COAMS

Steve, we're in a similar situation with Mitel. However, our Technical Acct Mgr will tell anyone who asks that whenever we call Product Support that 9 times out of 10 it's a bona-fide problem and not merely lack of product knowledge, especially on the new IP stuff. At any given time we'll have at least 1 and frequently 2 acknowledged bugs on their KPI list (KPI = Known Product Issue).

I know that other COAM shops abuse the priviledge and call about things that are answered in the documentation, they're just too lazy to look. Those are the people I would backcharge, because with all documentation now in electronic form where you can do a "search" there's just no excuse for not being able to find the answer.

Mitel also does not provide Product Support tech assistance for any M/D product or system software more than 2 yrs old. If you want to keep some old iron running, you're on your own.

For their VOIP certifications Mitel prerequisite is a CCNA or else take a

90-minute timed test of 25 questions (with no study guide) to waive the CCNA requirement. I've seen the test; not many CCNAs I know could pass it. Yes if you fail it you can take it again, but the questions are pulled at random from a pool of 150 questions so your chance of getting the same test on your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc try are near zero.

Mitel shares some of this same guilt. Online documentation also sometimes vanishes when they revamp their web site, as they have several times in recent memory. One particular VOIP migration package they currently offer, to replace the SX2000 Microlight MCC (Main Control card) with a triple Fiber Interface Module (FIM) and slave the Microlight off of their new MN3300 VOIP controller and converting the ML chassis to an 8-slot peripheral node and 4-slot DSU node is completely undocumented. The only place it's even mentioned is in the price book and one of the sales bulletins. Yes, we called Product Support about that one... You could almost see the blushing red faces over the phone.

As for responsiveness to documented bugs, it of course depends upon how seriously performance is impacted and the number of customers affected. Something really high profile such as something causing periodic system resets, will get you an emergency "patch load" in as little 3 days and an factory engineer on site, while other less serious issues may stay on the KPI list for 6 to 9 months. However, I can honestly say that in using Mitel equipment for the last 18 years, we've got no complaints. Operated on clean DC power in a clean and temp-stable environment, the stuff will give you at least 5-nines reliability.