Small businesses love the quality and reliability of Cisco hardware.  What they like even better is qualified Cisco support to lean on when something does goes wrong.

However, there was something standing in the way of Cisco customer’s happiness.

Not everyone offers Cisco Small Business Support Services and to make things more difficult, there was no simplified process to add this lifeline to your devices.

Until now.

Cisco Support Case Study

Cisco’s latest small business case study, Small Businesses Gain Big Support, looks at the challenges customer’s faced when upgrading or ordering new Cisco VoIP systems.

Once through the complex process of deciding on a VoIP system, customers wanted a high level of peace of mind which, they can now get in the form of Cisco Small Business Support Services.

The service provides customers “three years of telephone or online chat support, software updates, access to the Cisco Small Business Support Community, next-business-day hardware replacement, and, in some cases, accelerated response times to technical issues.”

Customers will be happy to note that this suite of services can be added quickly, with no hassle.

ClickToAttach

Cisco launced a new functionality called “ClickToAttach”  to ensure that the service ordering process was monumentally streamlined.

VoIP Supply employed ClickToAttach on its website with a simple drop-down menu so that customers could easily purchase services during any part of the ordering process.

Christina Smith, VoIP Supply’s Cisco Product Manager explains:

“Cisco is perceived as a high-end brand. Customers who previously assumed that they couldn’t afford a Cisco Unified Communications system now realize they can have a world-class solution with extended coverage. With Cisco providing customer support, our customers feel confident making larger purchases of Cisco equipment.”

Cisco ClickToAttach Drop-Down Menu

*This Post Was Updated By Jamie Stewart on 10.15.24*

The Polycom VVX 500 is not Bluetooth enabled.  With everything else this multimedia phone is capable of, is that a little surprising?

The HD handset sounds so great though that it’s hard to really want to use a headset.  But, keeping your hands free is necessary too and it’s even better when the headset works properly.

So, here are some 3rd party wireless solutions that are supported by your Polycom VVX 500.

Supported Wireless Headsets

Since you can’t pair a Bluetooth headset directly with the VVX 500 you’ll need to connect an adapter or base station to the phone.  Below are the top wireless headset options for doing that.

Jabra Evolve 65 TE Bluetooth USB-A Binaural Microsoft Teams Stereo Headset

The Jabra Evolve 65 TE Bluetooth USB-A Binaural Microsoft Teams Stereo Headset (6699-833-309) is designed for professionals needing seamless connectivity and excellent audio quality. It features dual connectivity, allowing users to connect to two devices simultaneously via Bluetooth, ensuring flexibility for multitasking between calls. With noise-canceling technology and Microsoft Teams certification, it provides clear communication in noisy environments, making it ideal for both office and remote work.

*To function efficiently you will need the Jabra Link 360 and Jabra EHS Adapter.*

Poly Voyager 5200 UC USB-A Headset w/ BT600 Dongle

With the Poly Voyager 5200 UC USB-A Headset +BT600 Dongle 7K2E1AA you will be ready to take the call, wherever you’re connected. The Poly Voyager 5200 UC USB-A Headset +BT600 Dongle-TAA 7K2E1AA includes the charging case. The Voyager 5200 UC connects via a BT600 USB adapter (USB-A or USB-C options) to your PC/Mac and directly to the mobile phone.

The Voyager 5200 UC headset will connect to the Polycom VVX 500 with the included USB dongle (pictured).

For one more week, until May 3rd, you can take advantage of the eScrap 4 Camp free drop off site at VoIP Supply to unload your old and unused electronics.

VoIP Supply is participating in the Sunnking sponsored event for Camp Good Days.  This recycling drive raises funds to send kids with cancer to summer camp.

All you have to do is drive on over and drop off something that you don’t need anymore.

Camp Good Days

Camp Good Days is a non-profit whose aim is to improve the lives of children and their families who are dealing with cancer.  What started in 1979 from humble beginnings, Camp Good Days is now one of the largest organizations of its kind and its programs now serve as a model for other cancer treatment centers across North America.

eScrap 4 Camp

Sunnking’s very first eScrap 4 Camp drive took place last year.  With the help of 60 Buffalo area businesses, Sunnking recycled  251,021 lbs. of electronics that resulted in a $8,030.63 donation to Camp Good Days used to fund future programs and send kids with cancer to summer camp.

We’re all hoping to top that number this year.

With Sunnking provided collection materials at VoIP Supply, recycling for this great cause is easy:

• Accepting electronics from employees, friends, relatives, businesses or anyone else in the Buffalo area.
• All hard drives will be securely destroyed.
• At the end of the event, the company/organization with the highest weight of electronics collected will receive an additional $500 from Sunnking donated to Camp Good Days on the winning company/organization’s behalf.
• Sunnking will provide a monetary donation per pound for the total amount of weight collected from the event.

Acceptable Materials

Click here for the list of acceptable materials for electronics recycling.

A single word could sum up last Saturday’s RiverKeeper Spring Shoreline Cleanup of Ellicott Creek Park in Amherst, NY: Wet.

Wet weather, wet water, wet volunteers.

Rain and cold didn’t ‘t keep anyone away as VoIP Supply joined a large group of enthusiastic and caring volunteers to help with one of the many shoreline sweeps that RiverKeeper coordinates bi-annually throughout Western New York.

RiverKeeper is a science-based, community focused, advocacy organization from the Buffalo/Niagara region dedicated to keeping our waterways clean.

VoIP Supply was able to help gather around 100 pounds of garbage.  It’s amazing what you’ll find.  In addition to some big ticket items that were recovered, like refrigerators, we were told that there was an old amusement park ride rusting away deep in the park that would require some heavy lifting.

Click here for more information on how to get involved with RiverKeeper’s volunteer events.  Or, if you’re simply interested in touring Buffalo Niagara’s waterways, click here for Buffalo Niagara River Tours.

Why shouldn’t we be friendly to the Earth every day?

snom, the manufacturer of stylish VoIP phones, is answering that question with Earth Day 2012 right around the corner on Sunday, April 22nd.

Serious about protecting the environment, snom is announcing two things for Earth Day and beyond:

• No Power Supply: All snom phones will ship without a power supply.
• 3 Month Donation: From April 22nd to June 22nd, snom is donting 1$/€ to Earthday.de for every snom 3xx and 7xx series VoIP phones that are purchased without a power supply.

PoE Preference is Green

When snom surveyed their partners and customers they uncovered something interesting that prompted them to act on their revelation:

• PoE (Power over Ethernet) is the preferred power source for snom phones.
• The power supplies delivered with snom phones and devices are rarely used.
• snom decided not to include power supplies as part of standard packaging  in the future.

The decision not to include a power supply with snom phones benefits the environment and provides savings in a couple of ways.  Resources and materials won’t be wasted on a unit that won’t even be used and, the standard PoE connection on snom phones consumes leass energy than the power supply.

Earth Day Donations

Michael Knieling, snom’s COO, has announced that for every phone that is sold between April 22 (Earth Day) and June 22 (last day of the the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil), 2012 without an additional power supply, one Euro or Dollar will be donated to Earthday.de.

Earth Day was selected as the recipient organization as it is globally active in promoting environmental conservation in more than 150 countries, and has a reliable and demonstrable track record in all of its activities.

Track snom’s Donations!

There’s a designated area on snom’s website where customers can register the number of phones they’ve purchased and you’ll also be able to see how much snom has donated in total from all of the power supplies that have not been ordered.

Click here for the snom Green VoIP Initiative registration form.

For customers who really do require a power supply, not to worry, you can still order them from VoIP Supply any time.