With a brand as humungous as Samsung, it almost seems a little patronising to describe what kind of company they are and what kind of products they create…having said that, what you may not have realised is that along with consumer products such as televisions, smartphones and tablets, Samsung also makes enterprise level communication products that are designed specifically for business use.
With this in mind, throughout this article we shall be reviewing one of their flagship business communication tools, the Samsung SMT-i5343, giving you the low down on what advantages it can offer businesses, what kind of businesses would benefit from it and what we feel makes this a good or bad purchase for business use.
Look and feel – would the SMT-i5343 suit your office?
With its sleek and stylish feature-rich black design, it’s hard to imagine a desktop that this phone wouldn’t look good on. With its 4.3″ TFT colour display hovering neatly over a seabed of 10 programmable buttons (extendable to 90 with the addition of Bluetooth fed mobile devices and/or add on modules) the Samsung SNMT-i5343 sings a song of luxury and promises to help boost productivity of employees whilst simultaneously improving the mobility of businesses as a whole.
What can the SMT-15343 do?
To get started, we first have to mention the incredible mobility features available on this phone. Thanks to its powerful Wi-Fi technology, the SMT-i5343 IP phone can be both wired and wirelessly connected, ensuring no more time is wasted trying to install phone lines or hiring a specialist to come in and make sure every wire goes in the right place etc. All that is really needed to get this phone working is a power outlet then you’re good to go from pretty much any location.
With this, the HD Voice quality, an in-built camera and a 4.3″ TFT colour display means that users can engage in high quality audio and video conversations with clients and other staff members, participate in long-distance meetings and discuss important business matters face-to-face with minimal effort.
Also, one of the other things we found impressive was the inclusion of the Bluetooth Technology application that allows users to easily pair wireless headsets/handsets and mobile devices with their desktop phone at the click of a button and allows all calls to be transferred from/to another device using Samsung’s Call Move function.
We were also very happy to see how the Samsung has incorporated the NFC Tap for Hot Desking feature into the SMT i5343 to further aid the mobility options of its users. With this feature, users are able to easily use their mobile devices to log in/out of the IP phone using the NFC feature, meaning the mobile device can function exactly like a desktop phone but can be carried around at all times and in any location.
What are our favourite bits?
Offering both power and style, we love the aesthetics of the SMT i5343 and feel that it just looks… cool. Though appearances are often irrelevant when compared with features, we believe that an office filled with Samsung phones is akin to an office filled with Apple computers and definitely gives an impression of a chic forward-thinking business.
Having said that, we also really loved the NFC Tap for Hot Desking feature and feel that it is a great tool for improving the mobility of users, especially for sales-based businesses where employees often spend a great portion of their time out in the field and away from their desks.
What didn’t we like about it?
For users that require access to a high number of functions from their desk phone, the number of programmable keys present on the device does seem a little limited. However, thanks to the Samsung Deskphone Manager software, users can easily configure their smartphones and tablets to act as add-on-modules to instantly increase the number of features (up to 99) that can be utilised during every call.
Who would benefit most from this phone?
When you take into consideration how much this phone aids and improves the mobility of its users, we believe that anybody working in a fast paced office environment where staying in one place drastically hinders productivity would benefit hugely from the SMT i5343. For instance, as we mentioned previously, any sales based companies whose employees spend many of their working hours outside of the office could benefit from a device that allows them to easily access all of the functions, contacts and calls from their desk phone at the click of a button.
How compatible is this phone?
The Samsung SMT i5343 is compatible with all Samsung OfficeServ and Communication Manager Express phone systems.
Where to buy and for how much?
After a quick Google search, we can see that The Samsung SMT i5343 is currently available from various online suppliers for an approximate retail price of £280.00/$350.00. For all the features available on this device we feel that this price is more than reasonable.
What do we think?
As we have already said, we believe this is a fantastic device for anybody looking to improve the mobility of their businesses and would be a great accompaniment to any sales-based environment where the freedom to come and go whenever necessary is hugely advantageous.
However, if you feel differently about this or believe the phone is more suitable to other working environments we would love to hear what you have to say in the comments section located at the bottom of this page. Here you are free to be as critical as you desire and you can even contribute to an overall rating system that lets prospective buyers know exactly how reliable this phone is.
