Thank you Chris- your posts are very helpful. I DO want the option of having onebox or some other option as a system to reduce the receptionist time on the phone. I may paint myself into a corner sometime soon and not even have a receptionist.
So- the 2000 minute allotment for onebox is better than ringcentral's lower allotment. But it may not be large enough. So now, I'm looking at Costco's digital phone system for small businesses... if you go to costco.com and search "smartphone" you will find it. may not be available everywhere.
It appears the digital phone system could replace my current phone package which costs me $200/month for 3 lines and phones I purchase on my own. My current system has one voice mail box- no forwarding etc. The digital system can have an automated attendant added on for $20/month that looks like it can provide informational extensions such as directions, hours and fax numbers/email. Each phone extension has voice mail. And with an executive membership, one gets a free web-based fax line that will import as pdf files (or other file types). Looks like the first year price for 5 very nice phones and two lines of service (VM for each of the 5 extensions, web mail box and an extra VM box) would run about $108/mo- then the second year, the phones are paid off and the two lines run $50/mo. I would add an automated attendant for $20/mo and a directory listing for $2/mo. At that price, I could be redundent and add the onebox system and STILL pay less than I do now for my current phone setup. The second year the price would be even lower. And I would have MUCH more functionality including 1500 minutes of long distance per line. Sounds too good to be true?
I think most of the features Chris really likes would be addressed with this setup- except no checking voicemail from an internet connection.
My only question is how good is digital phone service? It would be dependent on my broadband connection but could be forwarded to a cell or other phone in an emergency. Might be worth keeping just one line of the "traditional" system for that purpose. Does anyone have experience with digital phone service? And last question, isn't onebox simply a digital phone system with add-ons?
Wayne- I am PMing you to ask about your experience with appointment quest.
Carla Gibson
