Delivering Upward Mobility

VoIP

Pandora Networks’ Worksmart VoIP systems are designed for and marketed to small businesses through the channel, and resellers say that the product is a good fit for their portfolios.

Pandora, Emeryville, Calif., has been offering VoIP solutions since 2001 and offers the Worksmart On-Demand IP Communications products at three levels.

Worksmart Pro sells for $19.95 per seat per month. The virtual PBX service includes an IP phone, a desktop client, smart call routing, instant messaging and flat-rate calling. The next level, Worksmart Office, adds desktop video and collaboration tools for $29.95 per user per month. For $39.95 per user per month, Pandora offers Worksmart Enterprise, which adds ADC recording and management products as well as a Web contact center.

Pandora sells via three reseller programs: standard, co-branded and private label. The latter allows certain VARs and systems integrators to market the product under their own brand.

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Seventhman, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based Web development company, has signed on as a Worksmart distribution partner as it transitions its business to focus more on marketing and business solutions. The solution provider’s plans include products such as VoIP services to help it diversify its offerings to decrease its sensitivity to market fluctuations.

Will Lombard, vice president of marketing and sales at Seventhman, said the product should be a good fit for the solution provider’s small-business customers.

“We’ve re-tooled the company to be a marketing and business solutions company so that as small and medium-[size] businesses are emerging into the market, we can give them an e-business development [strategy] so that they’ll have corporate image and presence of brand development for their business,” Lombard said.

VoIP helps project that image.

“When people see your company for the first time, that first impression is made. When they call you, there’s a first impression that’s made through your phone systems,” Lombard said.

He added that small-business customers will be interested in Pandora’s Worksmart product for three reasons: affordability, flexibility and scalability.

“When you look at the competitive landscape of traditional land lines that go into the business and you’re looking at comparing that to a VoIP solution, it’s a very competitive price,” he said. “It’s a scalable solution, so as the company grows, from our business model, it makes perfect sense. Literally, all we have to do is order another phone.”

Quadratel, a network solution provider, has decided to add Worksmart to its product line as it moves into the VoIP market.

“One reason why we entered right now in the market is because of the capability to offer Pandora Networks’ services,” said Robert Mena, manager at Los Angeles-based Quadratel. “We tried different vendors, [but] the options that they have are very basic, like voice over IP and voice mail.”

“The different options that you have available make the service different for my customers. Instead of installing a PBX system that will cost thousands of dollars, we can set up a service for a monthly fee that’s lower compared [with] the expense of installing PBX equipment,” Mena said.

Small-business customer Manifest Partners Realty purchased Pandora’s Worksmart product from New York-based MSP Intercom Online.

“I wanted a communications package that would enable me to have multiple offices, multiple agents, and to be able to track incoming and outgoing phone calls. My office is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. It’s important for me to guarantee that if you don’t want to get voice mail, you won’t get voice mail,” said founding partner Oriya Pollak.

At the real estate agency, each agent is given their own direct phone number, and when calls come in, the agent can set the system to direct the call to a desk phone, cell phone or to the customer-care staff. Customer care also can direct incoming calls. “There was nobody out there who could deliver for me what Worksmart gives me,” Pollak said. “At any point, [Customer Care] can look to see where an agent is right now. If a customer needs to speak to an agent, they [Customer Care] can forward [the call] to an agent with the knowledge that he’s there.”