Specific IMS questions

[jruiter]

I'm looking into getting IMS for my IP Office 412.

Specifically:

(1) What mechanism does it use to transport messages? What, exactly, does the IMS client for Outlook do?

(2) Do the WAV files remain on the VM server? (I really don't want the extra traffic on my Exchange server except in specific instances)

(3) Is there an option to send the file to the Exchange server on a per user basis? (My users with Blackberries might want to listen to the WAV file through their email instead of calling into their voicemail)

Thank you.
Jason

 

[gknight1]

1)the ims client helps sync your email and voicemail box

2)if tyou delete a message from your voicemail box it will delete it from your email box, if you delete a voicemail from your email it will delete it from your voicemail box.

3)yes it is per user

 

[gknight1]

i will warn you that many people have not had good luck using IMS. It always doesnt sync right. It is also pretty expensive, i would just do voicemail to email, thats free with voicemail pro.

 

[puregold]

it works well if you install it correctly in respect to dcom and permission etc.

ACE - Avaya Certified Expert
ACI - Avaya Certified Instructor

 

[h382]

Yes.. what puregold said..

But, it is an expensive application just to sync your VM's. Most of my customers prefer it not to sync up, so they know they always have a backup. Well, not always, but long enough.

 

[aarenot]

In my experience with IMS the users prior to upgrade have their VM to EM set to copy, which means the free VM to EM keeps a copy in the MB, and the EM independdntly. After the upgrade most of the users want their IMS to work that same way, so I really do not see the point of IMS. The few exceptions to that rule that want the over all control from either interface are at the most so far, up to, or as many as one user.

That may not be the case everywhere, but when 99.9999999% of my users have found out deleting in one deletes it in the other they do not want it. It is a great feature if you want it, but not always cost effective.

 

[jruiter]

It looks as if the only thing the IMS buys me is synchronization between the voicemail box and outlook.

Correct me if I'm wrong on the following:

(1) All voicemail messages end up as WAV files in my Exchange database (ie sent to Exchange via SMTP or other mechanism).
(2) IMS is *not* merely a pointer to the Voicemail Server for message retrieval
(3) Reviews are mixed about its real value given its complexity and install issues.
(4) I can get the same functionlity minus the VM to Outlook synchronization by just using the builtin Voicemail to Email functions in IP Office.

My intention here is to give my users the ability to receive their voicemails via outlook while minimizing the load on my exchange server.

Thanks
Jason

 

[kholladay]

(1) All voicemail messages end up as WAV files in my Exchange database (ie sent to Exchange via SMTP or other mechanism).
KH>> Incorrect, with IMS no attachment is sent to Exchange. A message with what would amount to a "pointer" is sent to the Exchange server and read by the IMS client to retrieve the proper VM from the Voicemail Pro server directly. The down side to this is that while your mobile devices and Exchange OWA may see these messages they will have no way of linking back to VMP to retrieve the file. This will be vastly different in 4.2.

(2) IMS is *not* merely a pointer to the Voicemail Server for message retrieval
KH>> Incorrect. IMS *is* merely a pointer to the VM server for message retrieval.

(3) Reviews are mixed about its real value given its complexity and install issues.
KH>> I would say that IMS and CCC are the most "complex" products to install with IMS taking the lead by far. Although I wouldn't personally refer to them as complex but more tedious. While the IMS DCOM settings can be set via a GPO in Active Directory this seems to be hit and miss in my experience.

(4) I can get the same functionality minus the VM to Outlook synchronization by just using the built-in Voicemail to Email functions in IP Office.
KH>> With the "built-in" feature .wav files are transmitted to your Exchange/SMTP server at a size of 1MB per recorded minute. These email messages do not sync with VMP. I rarely see the big benefit to IMS most especially now that more and more of our clients are migrating to Exchange 2007 and this is not compatible with IMS.


Kyle Holladay
ACA-I, ACA Call Center, ACS-I, ACS-M, TIA-CTP, MCP/MCTS Exchange 2007
ACE Implement: IP Office

"If it worked the way it should you wouldn't need me

 

[kurthansen]

Also a note on number 1 with IMS.

Since the message isn't a wave file in exchange it won't play through the computer speakers it will play on your phone.

 

[kholladay]

You actually have an option for either kurthansen so long as the client is working properly.

Kyle Holladay
ACA-I, ACA Call Center, ACS-I, ACS-M, TIA-CTP, MCP/MCTS Exchange 2007
ACE Implement: IP Office

"If it worked the way it should you wouldn't need me

 

[kurthansen]

Sorry I guess I never looked that close. Only have one client with it.

 

[Shine52]

Then you could just install TAPI on the Outlook machines you want and people can dial out through Outlook(which seems to be a big hit w/ customers) and all is well.

No need to buy IMS for the reasons stated above. The alert option works very well too. This way hear the wave file isn't coming if your worried about disck space, and at least they are notified they have an incoming message and can dial in at their leisure. It will give them caller ID in the subject too whcih also helps determine if the end user needs to retrieve it. I have found end users like the alert better then actually attaching the wav file.

Figure it out damn-it!

 

[tanderson3733]

The next worst thing with IMS is Avaya's reluctance to assist with troubleshooting. We installed this for a customer, followed to the "T" every step of Avaya's documentation, yet it works maybe 50% of the time. For 6 months we worked with Avaya to come to a solution, their responses being a continual back and forth of checking tracelog files, debugview files and server information. They finally after many months gave us a laundry list of instructions to try, testing step by step until the list was complete. So we spent another 2 months going step by step through the list of instructions, ending with "Move VM Pro/IMS to another server with new hardware". No resolution. We called them to say "Your list is complete, please tell us what needs to happen to make this work". Their response? "Send us copies of the tracelogs and debugview files fom the new server".

For whatever reason, the synchronization was a big deal with the customer. I doubt we will ever offer this option to any customers again.

 

[kholladay]

The offering for "synchronization" (if you want to call it that) will resolve all these issues in 4.2. Just hang tight.

Kyle Holladay
ACA-I, ACA Call Center, ACS-I, ACS-M, TIA-CTP, MCP/MCTS Exchange 2007
ACE Implement: IP Office

"If it worked the way it should you wouldn't need me

 

[gknight1]

what makes you so sure? not saying that it is impossible, but isnt CCC one of their bigger concerns?

 

[kholladay]

CCC is being addressed as well. Both have bright futures.

Kyle Holladay
ACA-I, ACA Call Center, ACS-I, ACS-M, TIA-CTP, MCP/MCTS Exchange 2007
ACE Implement: IP Office

"If it worked the way it should you wouldn't need me

 

[qtelcom]

Great! That's good news, So when is that timeframe? This summer? Next year? Tomorrow?

 

[aarenot]

lol