This is how business is done

I am not the most technologically advanced person in the world, especially when it comes to office technology. I do however know what works and what doesn't work within the office. With all of the time that I have spent working in an office environment I have really started to notice which products truly enhance productivity and which ones are a complete drag on a company.

One of my favorite office items, is the Cisco IP Phone 7960 series. This is the standard phone that is in place at every single desk within my office, and has made a major difference over the old phones.

Features
Like I said before, I am definitely not the person in the office that truly takes advantage of all of the features and functionality of the different office products that we use. However, I do have a pretty good understanding of the capabilities of the phone that I use, and I know just how well it works in general.

The phone itself is probably one of the most advanced phones that I personally have ever used. It does a little bit of everything and truly makes my job in management substantially easier than it was before the phone came into my life. The phone itself has a massive digital display which shows who is calling, their name, whether it is a call from a backdoor line (internal) or from an outside source.

The phone allows for multiple phone numbers to be used from the single phone. If you make certain calls with one number and other calls with another, then you can just select which number or extension you want to use and start a new call.

The phone also has some other great features such as the ability to store phone numbers in a directory. In this directory you are able to see all of your missed calls, the received calls, placed calls, corporate directory, enterprise directory, and more. This is a great way to keep track of what you are doing throughout the day. I have been saved on more than one instance by the ability to look up the received calls. I know i don't always remember to write down numbers or at times I even misplace them, so this feature really allows me to stay on top of business.

Another cool feature that most phones have is the ability to setup your fast dial contacts, so that you can just press a few numbers and you are able to call those within your office or other major contacts.

The phone features one touch access to your voice mail as well. This of course is a nice little function that just makes your life that much more simplified. The nice thing is that you just press the button and it automatically goes to speakerphone if the phone is off the hook making the process incredibly easy.

The phone also has the ability to use a headset through a connection with Plantronics. The headset is a simple one button operation that allows you to quickly answer phone calls without even being at your desk as the phone is automatically lifted off of the hook after you press the button on the headset.

Other minimal features that the phone has is a speakerphone, mute, volume adjustment, and the ability to raise and lower the height of the phone. You can choose to either have the phone lay down completely flat or you can have it standing up so that the digital display is constantly facing you. You can also transfer calls, teleconference, and do all of the major functions that you would see in other phones.

Ease of use
This is probably one of the easiest phones that I have ever used in the office. All of the functions are laid out in a logical manner. The massive display allows you to find what you need rather quickly, without much effort. I would say that after about a day anyone should be able to know how to operate all of the functionality of the phone with relative ease. All of the major and minor features have their own push buttons and it really makes the phone super simple to use.

Durability
While I have never truly beat up my phone, the phone seems to be well made. It is made with solid plastic and has stood up to even the hardest of hangups. The parts are all made to be tough and it looks like they took the business environment into consideration when they made the phones. My phone gets a lot of use and it still doesn't even have any scratches or signs of wear on it after a few months of use.

Appearance
Personally, I found the Cisco 7960 series phones to be quite attractive. They come in black with silver trim for the display. They pretty much compliment the majority of offices.

Probably the biggest issue with the phone is that it does take up a lot of space, especially if you utilize the headset. I personally prefer a more minimalist approach to my office, so the phone's size does bother me somewhat, but for the most part the features are so easy to use that it truly makes up for the size of the phone.

Final Thoughts
Personally, if you have a business and you are making the decision between this phone and others, I would have to say that this particular phone is probably the best on the market at the same price point. It has a lot of features and functionality that are very easy to learn and use even for the newest of people. It is also made to be durable and really seems to work well for us.