PURCHASING A PRE-OWNED TELEPHONE SYSTEM
Part 2 of 2

Purchasing a pre-owned voicemail system?  There are several special considerations you may want to take into account.

The most popular peripheral for telephone systems over the last decade has been the voicemail system.  Recent improvements in technology have made voicemail an option for many companies that previously would not even contemplate such a purchase, as earlier models had some distinct deficiencies.  Here are several issues to consider into when evaluating the purchase of a pre-owned voicemail system.

1. Many systems from the 1990's were known as "voicemail jail".  These systems made it very difficult (or impossible) to get out of the system to either reach a live person or leave a message.  This was often due to a problem known as "touchtone recognition".  Newer systems have modifications that address this problem, but it cannot be corrected in many older systems.
2. Most key telephone systems manufactured before the mid 1990's had little or no interface for voicemail.  Many companies attempted to address this shortcoming by various methods, but the results were almost always cumbersome to both the users and callers.  Newer systems have almost universally addressed this problem, but this is something to certainly avoid in the used system market.
3. Most voicemail systems offer an automated attendant option, where the voicemail system answers the call and directs the caller.  If you are planning on using automated attendant, it would be best for your company to consider (if you do not already have) a "digital" telephone system.  Clearer transmission and better voicemail integration offered by digital telephone systems provide much better performance of automated attendants than analog telephone systems.  Even better integration is found with "in the skin" systems (voicemail units that are made as a modular add-on inside the telephone system), but these units are usually only found in newer systems and can be more expensive.  However, their enhanced features and better performance are often worth the extra investment.
4. When considering a pre-owned voicemail, remember that most voicemails are simply modified computers.  As such, they are subject to expensive hard drive failure, especially in older units or units that have had heavy traffic.  Make certain any warranty covers such failures.
5. Lastly, do not be misled by opportunities to buy voicemail systems for pennies on the dollar of their original cost.  Similar to computers, early voicemail models costing tens of thousands of dollars have been replaced by improved systems at much lower prices.  As a result, deeply discounted bargains on older models are usually no bargain at all.

Our desire is that this two-part series is beneficial in your search for pre-owned telecommunications equipment.  Hopefully, these ideas and insights lead you to the systems that will meet your company's needs and budget and away from potential problems (see also part 1. Purchasing a Pre-Owned Telephone System).

Purchasing a pre-owned Voicemail can be a real bargain… or a very costly headache!
Know what questions to ask, and choose your vendor carefully!