New Release Of Lucent Technologies Partner Acs Offers Remote Diagnostics And Advanced Messaging Features To The Small Business Market

Business Wire, Jan 6, 1999

BASKING RIDGE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--January 6, 1999--Lucent Technologies today announced a new version of its award-winning PARTNER(R) Advanced Communications System (ACS) for small business that includes remote administration and diagnostics as a standard feature. This first-of-its-kind move for the small business segment will allow Lucent and its authorized dealers to handle routine moves, adds and changes, system troubleshooting and administrative functions without the need for an on-site service visit. The company also announced new release offers of PARTNER MAIL VS(R) and PARTNER(R) Voice Messaging PC Card that provide advanced call management features such as record-a-call and increased mailbox size and flexibility, and support PARTNER ACS 3.0 features including live call screening.

PARTNER ACS 3.0, PARTNER MAIL VS 5.0 and PARTNER Voice Messaging PC Card 2.0 are available immediately through authorized dealers and distributors or online through Lucent Direct. Customers with existing PARTNER ACS modules can upgrade their systems with a simple software installation.

"Small companies stand to benefit as much or more than large businesses from the efficiencies and sophistication of high-level communications technology," said Angie McGuire, Lucent Technologies vice president, Worldwide Services and General Business. "For PARTNER ACS 3.0, we added remote administration and diagnostics, a service capability that has typically been reserved for big business. Lucent's goal is to design and manufacture products that are easy to install, use and service while providing market-leading communications functions that allow small businesses to communicate with big business savvy."

According to Joe Krieghbaum of Mazur and Krieghbaum, a CPA firm employing eleven associates in Beachwood, N.J., "Before we got PARTNER, we didn't even have voice mail. At first we were hesitant, but now we love it."

Krieghbaum also takes advantage record-a-call, which allows him to record a conversation at the touch of a button, after a built-in announcement from PARTNER has informed both parties that the call is being recorded. Live call screening lets him listen to messages as they come in and choose to take the call immediately or let the message continue. Said Krieghbaum, "With live call screening I can get more work done after hours because I'm able to pick up calls that require immediate attention and leave non-emergencies for the morning. And the record-a-call feature lets me get information accurately from clients without racing for a pencil."

Cascaded out-calling has also been added to the PARTNER Mail VS system, which allows messages to "follow" employees automatically from their office extension to up to five other locations, such as a pager, home phone or cellular phone.

Chuck Johnson, regional sales manager for Johnson and Johnson Realty, a New Jersey-based real estate company with five offices and more than 130 sales associates, found that cascaded out-calling allows agents to respond more quickly and saves administrative time. "The nature of our business means we spend a lot of time out of the office, and it's imperative for us to get messages while we're on the road," commented Johnson. "Before we installed PARTNER, we used to page agents manually and transmit messages verbally, so communicating could be a time-consuming and imprecise task. Now the customer has more direct access to the agent and that's a plus in our time-sensitive business."

For Jody Stewart, office manager at Dermatologic Laser and Surgery Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., something as simple as a lunch hour was difficult to manage. "Before we had voice mail, covering the phones was a constant hassle," said Stewart. "Now we have the ability to inform patients what our hours are, when we will return and how to automatically page us in the event of an emergency. It's made managing the office easier for us and our patients."

Introduced in 1997, the PARTNER ACS enables small, but growing businesses to buy a communications system that can be upgraded and expanded economically. The PARTNER ACS is the first small telecommunications system designed to be upgraded with PCMCIA cards, enabling businesses to upgrade with the simple installation of a new software card. The system can accommodate up to 40 stations and 15 incoming lines, or 19 lines and 8 stations. Features include advanced applications such as Caller ID logging and dialing, line pooling and automatic back-up and restore capabilities. Its control module incorporates connections for three central office lines and eight phones in a single unit. It can be used as a stand-alone system or combined with other PARTNER modules for increased capacity.

PARTNER Voice Messaging PC Card 2.0 offers basic voice mail functions including four mailboxes and up to 40 minutes of total storage. PARTNER MAIL VS 5.0 includes advanced features including up to 48 mailboxes, 100 hours of disk storage, flexible mailbox size and message length and administration back-up and restore.