Review of the Avaya 9508 Phone for Avaya Business Phone Systems

 

 

When Avaya first introduced the IP Office, the choices in phone sets was limited. Now, nearly 8 years later, there are a host of options to pick from- even legacy Nortel, AT&T, and a select few other brands can operate on the new phone system. For a complete discussion on Nortel phones usable on Avaya IP Office, click this link to open a new page. In the 9000 series of phones, the Avaya 9508 is a cost effective, beautiful, and functional option that would make a great choice for any user.

 

The Avaya 9508, a good looking, reliable phone

Out of the options availabel to users today, we are very happy with the 9000 series of phones. The previous 5400 series from Avaya, while functional and beautifully designed, lacked a choice with a high compliment of buttons. The Avaya 9508, while at first appearing to only have eight programmable soft keys, actually has many more than that. The large display is able to scroll through screens, changing the buttons on either side of the screen in an instant. These programmable soft keys can be used as line appearance, dss/ blf, or feature keys. In the center of the phone are nine (9) pre- programmed function keys including Headset, Volume, Call History, Speaker and other commonly used features. Included in these are a voice mail button which illuminates with messages, and a directional pad for working in the screen. The giant LCD display also has four (4) soft keys.

Physical layout of the Avaya 9508 phone for Business

In addition to a wealth of buttons, the telephone also has two ways of sitting on the desk, a more raised vertical position and a flatter, more standard “telephone” position. The back- lit screen adjusts to work with either pose and the handset is secured in both as well.

 

The large screen displays a wealth of information, showing call history, features on the programmable soft keys which line either side of the screen, and caller information.

 

Visual Voice Mail on the Avaya 9508

What is probably a favorite feature on the Avaya 9508 is the integrated Visual Voice mail. Many people may be unfamiliar with this feature; however this is fast becoming a FAVORITE element of the phone for our customers.  Basically, after the voicemail button is pressed, users can use the three soft keys beneath the screen for quickly moving through the voicemail utilizing playback options such as:

• Listen / Pause- Start/stop playback of the currently displayed message.
• Delete- Delete the message.
• More- Switch between the different sets of available soft key functions.
• Save- Mark the message as saved. Saved messages are not normally automatically deleted.
• Copy- Copy the message to another mailbox.
• Call- Call the person who left the message.

 

Conclusion on the Avaya 9508

If you are used to a Nortel phone, then the Avaya 9508 will seem like a huge leap forward. Not only is it simple to use, it also is far more functional. Other users coming from legacy PBX equipment will also appreciate its styling and simplicity. All in all, the large screen is beautiful and feature rich. We love this phone!