NEWSLETTER - JUNE 2024

Last month NEC made an important announcement regarding NEC’s premise-based Unified Communications business. This change will impact all NEC premise-based phone system owners.

Given the seismic shift in market demand, preferring cloud-based phone solutions to premise-based ones,

Effective April 16, 2024, NEC has made the strategic decision to follow the direction of other premise-based manufactures, such as Panasonic and Toshiba, and cease the manufacture and support of all premises-based telephone systems.

Moving forward, NEC’s business communications focus will be exclusively on their UNIVERGE BLUE Cloud-based platform.

Clarktel understands the importance of reliable business phone communications for your operations and the potential concerns this announcement may raise.

So, what does this mean for you?

No orders for new systems: NEC will no longer accept new orders for on-premise products after December 31, 2024.
No Tier 3 Support starting in 2026: NEC will discontinue hardware and software support services for all on-premise products after March 31, 2026.
Continued Tier 1 and 2 Support from Clarktel: Clarktel will provide continued Tier 1 and 2 support for NEC Premises-Based Systems; even beyond March 31, 2026. For customers who choose to continue operating their NEC premises-based systems, rest assured that Clarktel will continue to provide service and maintenance. We have committed to maintaining adequate inventory and supply resources, while available, to support these systems.
Upgrade to the cloud now with UNIVERGE BLUE: If you currently have an NEC premises-based telephone system and are worried about potential concerns, we invite you to choose an easy transition to NEC’s UNIVERGE BLUE Cloud-based platform. This shift will ensure that you benefit from the latest features, scalability, and enhanced reliability. UNIVERGE BLUE is the future of NEC’s unified communication business and it will be here long into the future.

Clarktel’s Commitment to You:

As your trusted service and support provider, Clarktel is fully committed to continuing our support for your NEC premise-based systems. Our team will work closely with you to explore all available options, including maintenance support, purchasing key replacement parts in advance, or even potential upgrades to UNIVERGE BLUE.

No matter what, please rest assured, Clarktel’s steadfast commitment to providing uninterrupted service and support to all our clients has never been stronger. We value your business and are here to assist in helping you make the right decision for your business.

Our team will be in touch with further updates and to discuss how we can best support your specific needs as NEC’s transition from premise-based systems begins at the end of this year. If you have immediate questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at 330-572-1717 or info@clarktel.net.

We thank you for your understanding and continued trust in Clarktel. We look forward to navigating these changes together and ensuring your communication needs are met with the highest standards of service and reliability.

Please give us a call us at 330.572.1717 or email us at info@clarktel.net to discuss your options.

RESOURCES

NEC's Compliance Information - Website

Work from Anywhere Business Trends

RESOURCES

State of Remote Work Report

Clarktel is a clear proponent of the modern WFA (Work From Anywhere) Office. COVID provided a seismic shift in just how broad, wide and quick the adoption has been to Work From Anywhere.

Our UNIVERGE BLUE CONNECT solution, highlighted below, is a turnkey, cloud-based business phone, meeting and file sharing platform that can be the backbone of any successful WFA Office.

Studies are showing that WFA is not a fad, but rather an expectation of your employees and an overall competitive advantage. With that in mind, let's look at some interesting stats from Owl Labs' recent 2022 WFA study:

"The number of workers choosing to work remotely in 2022 increased 24% since 2021. And those choosing hybrid work went up 16%. Interest for in-office work, however, dropped by 24%."
"1 in 2 workers (52%) would take a pay cut of 5% or more to have flexibility in working location, with 23%saying they would take a pay cut of 10% or more."
"41% of small companies (10-50 employees) are requiring employees to return to the office compared to 27% of enterprises (10k+ employees)."
"If the ability to work from home was taken away, two-thirds (66%) of workers would immediately start looking for a job that offered flexibility, and would simply quit."

Do you see the problem with those trends?

More companies are feeling the pressure to get people back in the office while employees want WFA to be the norm; and they're willing to take action to keep it.

What's driving the pressure to shift employees back into the office; at least part of the time? We think for some, it might be because those companies are not using a true WFA platform; and are opting for a mish-mosh of free video meeting services, cell phones and thumb drives for files. It's difficult to be productive and feel connected to the team without the right tools.

WFA creates an opportunity for your company to attract new talent from companies with legacy office philosophies or to retain the good talent you already have today; and keep them productive with UNIVERGE BLUE CONNECT.

Are you giving your employees the right Work From Anywhere tools? If not, give us a call or email us at info@clarktel.net to get started.

REQUEST A SERVICE CALL OR SALES SUPPORT:

SERVICE:

Routine Service Requests: Call: 330-572-4853 (24/7)
OR Email anytime: service@clarktel.net

Emergency Service Requests: Call: 330-572-4853 (24/7)

NEVER SEND AN EMAIL FOR EMERGENCY SERVICE REQUESTS

SALES AND BILLING:

Billing Questions: Email: accounting@clarktel.net

Quotes and Estimates or to speak with a member of our Account Management Team : Email: info@clarktel.net or call 330.572.1717