ShoreTel Sky Software

Pros

I loved that the end user system software worked so well. It was easy to use and allowed end users to manage their phone options (forwarding to VM/other line, softphone, etc.).

Cons

It ended up being too expensive for us to maintain and we had to move to another phone and software provider.

Pros

I like that it integrates with Salesforce and the click to dial functionality is awesome. It allows for easy dialing without the worry of mis-clicking the wrong number. I also like that it ties a call to a contact and case and allows you to easily take notes while you're on the phone.

Cons

The biggest problem with this software is that it's very unreliable. Call notes regularly get lost. Calls won't attach to cases and the notes will get deleted. I also don't like that there is no way to handle extensions.

The benefits are allowing to do my job in the best way possible.

Pros

Its very easy to use, very user friendly. Able to connect multiple lines with this software. Very convenient to make my calls throughout the day.

The newer technology and how up to date the information can be when a new person is working we can switch the name of the lines. And I dont have to memorize extension numbers I just click the name and it dials out.

Pros

The display shows all the lines in your business, very simple to use when transferring a call. I likle how there is a directory that shows a list of numbers for other gyms.

Cons

The only thing i dont like about it is that sometimes when you are on a call another one will enter from the same line.

-easy to make calls to clients

Pros

-easy to type in numbers to make calls (or paste in numbers)
-easy reporting to see how many calls were made
-FWD calls to cell phone is very handy when working remotely

Cons

-calls do not always FWD to cell (could this be a VPN issue? possibly)
-voicemail sometimes plays on computer or calls cell (Inconsistent)

Pros

Connect client works great. Easy to setup, allows you to use a DiD without a hardware phone. Use it to transfer to cell phone.

Cons

Downtime is sometimes excessive. recently had a several hour complete down system, which was a problem during an install.

It's been 5 years since our company switched from an old PBX to VoIP and there were some difficult times during the transition, but overall it was the right decision. So many more features and it really connected our two locations and facilitated better communication.

Pros

Great features and great support options out there. Reliable and even if the internet is down it reverts back to analog lines so there is no interruption of service.

Cons

Obviously dependent on reliable internet. For a while our internet here was up and down constantly and it made our VoIP experience very poor. Hard to maintain in-house so we pay a certified dealer to handle our support.

Advice to Others

Find a reputable provider

The Shore Tel Sky Cloud phone system is fantastic for someone who is a remote worker. I work in NJ while the office is in Houston, and I never miss a call! It's convenient, easy to use and helps me manage my call volume and messages. Their soft phone app is a great tool as well.

Pros

Ease of use, convenience and reliability.

Cons

I always harp about wanting transcribed voicemails, but that may actually be in the works, not sure!

I have deployed ShoreTel Sky to 15 of our branches and setup was simple and smooth the whole way. They assign you are project manager that helps you with everything from configuration to recording auto attendant greetings. There have been some hiccups with call quality but that is usually due to our network and not ShoreTel.

Pros

Easy setup, competitive pricing.

Cons

Call quality issues due network issues,

We switched nearly 3 years ago from a traditional, analog office phone system, and never looked back. It has been a great experience thus far. We did the install our self with 2nd hand Cisco phones. Rehashing the phones was a little involved but nothing we could not handle.

Pros

It's very easy to make changes to the phone system as staff changes. We have a high turn over in our sales dept and we can easily add account and change accounts as needed.

Cons

The monthly cost of shortel sky would be my biggest complaint. There are plenty other voip systems that cost less but I guess at the end of the day, you get what you pay for.

We've been using ShoreTelSky since its inception. They have always focused on providing a quality service and excellent customer service. When problems arise, they are always willing to share what information they have on the problem and are quick to resolve the issues as they arise.

Pros

Excellent customer service, good quality of product.

We are happy with Shoretel Sky. We were previously using a Shoretel on premise phone system and now have moved to their cloud hosted Shoretel Sky.

Pros

With a distributed workforce no longer just working in the office we needed a solution that was easy to deploy. Setting up multiple users to work from home was just as easy as setting up someone who works in the office.

Cons

We struggled a bit with the implementation. Our 3rd party IT group had a difficult time connecting with Shoretel's support reps. We had some firewall issues to work through initially and now that it is worked out things are going smoothly.

Shoretel makes it very easy to connect your remote work force. As far as your clients would know, all of your employees are sitting in the same room together. Calls are easily transferred and you can have multiple lines on the same phone. It is easy for users to manage their own phones and lines.

Pros

Ease of use, multiple lines, customizable.

Cons

Must be plugged directly into your internet.

I've had many experiences with LEC's (dating myself here) and "Cloud Carriers" over the years. We've been with ShoreTel since M5 and I must say, we've grown with them - and it's been good. I do get the feeling that they are being built to grow at a strong pace. Customer Service, feedback and general inquiries are all readily handled. Nearly every call for support is answered quickly and I've always been routed to a local U.S. based support team.

Now growth is not experienced without pain and ShreTel has addressed (and continue to do so) all the necessities that a Unified Business Communication company needs to compete in today's market. True to their words, they have upgraded their systems, are building better switching and fail-over technologies.

Good company to grow with as they shoot for the Sky........(Yes, it's hokey, but it's the ShoreTel Sky)

Pros

U.S. based support answered in a timely fashion
Follow up by techs
Very good product and sales reps
Use of both dedicated and non-dedicated routing (you can use your own ISP if you wish)
Older Java based Phone Assistant works well

Cons

Need better/quicker fail-over when clusters fail
Would like to have broader range of phone/handset vendors

ShoreTel's Communicator App telephone interface resides unobtrusively on the desktop yet gives us full control of our telephones. Transfers, Conference Calls, Voice Mail, Park and Unpark, Page and Intercom, Instant Message and employee telephone status are all a single click away. The learning curve was very natural and intuitive. The feature I like best is being able to either blind or consult transfer, depending on the call and who it is going to or being able to dump a call directly into VM.

After evaluating many different VoIP options, we decided that ShoreTel Sky was the best fit for us. We run over 6 different brands out of our office, and needed an easy way to make and receive calls under each brand's phone number(s). ShoreTel Sky was the clear front runner in this area. Their employees are great to work with.

Though it was very involved, setup covered everything we needed and was pretty easy.

Pros

-Quick Support Response
-Easy Call Flow Editing

Cons

-Most features can be modified online instead of calling in, but some options are still being developed

The company makes it simple to find the tools you need, and their reliability is strong. I've yet to experience an outage that was on ShoreTel's side.

Pros

Great support , very intuitive and easy to use Low bandwidth requirements Reliable quality High quality hardware

Cons

The only negative thing I have to offer is that, as you would expect, if you lose your internet then the service is unavailable.

ShoreTel is great and very user friendly

Pros

easy to navigate

Cons

cant use when internet is down

We started with ShoreTel Sky in the M5 days. Soon after we came onboard as customers, the phone system started transitioning from M5 to ShoreTel Sky. There were a few bumps in the road, as this transition required many updates on ShoreTel Sky's end. During this process we were hesitant about our decision, but the saving grace in all of this was ShoreTel Sky's amazing support team. Having been a Support Manager for a large call center, everything about their support team impressed me. After the transition to a new data center and changes to the customer portal, I am extremely happy we did not switch carriers. ShoreTel Sky, today, offers amazing services at a reasonable price, and through everything their support staff have been better than any I have ever spoken with in my 25 years of talking to vendors. Their support is the foundation of what you get with ShoreTel Sky and their product is amazing on top of that.

Pros

Excellent, excellent, excellent customer support and a fantastic product that keeps evolving.

Cons

At this time, none.

ShoreTel Sky offers a reliable, flexible and cost efficient solution for any size business that needs a quality phone system. The phones are easy to use and easy to setup, even my most "technologically challenged" employees can setup their phone with ease. The support is out of this world and the entire team has been nothing but professional. We wanted to move to a more "virtual" work environment and we could not do that with the crippling limitations of our XO/Talkswitch system. We scoured the options until we discovered ShoreTel Sky. Not only did they deliver everything they promised (and more) they did so in a time crunch and with no complaints. ShoreTel Sky is an integral part of our team now, I know that as a manager I can rely on them to handle support cases without my "approval" or intervention.We live and breathe SalesForce and being able to integrate our phone system into our CRM solution has been absolutely vital to our continued success. My team can track calls, makes notes on accounts and more without ever leaving the screen. Being able to manage their phones, their call routings and voicemails from anywhere in the world is a major asset for an on the go workforce.I am extremely pleased with the product and service I have received so far and I look forward to seeing what they come up with next.

Pros

Excellent support
Outstanding ease of use
Low bandwidth requirements
Reliable quality
High quality hardware

Cons

NA