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A BroadSoft Expert Weighs in on Phonism

Image of William Holderby
William Holderby

Do you spend hours pulling phones out of boxes to get them “ready to roll?” Then have tons of pressure to get them out the door? 

Perhaps you’re forced to use a variety of vendor-specific provisioning tools? 

Are you bogged down with mind-numbing tasks, sloppy configurations and messy (and embarrassing) cleanups?

Seeing increased business and strain on your operation, but you can’t increase headcount?

Are you a Sales Manager with a huge backlog of deployments, upset customers, and pressure from above to deliver? 

Have you upset sales teams because they endlessly wait on commissions? Or, had a new (BIG!) customer cancel due to lead time and delays?

If you're like me, you’re always searching for proven ways to save valuable time and money. The current economy demands it, especially in the ultra-competitive telecom market. Service Providers who continue to waste resources and time on repeatable provisioning tasks, waiting on truck rolls or hunting for an XML expert to make changes to device configurations will not survive the next wave of competition. (Is it just me, or are most XML experts always busy, out sick or in Bermuda when you need them the most?)

Still provisioning CPE devices manually? 

Something as simple as automated device provisioning is critical for scalable success, yet it’s often overlooked. Many times the mentality, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” is at play. The problem is-It is broken. You are just, unfortunately, used to dealing with a broken system and are numb to the pain. 

There are so many steps involved: Staging, Provisioning, Installing, Onboarding and Supporting. It’s hard to see the big picture when you are buried in the process.

There are a few VoIP device provisioning solutions on the market, but they are not all created equal. Some are clunky, slow, and unreliable. Some require proprietary hardware/software, limiting choices and flexibility. Some only work with their own devices. It’s like a slow death by a thousand paper cuts and an endless game of swivel-chair (not the fun kind). 

What about BroadWorks?

BroadWorks has basic, bare-bones device management functionalities that are fairly vendor-agnostic. It also offers headaches in the form of complex XML files, firmware bundles, BroadWorks tags, lack of visual device manager and the inability to firmly control configurations for security compliance. 

As an added bonus, you are forced to wait for BroadSoft/Cisco to release new CPE kits (device profiles) for various phones on the market. This waiting time can take months or more. 

Needless to say, it takes a special person with a PhD in BroadWorks to manage and deal with all the complexities that come with BroadWorks DMS. Those who have lived in the BroadWorks ecosystem for a while have been through a lot and have seen it all.

There must be a better way

Like I’ve said, I’ve been in this industry a while. I’ve felt the pain of customers and colleagues who have to deal with the complexities of phone provisioning and device management. And, I now know there is a better way. When I meet with a BroadWorks-powered Service Provider to talk about Phonism, their eyes light up as I explain how they can easily take control of all devices. Even devices that have been deployed for years

Imagine seamlessly managing hundreds, thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of devices from a single portal. And, giving devices the freedom and flexibility to move to Webex (or something else) in the future. Each device, regardless of model or manufacturer, is at your fingertips with a host of new superpowers. 

No XML coding, no need to touch each phone. No truck rolls for normal service delivery or support calls. No more remote site visits for simple tasks.

With the Phonism platform, it’s possible to control every device in your portfolio and remotely manage them securely and effectively. No need to build a connector between Phonism and BroadWorks, we already have one!

Phonism is a cloud-based platform that lets you provision and manage any supported VoIP device from any vendor, using any service provider. Phonism supports over 260 models of phones and devices from leading brands like Cisco, Polycom, Yealink, SNOM, Grandstream, and more. Phonism also integrates with popular VoIP service providers like RingCentral, Vonage, 8x8, and others. We are AWS based and can deploy anywhere - even in a Virtual Private Cloud model for you as required! That’s a dedicated instance!

With Phonism, you can:

  • Accelerate months of revenue from EACH customer
  • Create and stack custom Compliance Templates for different device models and user profiles to shield devices from cybersecurity threats
  • Centralize Zero-Touch Provisioning for hundreds of phone models-all in one place
  • Push firmware updates and configuration changes to devices in bulk or individually
  • Monitor SIP and network connectivity in real-time, in a single view
  • Perform remote reboots and reset to factory defaults 
  • Manage backup and restore device settings
  • Be amazed with our AutoMagic functionality
  • Embed iDLM, RESTAPI and webhooks with one (ridiculously simple) single API call 

Phonism is easy to use, secure, and scalable. You can start small and pay as you grow based on the number of devices you manage. Phonism also offers a white-label option for resellers and service providers who want their own branded VoIP device provisioning solution for their supply chain and customers.

If you’ve read this far, I must be speaking your language. So, what are you waiting for? 

Save time and money, improve customer satisfaction, streamline your VoIP device provisioning process. Visit Phonism today and see for yourself why Phonism is the ultimate VoIP device provisioning solution.

 

 


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