If you’re looking to update your business phone, Avaya IP Office may be on your list of potential providers. In this article, we look at what Avaya does and does not do, which businesses suit using Avaya and whether Avaya IP office is the right option for your own business.

What is Avaya IP Office?

Avaya IP Office is an on-premise and cloud-based communications solution that’s built for small and medium-sized businesses. It comes with several features that are now synonymous with top VoIP apps.

The phone system easily integrates with popular smart devices. You can use it to connect with your customers, business partners and employees any time, any place and on any device. It supports up to 3000 extensions and 150 locations.

It also integrates with other Avaya apps and third-party contact management software. Avaya IP Office offers flexibility in terms of functionality. Users can choose a system based on mobile convergence, call centre management features, and unified communications.

Avaya IP Office: Pricing

Avaya IP Office comes with four plans with higher-priced plans offering premium features:

Essentials - $19.99 per user per month
Standard - $27.99 per user per month
Premium - $34.99 per user per month
Ultimate - $49.99 per user per month

What features does Avaya IP Office offer?

Avaya IP Office comes with a set of features that would benefit medium or large enterprises with more than 20 agents who have to handle hundreds of calls. Some of these features include auto dialling, auto attendant, voicemail-to-email, conferencing and call forwarding.

Collaboration. Where Avaya IP Office differentiates itself is in its collaboration capabilities. With multi-party video, audio and data collaboration across devices, large teams from multiple offices can effortlessly communicate with each other.

Contact centre. If you have a large volume of customer calls, Avaya’s Contact Centre solutions will help you connect callers to the right agent who has the right information. Moreover, they can chat using text, email, call or email.

Integration. A full stack of solutions means easy integration and migration between cloud and on-premise systems. Avaya IP Office users can also choose from more than 170 third-party applications to enhance their system’s capabilities.

Flexibility. Avaya IP Office allows you to easily launch communications for all your employees including office workers, receptionists, mobile workers, teleworkers and customer service agents and their supervisors.

Management. With a drag-and-drop system, users can activate the features they would want not just for the office but also for mobile and teleworkers.

Limitations of Avaya IP Office

The reason business users look for Avaya phone system alternatives is that the system comes with certain limitations. The biggest problem is that it’s too expensive for small businesses and independent creatives.

Secondly, Avaya IP Office may be considered complex. While that might be tolerated in medium and large enterprises, it would prove a challenge for small businesses. The last thing you need is to train your team to use the system.

The third reason is that while the phone does deliver in terms of unified communications, it doesn’t offer anything for marketing.

So, what's the verdict?

3000 connections and 150 locations! Does that sound like your business?

Avaya IP Office makes sense for businesses with hundreds of team members, multiple locations and a large volume of customer calls. It isn’t the right choice for independent businesses looking for an easy-to-use business phone.

Chalkboard: A small business alternative to Avaya

As a small business, you have different needs, concerns and objectives. That’s why you need a business phone built for you. A comparison of the best second phone number apps will show you that Chalkboard was designed specifically to address the problems of small business owners.

Chalkboard offers you all the features you need to manage your communication. Importantly, it makes it easy to handle your calls and texts. You don’t have to worry about managing a cumbersome and complex business phone.

This second line for work is easy to set up and use. Download the app and you can use your new number for work. There are no binding long-term contracts, you can exit anytime you want.

You can easily organise your contacts and use broadcast SMS to send messages to your customers in bulk. You can also interact with them through the enhanced messaging function. With auto-reply, you can send pre-written texts to calls you might miss.

With number sharing, your team can share their numbers. If an individual is busy or travelling, someone else can take the call for them.

Download Chalkboard today. It’s the only phone system your business needs.