The Poly Edge E Series IP desk phones have already received multiple certifications, including a Zoom Phone certification from the outset.
In an interview with UC Today, Gavin Sear, Director of Theatre Product Marketing at Poly, said: “They were certified by Zoom from day one, and we have also received another ten provider certifications and all the providers are really excited about these new desk phones”.
The series comprises of nine different desk phones, ranging from the E100 up to the E550. Features include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC (near field communication) technology, Poly NoiseBlockAI and acoustic fencing, text-to-speech, and font options, and Microban® antimicrobial protection.
The capabilities of the Edge E Series increase as the series number gets bigger. The Poly Edge E100 and E220, for example, have 2-line and 4-line keys with a 2.8” display, HD voice, NoiseBlockAI, Acoustic Fence, a desk stand and a wall mount. By contrast, the E500 series has 12-line keys, a 5” display that supports up to 48 lines, Bluetooth 5.0 (on the E550), NoiseBlockAI, Acoustic Fence, HD voice and a bass-enhancing speaker.
Sear describes the flexible deployment options for the desk phones: “The Edge E series is designed for hybrid working and people working in an ever-changeable office set up.
“You can easily pair your mobile phone and your headset to these phones using its built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. For those home workers, the IT service providers can configure these phones while they are still in the box using their NFC tags. You don’t even need to take them out.
“You can configure these phones so when you take one home, it will seamlessly boot up and log you in to your profile.”
Sear also shed light on Poly’s thinking behind introducing a new hybrid desk phone series. He pointed to Frost and Sullivan data, which found that 47% of workers are going to be hybrid going forward and 30% of office spaces are going to be dedicated to hoteling or hot desking. They also predict about 30% of companies surveyed are going to provide desk phones for people working from home.
Due to the demand, reflected in these Frost and Sullivan reports, Poly decided to design a new desk phone series that would be suited to hot desking, office and home working. They were also made with IT service providers in mind who would be able to customise the phones for hybrid working.
The phones have been made easier to set up and support through their Poly Lens integration. Poly Lens provides insights and visibility to help manage employee devices. It can onboard thousands of devices and offer ease of access to accounts with role-based permissions. Crucially for the Edge E Series, it works with compatible devices no matter whether they are located at home or in the office.
Poly recently displayed the Edge E Series at UC Expo, at which time it was also able to reveal its Zoom Phone certification. Around the same time Poly also announced a Teams certification for the Poly G7500 video conferencing system and a Teams certification for the Poly Studio X70 expected in November. Its Poly Studio X30 and X50 video bars were also re-certified.
Sear explained what sets the Edge E Series apart from other IP desk phones: “We have put in Microban technology, which provides protection throughout the life of the product, so it really reduces the risk of spreading germs.
“Another key differentiator is ease of use. If someone comes into the office with their Android mobile phone and they want to sit down in a hot desk environment, the desk phone will detect the mobile and ask if you want to connect. You can then seamlessly pair your mobile phone to the desk phone.
“Service providers can even port over your contacts to the desk phone so you can make use of the audio features of the desk phones like the NoiseBlock AI, acoustic fence, and the Poly signature audio quality. This means you can use your desk phone to enhance your mobile phone call quality.”
If you are interested in finding out more about the Poly Edge E Series, you can visit its website.
