What do I look for in a communications system and vendor?

When you are ready to purchase a phone system, keep in mind that the vendor from whom you purchase will provide installation and support of your communications "lifeline" to your customer base for years to come. A great vendor becomes a support partner to the company it supports. It is critical that your buying decision includes consideration of the vendor as well as the product.

Your communication system provides the strongest connection to your customers. You should ask for no less than 100% reliability. Choosing a reliable, quality vendor now can prevent countless headaches later.

What should you consider when choosing a communications system and vendor?

The manufacturer:

• Strength of the company - how many years in telecommunications?
• What is the manufacturer's market share in the industry?
• Dealer network - what is required to be a dealer for that manufacturer (if anything)?

The local vendor:

• Is the vendor an authorized dealer of the product they are selling?
• If so, for how long has the vendor been an authorized dealer?
• How long has the dealer been in business? (This may be relevant to how long the vendor will stay in business to support your system.)
• the vendor support systems that are 5 years old? 10 years old? 15? 20?
• Phone Book (200 entry capacity, backup/restore via USB cable option)
• the vendor keep inventory in an on-site warehouse so that it can support the installed base? What about the in-house stock of peripheral items - voice mail systems, paging speakers, different types of phones, etc.?
• Does the vendor have a relationship with a dial tone provider so that you do not have to coordinate schedules?
• If so, which dial tone provider?

The system design:

• Was the system designed by a knowledgeable salesperson?
• How many years of experience does that person have?
• Can the salesperson explain why he or she is proposing each equipment item?
• Does the salesperson provide ideas or recommendations to help your business?
• Will the sales staff keep you informed of current technology advances and products that may help your business?

The system installation:

• Will the system be installed within your expected time frame?
• What experience does the installation staff have?
• What is included with the system installation?
• What is included with the system installation?
  (Many vendors do "out of the box" systems with no customization.)
• What if you decide to change the system configuration or programming after it has been installed? Will there be an extra charge?

After-install support:

• Does the vendor provide training classes for your employees?
• Does the vendor have an in-house customer service representative?
• If so, how many years experience does that CSR have?
• How long will the vendor provide free programming/training/labels/moves after the system is installed?
• What experience does the service staff have?

Warranty coverage:

• Is the warranty with the vendor or the manufacturer?
• What does the warranty cover, and what does it NOT cover?
• Is there a deductible for warranty service, and if so, how will this affect your recurring operations budget?
• Will you be paying more for the deductible than you would pay for full coverage?

Why should you choose Preferred Telephone Systems?

The manufacturer:

Preferred Telephone Systems, Inc. is an authorized dealer of TOSHIBA telecommunication products. Toshiba was founded in 1875, and the Toshiba Telecommunications System Division (TSD) was founded in 1974. Currently, Toshiba operates one of the largest privately funded R&D organizations in the world. Toshiba's engineering development center, based in California, developed Toshiba's Stratagy family of voice processing systems and Toshiba's computer telephony integration capabilities.

Toshiba's product line of IP business communication systems are highly regarded throughout the industry for their high quality and reliability.

Toshiba has won several industry awards; some recent accolades:

Click here to see more awards Toshiba has received.

Toshiba Market Share

Toshiba TSD markets its products in the United States through a network of authorized dealers. Toshiba's authorized dealers are hand-picked and have to meet high qualifications, including completion of Toshiba training and order quotas. Toshiba is the only large telecom player who does not sell direct, thus not competing with its Authorized Dealer Network. According to the Yankee Group, Toshiba has one of the best dealer channels in the industry.

The local vendor:

Preferred Telephone Systems, Inc. was established in Baton Rouge Louisiana in 1980, and has been an Authorized Dealer of Toshiba since 1982. Because we are an exclusive dealer of Toshiba telecom products, we can provide our customer base with a solid base of experience and expertise. We are also unusual because we are a "Stocking Dealer" (no, we do not sell stockings!), meaning that we maintain inventory replacement stock of every product we sell and have ever sold. Although the average age of a phone system in the industry is 7 years, and the average age of a Toshiba system is 10 years, we are still supporting systems that are 25 years old! This is a testament to our commitment to our installed base, and to our customers' long-term trust.

Not only do we stock Toshiba system parts, but we also stock peripheral parts such as, but not limited to:

• telephones
• voice mail systems
• paging equipment
• handset and base cords, etc.

This is so relevant to our industry; many of our competitors do not have replacement parts on hand! If your voice mail system crashes, you need a replacement system right away, not a week later.

Preferred Telephone Systems, Inc. is also an AT&T Solution Provider. Please click here to find out more about the AT&T products and services we offer.

Our knowledge of the AT&T product line and ability to provide you with the most competitive AT&T pricing, then negotiate installation dates with AT&T, lets us provide the ultimate service offering to our customers. We've saved our customers thousands of dollars by simply reviewing their current bills, then recommending AT&T voice/data products that are more cost effective for their businesses.

Do you want a local, trustworthy vendor to help you review your options? How can we help you save money? Call us today to find out more! (800) 487-8806

The system design:

The sales staff at Preferred Telephone Systems, Inc. is extremely knowledgeable about the Toshiba product line and the telecommunications industry. We send all of our sales force to the Toshiba Dealer Meetings and all have completed Toshiba and AT&T training. What does this mean to you? You will be dealing with the BEST of the best, sales people who can provide system designs with cost-saving applications for YOUR business. When we meet with you, we will ask you questions about how you run your business. Many times, we have suggested options that our customers had not previously considered. We are a resource for you and it is to our benefit to design a communications system that gives a return on your investment.

For recommendations for your business, contact our sales team today: Richard Peak, Sales Manager, Max Fletcher, or Melissa Asevedo.

The system installation:

When the Preferred Telephone Systems, Inc. installation team receives a signed contract, they are ready to accommodate the needs of that customer. First, we schedule an installation time that will fit that customer's schedule. Downtime is scheduled at the times of minimal call traffic, which varies depending on the type of business. We are available to work after-hours or on weekends if that is a better fit for our customer.

Our installation staff is highly experienced. The installation manager, Cliff Tregre, has been with our company since 1984. Our install techs have on-the-job experience ranging from 2 to 15 years. All of our install techs receive the most up to date Toshiba training and work hard to provide streamlined and error-free installations. Our installers provide customized telephone labels with every new system.

Finally, any program changes that our customers decide to make after the system is installed are included with the system cost for the first 90 days. We want our customers to be completely satisfied and, more importantly, our mission is to EXCEED your expectations.

After-install support:

After the installation department completes an install, the reins are handed to our in-house customer service department. A customer service representative will schedule training to suit your needs, whether you would like one-on-one training with the primary answering position, or training classes for all of your employees.

Our current customer service representative is Annette McDavid. She has been with Preferred Telephone since 1999. With years of experience in the business, Annette brings a high level of expertise to all of our jobs. She will work with you to determine how to make the most out of the system features and capabilities for your business.

Beyond the initial post-installation period, you will be in the hands of our phenomenal Service Manager, Randy Ducote. Randy has years of experience in the telecommunications field and leads a service department that is second-to-none. We offer extraordinary service! We provide availability, fast response, and a highly trained technical staff so that we can serve all of our customers' telecommunication needs quickly and effectively.

Warranty coverage:

The Preferred Premium Warranty and Maintenance coverage that we provide with every system is an all-encompassing coverage that includes protection from lightning damage and surges and all repairs needed to keep your system in fantastic working condition.

Included with the agreement are: replacement batteries on Battery Backup Systems, replacement cords as needed, all voice mail changes, additional training as needed, vendor meets with dial tone provider to diagnose service issues, and much, much more! Most importantly, there is NO DEDUCTIBLE for this important coverage. Preferred Telephone Systems is here to partner with you for all of your business needs - we will not nickel and dime you for service/changes after the original install because we know HAPPY customers are GREAT FOR BUSINESS!

Preferred Premium Maintenance

It is in your best interest to have a deep, trusted relationship with your communications vendor. Preferred Telephone Systems has reliable and responsive technical and customer support, understands the converged communications world, and will understand and provide answers to your specific communications needs.

Call us today to find out more about our incredible service offering, and more importantly, to learn how we can save you TIME and MONEY!