voicemail,e-mail and even VOIP phones. I worked a lot with the Comdial product. Check them out at Also keep in mind that the bigger dealers of a specific product can give customers better deals on equipment. A 24 month warranty on all parts is always a plus. If you need more details, just shoot me and e-mail.

GOOD LUCK!

Anonymous

There are many good phone systems out on the market which can do just about anything until you start to get involved with T1's or PRI's. You want a phone system that will grow as your business grows and can offer such enhancements as voicemail,e-mail and even VOIP phones. I worked a lot with the Comdial product. Check them out at Also keep in mind that the bigger dealers of a specific product can give customers better deals on equipment. A 24 month warranty on all parts is always a plus. If you need more details, just shoot me and e-mail.

GOOD LUCK!

Anonymous

OOPPSS!! My URL did not come up.

www.comdial.com[/url]