Shoretel Knowledgebase

[eazeaz]

I for one think that the amount of secrecy Shoretel displays is overboard.

It is easier to get secrets out of the Los Alamos nuclear lab that to get to the FAQ section on the shoretel site. What could possibly be the issue with me reading the knowledgebase article "Can I adjust the volume on my MOH?"

{edit: This thread was stripped from another thread, as it did not pertain to the original topic}

[Forum]

I for one think that the amount of secrecy Shoretel displays is overboard.

It is easier to get secrets out of the Los Alamos nuclear lab that to get to the FAQ section on the shoretel site. What could possibly be the issue with me reading the knowledgebase article "Can I adjust the volume on my MOH?"

I do understand the reasoning. They don't want to openly publish ways for people to mess with the core system. If you have an enterprise support contract, then you get access to all that info. If you don't, your Shoretel Partner should be able to get it for you. If all above fails, ask any of us here. There are many here that have access, and don't mind helping others out.

Charles

[travisbconley]

I would officially like to voice my loudest concern at the knowledgebase not being open to "regular folks" I am a shoretel user, certified installer, and customer with 10 sites currently and 12 more on the way.... I can't read a tech note or support article without having to call my "partner" to get it for me... what a crock! I pay for support and I want access to the site. My partner returns calls when they get around to it and I need info when I need it... I can get answers quicker from this board than I can from my partner!

[Forum]

I have heard some partners create 'generic' logins that they give there customers. We do not, but then of course, I'm always available to my customers, and they find it easier to call me. I usually have the answer.

Something to remember is that the Knowledge base is fairly new. Maybe they will lighten up and allow registered customers to access it one day.

Charles

[eazeaz]

Access to info

There is a piece of the puzzle missing here. I may not always know what to ask or how to ask it.

I can't tell you how many issues we have found and/or PREVENTED by reading knowledgebase information by Microsoft, Citrix, etc.

Sometimes reading about issues others have had can REALLY save your ass on a future problem.

Waiting until you have a problem, calling for help on the problem, and waiting on an answer is not very effecient. Especially if you can know about the problem before your users ever call to report it!

[Forum]

If you would like something done about it, let Shortel know. They seem to listen. Remember, Customer satisfaction is important to them.

[mr-s]

me too

My reasoning is simple:

We have purchased the system with all it's bugs and features and we should have right to know what we got ourselves into...

On more serious note: sometimes bugs go unnoticed because we are unaware of them and in some cases we WASTE time troubleshooting when it's a known limitation/problem.

[Forum]

I'm not trying to defend Shoretel.

You see, I bought this new car, and the manufacturer will not let me see what all the bugs are, or what the fix is. But if I have an issue, I take it to them, and they will fix it.

Bugs are not usually listed in the KB. They are in the release notes. Release notes (with all bugs known, fixed, and unresolved, are distributed with each new version).

Remember, I think you can get access to the KB, if you have an enterprise support contract. (Anybody want to correct me on this?)

[travisbconley]

If you buy a new car you do have access to the recall database and tsb database!

Also, if shoretel is so concerned with my happiness they would have done the followup call on how I felt about my implementation I was told would happen after my install was complete.

[Forum]

Here are the latest build notes: http://www.shoretelforums.com/downlo...12.13.1310.pdf

*Note, not all versions mentioned in the Build notes were released to Customers. Most were Beta versions. Only 12.12.6116 & 12.13.1310 were official CR releases*

They didn't call you for a survey? The either do it by phone or via email/web.

Out of curiosity, are you having very many issues with your system?

[mr-s]

Here are the latest build notes: http://www.shoretelforums.com/downlo...12.13.1310.pdf

Thanks, it makes for interesting reading.

Regarding your car analogy:
Warranty is being provided by the manufacturer of the car. The manufacturer (and consumer protection laws) oversees that customer is being taken care of. One could switch dealerships if I did not like one. One could gain access to vehicle technical info through purchasing manual directly from the manufacturer or a 3rd party publication (for free or a small fee I should add).

Not so with Shoretel PBX. I'm "stuck", for better or worse, with vendor support (not that I'm complaining about mine .

More importantly- there are areas that vendor preffers not to cover because they are support nightmare or not popular enough to warrant extra effort.

[cburgy]

Thanks, it makes for interesting reading.

Regarding your car analogy:
Warranty is being provided by the manufacturer of the car. The manufacturer (and consumer protection laws) oversees that customer is being taken care of. One could switch dealerships if I did not like one. One could gain access to vehicle technical info through purchasing manual directly from the manufacturer or a 3rd party publication (for free or a small fee I should add).

Not so with Shoretel PBX. I'm "stuck", for better or worse, with vendor support (not that I'm complaining about mine .

More importantly- there are areas that vendor preffers not to cover because they are support nightmare or not popular enough to warrant extra effort.

Shoretel is aware of the issues with access to the various areas of the support website and they intend to address them. I've spoken with them regarding this (as many partners have) and they have a matrix identifying how they are creating various access levels and what they get access to. As a partner, I would rather my customers be able to get the documents (if they can see them) directly then have to wait for a member of our support team get it on their behalf.

In terms of support, you do have other options. You could elect to go enterprise support or you could go to another partner. That being said, your partners are usually better at resolving total solution issues (shoretel, network, server, etc.) then Shoretel. I can understand any frustrations you may have with your partner if they are not providing adequate support. Not all Shoretel partners are created equal from a support perspective and this is another area that Shoretel will be addressing this year.

That being said, I hope you don't apply your experience to all Shoretel partners. Some of us do an incredible job with supporting Shoretel systems and have a very close relationship with Shoretel. Hell, I wish they'd give rewards for finding bugs We seem to be very adept at that... lol.

[markegge]

I wholeheartedly agree. I love my Shoretel system, but I find it completely frustrating that ShoreTel doesn't make their KB and all manuals readily available online. I could probably resolve about 90% of issues myself--rather than having to call my vendor, badger my vendor, wait for my vendor to submit my question to Shoretel, wait for Shoretel to answer my vendor, then hope my vendor actually follows up with me--if only I had access to the KB.

I'd be delighted to pay for actual support from Shoretel, but paying for enterprise support just to get access to the KB... something about that doesn't sit right with me. God helps those who help themselves. Shoretel, it seems, would rather you be helpless.

[cburgy]

This has now officially changed. Your partner can now create login accounts for customer's with a support contract. This will allow you to access the the knowledgebase.