ESI Telephone Systems in New York, New JerseyESI Systems, Inc. has provided high-performance communications solutions including cloud services since 1987. Simple, end-user focused and fully integrated, ESI has always  backed their products with great technical support and customer service. Over 350,000 enterprises have found the power to choose a customized communications / telephone system that saves money and raises productivity through our ESI resellers.

NetQ Media is one of those telephone systems resellers for the New York New Jersey region. We love the ability to offer a superior product to our law enforcement and military, county, municipal and state government, medical and educational clients here in the northeastern United States. This week, a Q & A session with ESI about their products and services.

Q: What makes ESI stand out from the crowd?

A: It’s our understanding that in today’s business environment, personal communication has to fast, intuitive and efficient. We also believe that there is still a large role to play by one of the more traditional tools in every office- the desktop phone. The critical event in most businesses is handling customer calls with precision and timeliness. The right device, integrated fully into a telephone system or network can offer a huge advantage over companies that use generic phones without all the cutting-edge features we can supply.

Q: So you still believe in the desktop phone?

A: a resounding Yes! We have worked hard to perfect the desktop phone as a communications hub. We’ll talk about mobile phones later, but we believe that our ESI designed devices are both easy to use and interconnected to your company’s communications network on a high level. It’s a unique combination of attention to both the requirements of a networked system and ease-of-use.

Q: What are some of those features?

A: The era of memorizing digital codes is over. Usually you can accomplish a phone-based task with an ESI phone with one or two touches. Recording calls, transferring, parking, conferencing, Do Not Disturb and voicemail are all super-simple. If the user can’t remember a function, there’s a dedicated HELP button that pulls up an online menu, or he or she can dial 611 for ESI tech support.

The features of our ESI 55D business phone, for example give the user access to the office network over IP at speeds of 10/100 over Ethernet; access to our communication servers;  16 programmable keys (expandable to 150); A dedicated voicemail key; Help key; headphone jack; a three line 56 character backlit display and full duplex speakers.

Our cloud-based models also include power over internet and access to a web-based dashboard.

Q: What are the implications of moving communications to the cloud?

A: Most people are becoming accustomed to storing data in the cloud, like photos, documents, movies and the like, but actually moving an essential service like telecommunication sounds like a risk. Actually the internet has gotten robust enough that it can create reliable efficiencies that are becoming increasingly normal. A better question to ask is, “what’s best for my company?” That question is a primary reason we offer hybrid systems that maintain a presence both on and off the cloud.

If you’re locked into a carrier contract, for example, you can still take advantage of SIP trunking that merges your current voice and data networks with an IP solution. Moving all or some of your analog PBX lines to SIP trunks can save you in the short and long term, and offer you some of the state-of-the-art features of an IP system.

Q: What infrastructure changes need to be made?

A: Make sure your bandwidth is up to the extra load. The most powerful, capable internet phones will be a disappointment if your network cabling is unable to make them work to their full potential. This takes a discussion with your network cabling expert to discover if your cabling has what it takes.

Q: What are the main benefits of going with an ESI system?

Cloud communication systems typically cost a lot less than a traditional PBX network. Traditional phones needed to be a lot more sophisticated (and expensive). Now, software on your computers and online resources carry most of the load.

Upgrades and access to the latest features don’t take forever, nor do you need a large staff to make it happen. It’s mostly done by distribution online.

No hardware leases or periodic purchases. And your communications expenses can be amortized in predictable monthly amounts that covers everything.

Adding users is easy too. Capacity is virtually unlimited and  simple.

Q: We’ve heard about BYOD (Bring You Own Device) and the new reality that workers increasingly use their mobile phones for work. Does ESI have solutions for that?

A: That can be a tricky issue. Your company needs to stay competitive by maintaining accessibility without being tied to one location and one desk. On the other hand, you need to protect data while making it fully usable by employees working remotely. You also need to have some view into your employees’ activities and transaction records.

A solution would have to allow people to use their handheld devices for personal and work purposes. For that we have ESI Ditto. It’s a way of routing calls to and from personal mobile devices that for business purposes appears as if they came through the office phone system. Calls to a personal cell phone are made by calling an office number that is routed to the personal cell number, and when you make a call from your cell phone, the number that appears is the callers office extension. Ditto also gives insight into call statistics, can record conversations and gives your team a single contact number.


If you are a business, nonprofit, military or government agency in the New York New Jersey area, and you need some advice on the best telephone system out there, contact us! We’re NetQ Media, from premises cabling, computer networking, DAS or anything related to data and communication.