As a highly reputable and well-known global IT and Telecoms company that helps businesses “seize the opportunities of tomorrow” buy building innovative and forward-thinking communication tools, Cisco is a brand attracts much attention from business owners wanting to bring their company into the 21st century – but is this brand right for your business?
Fortunately, in order to help you answer this question we have written a review on one of the brands most popular products: the Cisco IP Phone 8865 (released in Summer, 2015). Although the 8865 has many features, the main selling point is the video display and built in camera specifically designed for two way video conversation.
Look and feel – would this phone suit your office?
Available in both steel grey and off-white colouring, the 8865 boasts a simple, minimalist design that merges top-of-the line video calling technology with an easy-to-use navigation system that can be mastered in minutes. Sleek, cool and very much a phone for the modern age, the 8865 offers affordable access to high quality HD video communications and would look great on the desk of just about any employee (or employer). In aesthetical terms, we cannot fault the design and feel that it would be a valuable asset to anyone looking to modernise the office space of his or her business.
What can it do?
Featuring a 5-inch widescreen VGA (800×480 pixel), 24-bit 24-bit colour display combined with a 720p HD in-built camera, the 8865 is a desktop phone designed specifically for delivering high quality, face-to-face video conversations for businesses. In an age where video calling is becoming more and more popular, investing in a phone like this is undoubtedly a mark of progress and a wise move for the future.
As well as this, the 8865 also features Exceptional voice clarity and HD audio to ensure that every conversation made is clear and interruptions on the line are kept to an absolute minimum. When combined with the high quality face-to-face interaction offered by the camera and display, this feature enables users to collaborate with ease and every phone call feels as though they are stood directly in front of the person they are speaking to.
Also, thanks the Cisco Intelligent Proximity for Mobile Voice feature, the 8865 allows users to easily pair their mobile device with their desktop phone for fast, easy access to contact numbers, call logs etc. As well as saving time, this feature also improves productivity and ensures users are able to access important information directly from their desk phone as soon as it’s needed.
What are our favourite bits?
Without a doubt the thing that impressed us most, as many other people will probably agree, is the amazing video conversation capabilities and the high-quality face-to-face calls that can be made on this device. Not only is it highly evolved idea that offers businesses a stepping stone into the future, it is also very easy to navigate though meaning that even the least tech-savvy user shouldn’t struggle mastering how to use this device.
What didn’t we like about it?
Due to the minimal design, some people who work in jobs that require a phone that offers quick and easy access to a high number of features directly from their desktop phone may find the lack of feature keys on this device rather frustrating. However, if this is the case, the 8865 also has a Series Key Expansion Module (purchased separately) that can offer up to 36 extra programmable line and feature keys per module.
Who would benefit most from this phone?
As we have already mentioned, video calling is fast becoming one of the most popular methods of communication so purchasing in the phone could be a wise investment for the future of businesses of all sizes. Also, for companies where it is often not possible for staff members to have in-person meetings on a regular basis i.e. multi-site or trans-national businesses, the 8865 is a great way to ensure the face-to-face communications remain consistent so ideas and objectives can be shared more clearly.
How compatible is this phone?
Compatible with all Cisco phone systems, the phone is very flexible and, thanks to the Cisco Spark Phone OS can be deployed via Cisco on-premises, from the Cisco cloud, or in a hybrid configuration.
Where to buy and for how much?
After a quick Google search, we can see that the Cisco IP Phone 8865 is currently available on Amazon for retail price of $324.00/£255. For all the features available on this device we feel that this price is more than reasonable.
What do we think?
After taking into consideration both the price of this handset and the many features it offers to business users, we can’t help but feel that this is a real bargain that offers so much potential to any companies wanting to bring their systems of communication into the 21st century and get their feet on the ladder, as it were.
Having said that, this is only our opinion and what really matter are the opinions of people who have used this device in an active business setting. So, if you have had an experience with this device (good or bad), please feel free to leave a comment or review at the bottom of this page to help other prospective buyers make the right decision.
