Hi, I am presently putting the finishing touches on a business that will require me to resell a few SIP phones to my customers to take advantage of my service. I can't say the volume will be extremely high, but I need someone that sells SIP phones and can give me some sort of a reseller's discount.
1) Not having any (and I do mean any) experience with hardphones, what are the community's recommandations for a good BUSINESS phone? (I am NOT targeting residential users at all). Something slick, but not TOO expensive. 2) Is there anybody reading that would want to build a reseller relationship with me. I am located in Montreal, Canada. I originally wanted to simply refer my customers to a VoIP shop to get their phone, but I realize now that in Canada (and especially french speaking Canada) there isn't anybody I'd date recommend (at least I haven't found any). Everybody sells in $US or look like mom and pop shops.... Mike > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2006 8:19 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: asterisk-biz Digest, Vol 18, Issue 94 > > Send asterisk-biz mailing list submissions to > [email protected] > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-biz > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > You can reach the person managing the list at > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more > specific than "Re: Contents of asterisk-biz digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: URGENTLY NEEDED! 214 Dallas TX DID (trixter aka > Bret McDanel) > 2. RE: I need your skiils, but I can't hire you (Steve Totaro) > 3. RE: I need your skiils, but I can't hire you (Steve Totaro) > 4. Re: I need your skiils, but I can't hire you (Lee Howard) > 5. [Announce] Mark Spencer interview (Ronald Lewis) > 6. RE: I need your skiils, but I can't hire you > ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) > 7. Re: URGENTLY NEEDED! 214 Dallas TX DID (Mark) > 8. RE: I need your skiils, but I can't hire you (Trevor G. > Hammonds) > 9. Re: I need your skiils, but I can't hire you (Jean-Michel Hiver) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 13:16:23 -0800 > From: trixter aka Bret McDanel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [asterisk-biz] URGENTLY NEEDED! 214 Dallas TX DID > To: Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion > <[email protected]> > Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-15" > > On Sun, 2006-01-22 at 00:53 +0400, Jean-Michel Hiver wrote: > > Mark a icrit : > > > > > I urgently need one Dallas TX 214 DID, I dont want to have to buy > > > from the DIsappearing DID eXchange company > > > > What's the big deal with DIDx? A lot of people seem to have > troubles > > with this service, although the service in itself seems > like a good idea... > > I dont know, it has worked for me without disappearing. That > is where the sacramento asterisk users group got their did. > There are people that appear t ohave had some problems a long > time ago, some have even been identified as people that never > logged into their accounts. The billing system appears to > have had some bugs, however that doesnt mean that it > disappears that is another issue, one I might add that > someone else has reported with vonage, I personally have had > with broadvoice, and a friend has reported with a colo place. > So its not totally uncommon that there are billing errors. > > > -- > Trixter http://www.0xdecafbad.com Bret McDanel > UK +44 870 340 4605 Germany +49 801 777 555 3402 > US +1 360 207 0479 or +1 516 687 5200 > FreeWorldDialup: 635378 > http://www.sacaug.org/ Sacramento Asterisk Users Group > -------------- next part -------------- > A non-text attachment was scrubbed... > Name: not available > Type: application/pgp-signature > Size: 189 bytes > Desc: This is a digitally signed message part Url : > http://lists.digium.com/pipermail/asterisk-biz/attachments/200 > 60121/de9152ac/attachment-0001.pgp > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 16:31:32 -0500 > From: "Steve Totaro" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: RE: [asterisk-biz] I need your skiils, but I can't hire you > To: "Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion" > <[email protected]> > Message-ID: > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > > I like the phone support idea but I think that Digium is on > the right > > path. If you don't draw the line somewhere you end up either not > fixing > > the fault which leads to unhappy customers and therefore a bad > mouthing > > experience or worst still getting dragged down in a fault > that frankly > > is not worth fixing for the price. > > > > The problem with this is that Digium has canned the idea of > "We don't support this configuration". Any problem can be > fixed. At an hourly or fraction of hourly rate, anything is > worth fixing from our perspective since the price adjusts > with the time spent. It is up to the customer if it is worth > spending the money for the fix, not us. The customer will > know this upfront before the support even starts. > > > As for "branded" support; you'll have the same problem. How > would the > > tech answering the phone know anything about the install > he's fixing? > It > > would take him quite a considerable time to get up to speed > before he > > could reasonably start working on the fault. > > With the proper systems and database sharing, this is not a problem. > Obviously, NDA and non-competes will need to be in place and > the data will have to accurate but this could easily be a non-issue. > > > > > If you agree on a standard set of configs that you'll support and > offer > > a 2 teired support system, you could fix the easy things like messed > up > > passwords or mis-spelled statements and then bump the non > conforming > > ones back to the customer (not the user). > > > > You could then offer "consultant" support exclusively for those that > can > > demonstrate they are purveyors of Asterisk systems. You > shouldn't have > > to do so much hand holding here as you'd require a minimum level of > > expertise. You'd be acting as more of a mentor rather than a support > team. > > I think the mailing list acts very well as a mentor since the > consultant knows how to ask the right in posts to the user's list. > > > > > A final avenue could be training. Offering various levels > of Asterisk > > training could be a way of ensuring that you have capable customers > and > > confident end users as well as being a low level money earner. > > Training is another awesome idea. > > > > > Mark, G7LTT/KC2ENI > > Randolph, NJ > > http://www.g7ltt.com > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 16:40:55 -0500 > From: "Steve Totaro" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: RE: [asterisk-biz] I need your skiils, but I can't hire you > To: "Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion" > <[email protected]> > Message-ID: > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > > > > Need great phone support for your customer? Just bundle Asterisk > Business > > Edition in to your solution. > > > > Two things happen when you do this. > > > > (1) You help support Asterisk and Digium > > > > (2) You guarantee great support for your client. > > > > Just my 2 pennies > > > > Michael White > > .e4 > > True enough but how many small Asterisk interconnect > businesses are there that purchase ABE for their customer > installations? Very few I bet. > > What happens when they need to add some addition phones to the system? > Will Digium help? Possibly with the configs in Asterisk but > I doubt they will tell you how to provision the phones > (Polycom or Cisco for instance). > > What about if you have some Sangoma boards? Doubt you will > get much support there even if you are using ABE. > > Channel banks, phones, Sangoma, GUIs, the list goes on. > Digium support is great but limited. > > Thanks, > Steve > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 13:57:11 -0800 > From: Lee Howard <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [asterisk-biz] I need your skiils, but I can't hire you > To: Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion > <[email protected]> > Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Michael S. White wrote: > > >Need great phone support for your customer? Just bundle Asterisk > >Business Edition in to your solution. > > > >Two things happen when you do this. > > > >(1) You help support Asterisk and Digium > > > >(2) You guarantee great support for your client. > > > > The second item there may be well and true; I can't say for > myself as I've never chosen to turn to Digium for support. > > However, I contend that, in the case of the first item, you > should reconsider the wording there. If you bundle ABE into > your solution you certainly help support Digium. And for > many people in this community that, in and of itself, is "a > good thing to do" (tm). But as far as bundling ABE into your > solution helping the Asterisk community itself (which I > assume is what's meant by saying "help support Asterisk"), > I'd say that this is also true, to an extent, but not nearly > as much as it helps support Digium. > > Asterisk is bigger than Digium. If you want to support the > Asterisk community it can be done perhaps just as effectively > in countless ways besides or in addition to bundling ABE. > Yes, purchasing a Sangoma card helps the Asterisk community. > Contributing code helps. Participating in these mailing > lists helps. Hiring an Asterisk consultant, even outside of > Digium, helps. Merely using Asterisk helps. Reporting bugs > helps. In fact, I would even contend that the activity going > on in competing or collaborative forks helps. The list goes > on and on. Now, some of these "other" methods may not help > Digium at all, but you can still help Asterisk without helping Digium. > > So, I'm okay with the idea that getting ABE helps Digium and > even the Asterisk community to a lesser extent. But what I > disagree with is the concept that the only way to help the > community is through filling Digium's pockets. > > Lee. > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 5 > Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 15:36:43 -0700 > From: Ronald Lewis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: [asterisk-biz] [Announce] Mark Spencer interview > To: [email protected], [email protected] > Message-ID: > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > Greetings! > > On January 19, 2006, I featured VoIP and open source > telephony pioneer, Mark Spencer, on my podcast, Technology & > Coffee. To listen to this interview, visit > http://www.ronaldlewis.com/coffee. > > Also, Tom Keating, CTO and VP at TMC Labs, has blogged about > it as well. > > http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/asterisk/mark-spencer- > podcast-interview.asp > http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/voip/gabcast-audio-blo > gger-service.asp > > Regards, > > Ronald Lewis > Denver, Colorado > www.riverscapecorp.com > www.ronaldlewis.com > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > http://lists.digium.com/pipermail/asterisk-biz/attachments/200 > 60121/444145a4/attachment-0001.htm > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 6 > Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 15:23:36 -0800 (PST) > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: RE: [asterisk-biz] I need your skiils, but I can't hire you > To: Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion > <[email protected]> > Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed > > On Sat, 21 Jan 2006, Steve Totaro wrote: > > What happens when they need to add some addition phones to > the system? > > Will Digium help? Possibly with the configs in Asterisk > but I doubt > > they will tell you how to provision the phones (Polycom or > Cisco for > > instance). > > Why? That's polycom and cisco's responsibility. Seriously. > > > What about if you have some Sangoma boards? Doubt you will > get much > > support there even if you are using ABE. > > That's sangoma's responsibility. And from what I hear sangoma > support for asterisk is excellent. > > > Channel banks, phones, Sangoma, GUIs, the list goes on. Digium > > support is great but limited. > > And largely irrelevant in those cases? > > -Dan > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 7 > Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 18:19:32 -0600 > From: Mark <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [asterisk-biz] URGENTLY NEEDED! 214 Dallas TX DID > To: Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion > <[email protected]> > Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Fundamental problem with DIDx is > > Sellers are independent. If seller drops out of DIDx , all > buyers who have purchased that seller4s DIDs will lose them. > DIDx has been aware of that problem for at least three months > they refuse to build in any systems that protect the buyer. > Their solution is to port the DID, however if you have the > ability to port the DID, then why purchase from DIDx in the > first place? Also international DIDs are not portable > > > Jean-Michel Hiver wrote: > > > Mark a icrit : > > > >> I urgently need one Dallas TX 214 DID, I dont want to have to buy > >> from the DIsappearing DID eXchange company > > > > > > What's the big deal with DIDx? A lot of people seem to have > troubles > > with this service, although the service in itself seems like a good > > idea... > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > --Bandwidth and Colocation provided by Easynews.com -- > > > > asterisk-biz mailing list > > To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit: > > http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-biz > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 8 > Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 17:04:57 -0800 > From: "Trevor G. Hammonds" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: RE: [asterisk-biz] I need your skiils, but I can't hire you > To: "'Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion'" > <[email protected]> > Message-ID: > > <!&!AAAAAAAAAAAuAAAAAAAAAJxESAJ7GKdJgMzQhTHL/IUBAOPm9G9QwE9Ogq [EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] <> wrote on Saturday, 21 > January 2006 3:24 PM: > > > On Sat, 21 Jan 2006, Steve Totaro wrote: > >> What happens when they need to add some addition phones to the > >> system? Will Digium help? Possibly with the configs in > Asterisk but > >> I doubt they will tell you how to provision the phones (Polycom or > >> Cisco for instance). > > > > Why? That's polycom and cisco's responsibility. Seriously. > > > >> What about if you have some Sangoma boards? Doubt you > will get much > >> support there even if you are using ABE. > > > > That's sangoma's responsibility. And from what I hear > sangoma support > > for asterisk is excellent. > > > >> Channel banks, phones, Sangoma, GUIs, the list goes on. Digium > >> support is great but limited. > > > > And largely irrelevant in those cases? > > > > -Dan > > I think you miss the point. They are trying to establish a > "one stop shop" > for the client to call. If the client had to call Digium, > Sangoma, Polycom, and their channel bank manufacturer for > support, why would they need support from a service provider? > If they had the skill level, they probably would not NEED a > separate service provider. > > -- Trevor Hammonds > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 9 > Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 05:18:57 +0400 > From: Jean-Michel Hiver <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [asterisk-biz] I need your skiils, but I can't hire you > To: Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion > <[email protected]> > Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > > >I think you miss the point. They are trying to establish a > "one stop shop" > >for the client to call. If the client had to call Digium, Sangoma, > >Polycom, and their channel bank manufacturer for support, why would > >they need support from a service provider? If they had the skill > >level, they probably would not NEED a separate service provider. > > > > > Then this is what needs to be done: > > 1 - Make a list of skills you wish to support > > 2 - Make a list of contractors for each skill > > 3 - Define a reasonable per hour support rate > > 4 - Build an asterisk system which prompts for the client > PIN, then gives the client an IVR to choose from for each skill > > 5 - Once the client has chosen the skill, dial all related > contractors' > phones simultaneously (they MUST disable voicemail) > > 6 - After the contractor has hanged his phone, have a > callback script call the client back to prompt for quality > feedback from time to time. > You might want to record the calls as well > > 7 - Use Asterisk's CDRs to > a) Bill the client > b) Pay the contractor > c) Pocket a profit > > Cheers, > Jean-Michel. > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > _______________________________________________ > --Bandwidth and Colocation provided by Easynews.com -- > > asterisk-biz mailing list > To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit: > http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-biz > > > End of asterisk-biz Digest, Vol 18, Issue 94 > ******************************************** > _______________________________________________ --Bandwidth and Colocation provided by Easynews.com -- asterisk-biz mailing list To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit: http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-biz
