Recently, we interviewed Ryan Trendell, National Account Manager from Doro, a Swedish company that is developing telecom products specially adapted to the growing worldwide population of seniors. We wanted to learn a little more about Doro’s PhoneEasy 337IP IP Phone.
Below is a summary of our call.
[VoIPon] So Ryan, what sort of challenges have you overcome in bringing the PhoneEasy 337IP to its target market?
[Ryan Trendell, Doro] Well, I think the biggest thing is mindset, really. As most people, when they think of IP, they just think of technology, technology, technology, and not about the end user that is going to be using the phone. IP is great for an office solution but how would an 80 year old use any of the other IP phones in the market today?
[VoIPon] How has the PhoneEasy been received?
[Ryan Trendell, Doro] Well, I think we’ve had some pretty good feedback. Alistair Colville from Colville Care has trialed this in one of his care homes. He’s running on a Microsoft 3CX, and is really impressed with the design. And when he upgrades his care homes he will be upgrading with the 337IP
[VoIPon] So how does this product benefit seniors and the business customers that are servicing them, such as retirement villages, care homes and clubs for active seniors?
[Ryan Trendell, Doro] I think the benefit to the senior would be it is easy to use. It’s got big buttons— nice separation on the keys, large font on the display; it’s got a light weight handset; and it is hearing aid compatible.
The benefit to the business customer is that they can now offer a big button, easy to use IP phone for care homes. A lot of care homes are now moving into IP from old analog phone systems. And the main reason they are switching is purely because it gives them a better efficiency really. They can have a quicker turnaround for rooms which then means they can maximize on revenue, which is what they are all about, really.
[VoIPon] Excellent, so where do you think the market for these types of products is headed?
[Ryan Trendell, Doro] Well the need for assistive technology products will grow every year because people are living longer, healthier lives. However within IP, I think that it is a case that care homes need to realize that IP within their business could help them save money, time and be more efficient.
[VoIPon] Are there any new developments coming for this product you can share that VoIPon’s listeners should know about?
[Ryan Trendell, Doro] Well we’ve got a lot of developments in assistive technology, but in IP at the moment there is nothing planned as of yet, but that’s not to say we won’t be looking at things in the future.
Businesses can purchase the PhoneEasy 337IP through distributors like VoIPon.
