News: business

28th September 2016

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Mike Odysseas, Managing Director of Odyssey Systems, looks at why telecommunications networks should be given the same support as other infrastructure.

For years now, and probably for many more to come, the media has given over countless column inches and broadcast minutes to the subject of HS2, an increasingly expensive rail network upgrade. Its great claim is that it will boost the economy by helping people to travel between London and Birmingham 20 minutes faster than is currently the case.

Whether such a time-saving is worth the tens of billions of pounds the project will cost is debateable, but one thing I can tell you with certainty is that no train will get you from A to B faster than telecommunications can connect two people on opposite sides of the globe.

With teleconferencing, video conferencing and countless more technological applications available at the touch of a button, I can connect instantly with a client or staff member and talk with them face to face, whether they are in Birmingham, Bermuda or Beijing, without having to go anywhere. I don’t even have to do it from an office – if the connectivity is right, I can take a break from a bike ride and make a call right where I am.

Whole businesses expand around the globe and intercontinental flights are hardly necessary to maintain the regular communications that keep the organisation operating and growing.

This year, we have seen an important tipping point in communications, as people are now accessing the internet more from their mobile devices than from desktops. Even within our homes and offices, we are no longer reliant upon a “hard” connection.

It needs to be accepted that the world we live in is one which is mobile technology-driven, and that the infrastructure required for effective telecommunication is as important to the economy as that which drives transport.

I am firmly behind the comments of o2 Telefonica UK CEO Ronan Dunne, who, in a recent national interview conducted at the One Young World conference in Thailand, highlighted the complete lack of legislative support for boosting mobile internet access.

He highlighted a shift in demands on politicians, from constituents urging action to stop more masts being erected, to the same people now demanding greater mobile coverage.

However, there is still no subsidy or even right of access powers that can help to make this happen more quickly.

The needs of businesses, as well as individuals, have been changing for some time, but the actions of Government, in failing to actively support greater coverage, is behind the consensus. Take Japan as an example of progress in this area; mobile wi-fi offering tens of megabits is accessible halfway up Mount Fuji, yet you can land back in Heathrow and be faced with a GPRS-only signal. Europe has shown itself to at least be addressing the shift, with the scrapping of data roaming charges, albeit not until the Summer of 2017, but the UK needs to act now to play its part.
A Stockton call handling company has benefited from a fresh new look as it prepares to expand its workforce after moving to a growing business park.

Lemon Business Solutions, which provides 24/7 call centre solutions to clients in the UK and internationally, has relocated its 45-strong workforce to Odyssey Systems’ newly-established business park.

As a result of the move, Lemon is hoping to increase its workforce by 20% to meet the demand of its growing clientele.

Lesley Wratten, managing director of Lemon Business Solutions, said: “The new office space exemplifies exactly what our business is all about and has created a fresh, zesty work environment for our staff. We have experienced significant growth in recent years and these larger premises will allow us to gear up for further expansion.”

“The IT infrastructure and connectivity in place was essential in forming our decision to relocate as we had simply maximised the space at our previous office and handle thousands of customer service calls every day. Our new, state-of-the-art call management centre will allow us to continue to deliver an excellent level of customer service to our clients and I am looking forward to what the future holds for Lemon.”

Lemon Business Solutions’ relocation completes a hat-trick of new tenants for the business park following JBC Accountants and UK & Ireland SAP User Group.

Odyssey Systems has invested in the complete refurbishment of the 20,000 sq. ft. business park for its tenants. The site offers a comprehensive telecommunications service, which includes hosted telephony and a fully-synchronous, uncontended Ethernet connection, as well as fingerprint recognition software and increased security for tenants.

Christine Gilbert, director of Odyssey Systems, said: “I am delighted to welcome Lemon to the business park and start a new chapter in our long-standing relationship. Lemon is a longstanding Odyssey Systems customer and is well-aware of the excellent service we provide, which they will now also experience as a tenant of our business park.

“Lesley and I have worked closely together on the creation of their new offices, which reflects their brand and personality as well as providing the high quality of telecoms technology they have become used to over the years from Odyssey Systems.”

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Continued growth at Odyssey Systems has led to the Tees Valley-based telecommunications technology specialist expanding into new premises.

The move has been made possible after Odyssey Systems acquired the former Thirteen Group building opposite its current headquarters at Preston Farm, Stockton.

The company is currently undertaking a significant refurbishment and fit-out of the building and plans to move in before the end of February.

Odyssey Systems, which provides telecommunications and connectivity systems for business, has experienced strong growth in the past four years and has increased its workforce from 26 to 30. As a result of the move into larger premises, Odyssey Systems aims to create a further six new jobs in the next three years.

In addition to developing the top floor of the building for its own operations, Odyssey Systems has also refurbished a further 20,000 square feet to create new, fully-fitted offices for business tenants.

The company is also utilising some the additional space to introduce a dedicated video conferencing suite and a technology demonstration area. Odyssey is also creating a new stock and technology storage facility, which will hold the complete telecoms systems and replacement parts for both current and past models from its long-term technology partners Mitel, and LG.
The new building will also enhance the company’s internet services to its clients. Due to the building’s height and the installation of connectivity masts, Odyssey will increase the reach of its long-range microwave high speed leased line signals, which can extend to a range of 30km.

Odyssey System’s new headquarters is the latest in a series of recent investments by the company, which has included the introduction of a new fleet of 12 branded Ford Connect vans. It also recently achieved the ISO: 9001 accreditation, which highlights the company’s ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional levels of customer service.

Mike Odysseas, Managing Director of Odyssey Systems, said: “We have enjoyed continual growth in recent years, which has facilitated the need for the new offices. By building strong relationships with companies across the North East and establishing partnerships with technology partners such as Mitel, which has enabled Odyssey to work with larger business customers, we are in a strong position for the future.

Mike added: “Expanding into these new premises has also enabled us to support the growth of other businesses. The additional space we have created will be attractive to businesses, which will benefit from being located in this thriving part of Tees Valley and the infrastructure we have incorporated, such as hosted telephony and superfast internet speeds.”
Telecommunications specialist Mike Odysseas is warning North East businesses of an increase in targeted, sophisticated email fraud.

His business, Stockton-based Odyssey Systems has experienced a spike in ‘socially-engineered fraud’ where scammers are using advanced methods to extract money from their victims.

The company is now monitoring more than 200 emails per day within the million messages sent to its Internet Service Provider (ISP) business customers where fraudsters appear to adopt people’s email addresses and try to encourage financial transactions with the email account holder’s contacts.

Common email fraud practices, known as phishing, aim to trick recipients into believing they know the person or company corresponding with them. To prevent being caught by these scams, recipients can check the email address the message comes, which will reveal it has no connection to the supposed real sender.

However, scammers are now utilising a new method, which actually mirrors real email addresses and make messages look genuine and, therefore, can also fool monitoring systems and programmes including Microsoft Outlook.

Fraudsters are also researching the contacts the accounts they are mirroring and their contacts to make the emails more genuine and dupe unsuspecting victims.

Odyssey Systems, which provides ISP services to hundreds of businesses across the North East, has identified this new practice and is employing new protocols within its automated email monitoring systems, including the ability to identify the fraudsters Internet Protocol (IP) address to capture these email before they reach their recipients

Mike Odysseas, Managing Director of Odyssey Systems, said: “This kind of socially-engineered fraud is on the rise and people have to remain vigilant. It means questioning any messages they receive about financial transactions, even if it looks like it’s from someone they know.

“Fraudsters are relentless in their use of email as a way to illegally obtain money. This latest method has the ability to not only trick recipients through a genuine looking message, but also fool computer programmes into thinking it has been generated by the real email address.

“This could have serious financial implications for North East businesses and as a responsible Internet Service Provider we are continually creating new variables to prevent this horrendous practice from affecting our customers.”
Odyssey Systems has quickly helped a Billingham-based logistics company back to its feet following the theft of copper cables, which disabled its entire communications system, severely interrupting operations.

Devereux Transport, a long-standing customer of Odyssey, discovered it had been targeted by thieves and was unable to answer customer calls, access databases or maintain contact with its 120 Drivers.

The thieves had cut through 2,400 individual cables and stole more than 70m of copper wiring. After getting in touch with Odyssey, engineers had installed a 4G system within two hours, which provided a quick and temporary solution that minimised downtime.

This isn’t the first time Devereux has called upon Odyssey; previously, a tenant on the same industrial estate had accidently cut through a power cable, which brought other businesses in the area to a halt. Odyssey reacted by transferring calls to mobiles and using a portable generator to power Devereux’s internet infrastructure, avoiding any further disturbance.

Borne from a business created by a 14-year-old, Devereux has become one of the UK’s leading transport and distribution businesses. It offers a comprehensive service tailored to meet the needs of a diverse client base.

Mike Odysseas, managing director at Odyssey Systems, said “We were able to react quickly and assist Devereux at a time of crisis by using a temporary measure, which allowed operations to carry on as normal, until a permanent system was installed.

“We pride ourselves on response time and understand how important business communications are – being a regional supplier gives us the ability to react swiftly and sets us apart from competitors”

Chris Pickles, Commercial Manager at Devereux Transport, said: “With a fleet of more than 100 vehicles in operation, any time without communication has the potential to set us back, both in terms of time and money. As with any service sector business, we aim to deliver exceptional customer service, and had Odyssey not responded so effectively we would have potentially disappointed a number of customers.”
Odyssey Systems has overcome a notorious internet blackspot to help Wear Referrals treat injured animals at its new Sedgefield-based veterinary hospital.

Wear Referrals’ facility is equipped with a range of advanced medical equipment to treat pets of all sizes, including an MRI scanner and digital x-ray, which consume large amounts of data whilst in operation.

Under normal circumstances the Odyssey team would have prescribed the installation of a leased line, however, in this case it would have not been a cost-effective solution.

After assessing a range of options, the Odyssey technicians installed stand-alone microwave mast dedicated to Wear Referrals, which provides internet speeds of up to 20mb – more than enough to simultaneously cope with the demands of the company’s medical equipment, and at a fraction of the cost of a leased line.

Wear Referrals is a veterinary referral service for the North of England, conveniently located near the A1 in County Durham. It accepts referrals in orthopaedics, spinal surgery, soft tissue surgery and magnetic resonance imaging.

Christine Gilbert, director at Odyssey Systems, said: “Wear Referrals’ high quality service provision is reliant upon technology that regularly uploads and downloads large files. The microwave link has provided a cost-effective solution that will effectively address the company’s need for a reliable internet connection.

“At Odyssey we appreciate the fact that there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach. This is why we often deliver bespoke systems in line with client requirements.”

Stacy Burleigh, practice manager, said: “Opening a new hospital is very complex and time consuming, so it was important that we chose a company able to work around our schedule. Its engineers gave us regular updates throughout and completed the job at hand without causing any interruption.”
Being twice winner of the North East Business Awards for Customer Service, we are very proud of how we communicate with existing and potential customers. We take a matter of fact view to our interaction; a no nonsense way of explaining what is best for their chosen communication route. No hidden agendas, no false promises.

A recent government scheme has been introduced to enable eligible businesses access to better, quicker broadband. With the improvement of broadband connectivity, businesses will be able to have seamless contact to remote workers, video conferencing which will reduce travel time and expense, clearer and more reliable VoIP telephony and Cloud technology for storing and saving data.

This is a great scheme for a totally free grant of £3,000 towards the investment of new infrastructure and improving your current internet connectivity.

It really is great news. We, like many other telecommunication and IT specialists are registered as suppliers on a national database, and are busy helping businesses flourish by getting them technologically equipped for the rigors of having an online footprint and trading in the digital world.

We have seen first-hand and been advised of various offers that have been made to potential customers regarding the scheme. Some of the offers are unethical and some totally fraudulent, such as ‘Cash Back’ and ‘Shared Ownership’.

We thought we would clarify and bullet point what the essential facts are, so you can be clear on what you can get:
- The voucher scheme is for installation of equipment only.
- You have less than 250 staff.
- You have not had €250,000 of government grants.
- Offer a minimum of 20 Mbit/s services and capable of being configured/upgraded to support at least 30 Mbit/s services.
You will not be able to offset any of the £3,000 on any on-going monthly charges for calls or services; this is purely for the infrastructure for broadband. You will have to commit to at least a six month broadband agreement with your supplier.

You are not in one of the following sectors: fishery and aquaculture primary production, processing and marketing of agriculture products, coal, steel and shipbuilding.

Part of our longevity in business has been sageness to claims that over promise and under deliver, so if you would like to have a no nonsense conversation with us, we will be able to de-mystify the scheme and clarify what you can and can’t get for your free £3,000.

Or visit the Government website for more information by clicking here

https://www.gov.uk/broadband-delivery-uk
Official figures this week show that the UK economy has grown by 0.3% in the first 3 months of 2015, which is a slowdown from previous figures but still a positive sign overall for the economy. The figures are in some way reflective of business in general and the need to be reactive to the environment in which business operate.

The key word for telecommunications in business in a fluctuating market has to be Scalability. Being able to add to and at times, reduce your current telecommunication requirements easily is crucial to any business activity.

Traditional telephone systems operate using an onsite box that means handsets are “stuck” not just to the geographic location they are installed in, but also a specific port in your office. The telephone handsets are just dumb units. If your requirements grow past the original specification you’ll need an expensive onsite engineer with more complicated hardware modules to gain space. Don’t forget of course, all of this often takes a long time.

Hosted telephone systems flip things around. The onsite box is completely removed and intelligent handsets register with their provider via the internet. Want to move desks? No problem, just move that handset to a different wall socket and its identity will follow. New team member? Your supplier can simply post you a new handset for self-install. Opening a completely new office at the opposite end of the country? Hosted allows all handsets to operate as part of the same telephone system regardless of their geographic location. Hosted telephony offers scalability and flexibility that simply is not possible with traditional phone systems.

Businesses will always be reactive to the external market that they are trading in, but with the right communications partner to work with, scalability in either direction is not only possible, but easy.

If you want more information on telelphone systems scalability contact us call us on 01642 661800 or email post@odssey-systems.co.uk

P.S. It’s important to remember that with hosted telephony systems your calls are transported over the internet. Make sure that you always use high quality business grade connectivity, preferably from the same provider!
Telecommunications specialist Odyssey Systems has installed a state-of-the-art communications system for a North Yorkshire law firm, linking its branches across the county to Odyssey’s own dedicated data centre.

Previously Coles Solicitors, which has nine offices from Yarm to York and from Beverley to Settle, had independent systems which communicated via the internet.

Odyssey put in multi-Protocol Label Switching, MLPS, which allows the firm’s sites to operate on the same system and communicate with each other via secure broadband and a single firewall and with a single phone system across all the sites.

Three telephone servers located at three different sites have been replaced and the system is now served from Odyssey’s data centre.

Odyssey has worked with Coles for several years as the law firm has expanded and opened new offices.

Coles Managing Director Peter Gibson said: “Instrumental to that growth has been the technology we have from Odyssey, which has enabled us to grow at the rate that we have because the systems they put in place for us enable us to have complete connectivity between each of our branches, so each branch is in effect, part of our main office.

“We run our business as one business, even though we are in nine locations. Because a lot of what we do is communication, the broadband and communication for all of our telephony and IT have been a key and integral part of our business and I can’t imagine our business operating without Odyssey.

“We speak to them on a daily basis about issues, problems and future developments. Inevitably there are issues and problems but it’s how they are dealt with and managed which is the real differentiator between Odyssey and AN Other provider. I can’t praise them highly enough. ’’

The new system will also make it easier for the firm to expand and open new offices with greater ease of connection to telecommunications.

Odyssey Systems Sales Director Christine Gilbert said: “The installation of MLPS allows for a more secure and faster system with greater capacity. It provides access to our call recording software and allows remote management from our office in Stockton, giving the client a seamless and efficient service.’’

Peter Gibson added: “We would not be where we are today as a business with our breadth of geographic spread had our telecoms been managed by a faceless national provider rather than by using a local, independently-owned operator. They know the continued success of their business depends on the continued success of my business making us partners in the same enterprise.”
The numbers have added up for a Tees Valley-based accountancy practice as it gears up for growth after becoming the first tenant at a newly-established Stockton business park.

JBC Accountants has relocated its Stockton workforce to a new office complex in Preston Farm, which is owned by telecommunications firm Odyssey Systems, following a complete refurbishment of the 20,000 sq ft. property that has created new, fully-fitted offices for business tenants.

JBC Accountants, which has offices in Hartlepool and Stockton, previously rented an office nearby in Preston Farm before meeting with Mike Odysseas, managing director of Odyssey Systems, to discuss JBC’s telecommunications and broadband requirements.

Following the initial meeting and taking a tour of the new properties, JBC Accountants decided to relocate there, to meet its business requirements, as it was more suitable than other offices they had considered.

Paul Riggall, director of JBC Accountants, said: “After meeting with Mike to discuss our telecommunications needs, we were shown around the newly-refurbished facilities, which had been carried out to a very high standard. From there, we became interested in one of the offices and Mike was very personable and understood our needs as we prepare to grow the business further.

“The location is a massive improvement and we are already seeing a return on our investment as we have more of a presence and the profile of our firm is increasing, not to mention the positive response from clients and visitors. It was important for us to find a property that could provide us with a platform to service our future growth plans as we look to create even more jobs in the coming years.”

JBC Accountants’ new 3,000 sq ft. office space will house its 17 strong workforce, who will benefit from Odyssey Systems’ telecommunications services, which includes hosted telephony and superfast internet speeds.

Mike Odysseas said: “I am delighted that JBC Accountants has become our first tenant at our business park, which is a significant occasion for Odyssey Systems. Paul has exciting plans for the future of the firm and it is great that JBC Accountants has chosen our new development as the base for its Stockton office. I would like to wish him and his team all the very best.”
Cheap broadband may seem like a very tempting proposition when looking for internet connectivity for your business, but does it offer a false economy?

As business owners, you probably understand the constant strive to keep costs to a minimum, whether it be for office equipment or essential services such as a telephone system and broadband. Cheap broadband from the telecoms giants such as BT, Sky and Virgin may seem like the easiest and most trouble-free option, however, it really isn’t. If like any typical business that has a high workload and that trusts they will have a fast and reliable service, selecting a cheap consumer broadband, or even a bargain business broadband deal can be a huge mistake that will cost you considerably more in the long run.

Even in this day and age, businesses are still investing in broadband packages which are primarily designed for home usage only. This is only in the belief that it will be so much more cheaper, meaning that small business startups tend to go for this option over a suitable broadband package for the needs of their company. This is a seriously bad move as they are potentially damaging your business from the offset.

Businesses who cut corners and take up the option of a lower cost, consumer or business broadband package are more than likely going to cause severe hold ups, such as poor connection speeds or severe lack of bandwidth. As you are most probably aware, bandwidth is very crucial, especially for businesses.

Here are 5 problems of purchasing a cheap broadband package:

1. Slow speeds

Of course, fast speeds are entirely important for businesses, and a decent broadband package will give you this over any cheap broadband package. If you’re looking to achieve high broadband speeds and an unhindered performance, then a broadband package like ours is designed to minimise contention ratio of your connection to the internet. Reducing the amount of users you have utilising your connection at any one time, your business will benefit from increased speeds when compared to those of any household broadband deal. Contention ratios are actually where cheap broadband lacks, as it will be typically high to reduce the price of the whole package. Can you imagine having to share your connection with more than one business? It would be a total nightmare!

2. Low data limits

High data limits are a must-have. If you’re looking to have the ability to stream video, share files and upload large files for clients, as well as VoIP; then you will need a large amount of data. A small allowance would be used up in no time if your business is sharing a lot of data on a daily basis.

Cheaper broadband packages usually include low data allowances, again, purely just to make them lower in price. What they tend to do is match up fast speeds with ridiculous and impractical data limits, which obviously lessens the benefits for paying for increased speeds in the first place. Plus, in the inevitable instance that you were to use all of your data allowance, your broadband speed could potentially be slowed down so that it is extremely difficult to use. You may even find that they could slap extra charges onto your monthly bill!

3. Bad customer service

Broadband issues must be resolved quickly, especially when you have clients waiting for their work to be completed, for example. If you were to have technical difficulties with your broadband, then this is where these cheap packages become a false economy, as you will be forced to spend a lot of time on the telephone to you provider – usually on hold.

In fact, these cheap broadband providers are pretty well-known for their disappointing customer service, which is the ultimate reason for spending that little bit more to ensure that you can have that reassurance of knowing that you can pick up the phone and receive excellent customer service with a trustworthy business broadband provider like us.

4. Increased overage charges

Sometimes broadband packages can result in significant outgoings, especially for a small business. We know that SMEs have to juggle a very tight budget at times and charges that spin out of control for a service such as this can be a real setback. Although you may think that automatically going for the cheaper broadband will save you money from your companies bank balance, it is more than likely that you will be faced with hidden costs further down the line.

An example of these hidden costs can be overage charges, meaning that you will be charged a ridiculous amount of money for going over your data limits. Selecting the right data allowance package can prevent this from happening, so you need to ensure that when choosing provider, you go for the one that is going to take the needs of your business into account and create a bespoke package for you – just like we do.

5. Downtime

As mentioned, very high contention ratios, paired with terrible customer service, can in fact be detrimental to your service downtime, making your business much less efficient. Of course, as you may well know, any business relies on their broadband connection to keep their business ticking over. Sales, online work, customer service and companies that need to access work drives, their cloud, or even their Google Drive will all be affected if their broadband service fails to perform.

Checking out your Service Level Agreement will keep you safe in the mind that your broadband will be repaired quickly if it were to fail at all. Ensure that you read all of the small print to see what is included, as well as the terms and conditions to prevent the risk of being left without access to the internet for a prolonged period of time.

For more information on our superb deal that is bespoke to your business set-up and that performs exactly how it should, call us on 01642 661800, or drop us a line on post@odyssey-systems.co.uk.
Put simply, Mitel is one of the leading communications solutions companies in the world. Offering a myriad of features and benefits such as call quality and value for money, they are pretty much unrivalled when it comes to desktop IT telephones. Let’s take a look at some of the advantages a system like this could have for your business…

Who is Mitel?

Mitel business phone systems cover a wide range of digital and IP phones, conference telephones, consoles, and peripherals suited to businesses ranging in size, and span across countless industries and sectors. Having one of the market’s most comprehensive portfolios of products solidifies their place as an industry leader. Mitel phones are not only offer advanced features and functionality, but are also very simple to use for all employees within your business.

What are the advantages of using a Mitel phone system?

There are so many advantages of using a top of the range telephone system like this. Not only is it the most utterly bombproof and reliable system bar none, it also continues to work without reboots unlike any other system on the market. Here are just some of the key reasons to invest in telephony like this:
- Efficiency – There are a plethora of added features on a Mitel phone system that will give your employees the opportunity to work smarter. As the systems come with multiple features such as auto attendant and unified messaging, this ensures that call handling is much easier than ever before. Another key feature, ‘Presence’, has the intelligence to locate someone that is available to answer a call at the time – whether they are inside or outside the office.
- Cost-effective – The initial purchase of a complete business telephone system can be costly, however, the advantages of a Mitel system will help you tighten your budget in the long term. Utilising just one network for both data and communication requirements, this will greatly reduce call costs, which is ideal for organisations that operate from multiple locations.
- Productivity – Increasing productivity is crucial within any company, and a Mitel system can help you do this. Being straightforward and enjoyable to use and manage, calls can be handled competently, saving time in the long run. With Mitel, you can be safe in the mind that all calls can be answered, and with a single number and mailbox system for every individual, it takes the hassle out of telephony.
- Enhances customer experience – Customers can be diverted to their desired point of call through Mitel’s automatic call distribution feature. There is also the ability to apply pre-recorded messages so that callers can be diverted to the correct department or person they require at any given time. Not only does this increase customers’ reliability but it also gives a more professional appearance to your business.
- Saves time for intelligent working – If you want to work remotely, then this is something you can do easily, allowing you to take your work wherever you want. ‘Hotdesking’, teleworking and twinning are also great features offered by Mitel. ‘Twinning’ prevents important calls from being missed and will give employees the freedom to move around the office, routing their preferences to any IP enabled telephone handset within the building.
- Flexibility – Mitel provide many different types of telephone solution and are equipped to service all businesses sizes, from SMEs to large enterprises. These bespoke solutions allow your staff to work outside of the office, driving real efficiency within the organisation. Dynamic extension is an excellent feature that will stop you worrying about the availability of your staff, granting them the privilege of being a lot more flexible with their time. Up to eight different devices can be linked to just one phone number, so customers will be able to contact an employee without having to dial numbers for every single department.
For more information on how Odyssey can transform your business telephone system with a Mitel solution, as well as the different models that are available, give us a call on 01642 661800, or drop us a line on post@odyssey-systems.co.uk.

Who is Mitel?

What are the advantages of using a Mitel phone system?