Phone Systems

Hello everyone

Sun, 5 Sep 2010 04:34:00 GMT

elviscameu

Hi did you hear on the radio how the troops are leaving Iraq?

Who want to comment on this?

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Insurance Blog

September 4 2010, 09:34 PM

Which systems are compatible with FIOS Digital Voice?

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:28:13 GMT

Ted

I am looking for a small-business phone system that is compatible with Verizon FIOS Digital Voice.

Our offices have 4-lines and I need most standard office features: Paging, Roll-Down, Intercom, Call Transfer as well as Voice Mail.

Thanks

March 23 2010, 09:28 AM

What's the best phone system for me?

Sat, 6 Dec 2008 07:40:21 GMT

Jake

Hello all!

I'm looking to get a phone system similar to RCA's model #25425. It has everything we need, except for a few major problems.

1) When the call is transferred, the user hears a screwy click noise before being transferred (I've only heard it when the auto-attendant is transferring the user).
2) The auto-attendant doesn't allow for nested messages; instead, the user has to be directed to another phone base and that phone's auto-attendant must pick up the call. What I want to have happen is this:

"Hello, you've reached [so-and-so], for hours of operation and directions, please press 1...to speak to [person x], please press 1...to speak to [person y], please press 2."

-> once the person presses 1, another message begins to play, reciting the hours of operations and directions. The way it works with RCA's model, once the user presses a number, the call is immediately transferred to a phone with that ID. So in the end if we want to use RCA's phones, we'd have to purchase a whole other base unit JUST to have that nested message play.

3) The auto-attendant picks up on all lines...it can't be specified to pick up on one line only...and neither on transferred calls vs. incoming.

4) We can only record the greetings over speakerphone...so the playback contains scratchy noises due to the sound of other devices in the room (as well as air flow over the phone itself).

So if anyone can offer a better alternative than this, please do!

December 5 2008, 11:40 PM

Jake

Sorry, a few typos...

The 'speak to [person (x)]' numbers should be shifted up one.

Also, the auto-attendant continues on with the recording for a second or two AFTER the user has selected an option...this leads to plenty of confusion.

On top of that, there's no way to individually set the option to mute for a certain # of rings based on what line the call is coming in on.

3 mins since original post

Kirbey Hess

Jake,

I forwarded you an email with my response.

1 week, 2 days since original post

How do I get cordless phones working with Talkswitch?

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 22:16:03 GMT

Neobits, Inc.

Talkswitch has analog extension ports. This means that any regular analog phone, e.g. a phone you can plug in at home, will work with Talkswitch.

This is also true for cordless phones, whether they're 900MHz, 2.4GHz, 5.8GHz or the new DECT frequencies 1.9GHz and others. So in principle, you can use any off-the-shelf cordless phone with Talkswitch. We've got a nice selection here:
http://www.neobits.com/_s134.html

However there are several scenarios, and depending on your needs, different best solutions apply.
1- Piggback scenario. A user primarily has a desk phone, but also needs to walk around with a cordless. In this case you have two choices -
a). get a wireless headset. Pros - nothing to carry - the headset hangs on your ear or head, and is completely cordfree. Buttons on the earpiece allow you to pick up and hang up the receiver remotely. Both hands remain free while you talk. Cons - these are not cheap, and they don't have a dial pad so you can't initiate call from them.
b). split the cable going to the desk phone and plug in the base of a cordless into the other branch of the splitter. Pros - low cost solution - essentially you have two phones connected to one extension. Also you can initiate calls from the cordless phone. Cons - not handsfree (unless you get a headset for the cordless, or get a cordless phone with integrated headset), and generally bulky.

Note that this solution is not wireless to the Talkswitch itself - you still need a cable from the Talkswitch to the desk.

2- True cordless. For this to happen the base has to be setup physically next to the Talkswitch. However there are issues with this idea. You can't put multiple cordless bases in close proximity since they will likely interfere with each other. Secondly, the handset usually sits on the base to be charged, and the Talkswitch will often be in a closet or other location where it's inconvenient to take the handset frequently. The solutions are:
a). get a cordless with a base, and an extension handset with its own charger. Put the base in the closet, and the charger on the desk. This will work if you just need one cordless.
b). get a four-line base that allows each line to be routed only to one cordless handset. Put the base in the closet, and the handsets with their chargers on the desks. This is the ideal solution, since it allows extension privacy, and handling multiple cordless without dealing with multiple bases. An example is: http://www.neobits.com/do/search?st=airway

NOTE: Today, with Talkswitch, there is no way to see on your phone which inbound line is ringing. This is true for both cordless and corded phones.

January 22 2007, 02:16 PM

How many phone lines do I need?

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 16:43:02 GMT

Neobits, Inc.

The number of phone lines you need EQUALS the maximum number of simultaneous calls you want to be able to handle.

For example, say you have 2 phone lines.
Line 1: 303-555-1000
Line 2: 303-555-1001
Your published number is 303-555-1000. Everybody calls this number. (Or you've got a toll free number that points to 303-555-1000 - same thing).

First call comes in - gets to the phone system on line 1. Second call comes in while line 1 is busy, the telco rolls it over to 303-555-1001 (hunting/rollover service required), and it gets to the phone system on line 2.

Now a THIRD call comes in to your main number. There are only two possibilities at this point.
1- the caller gets a busy signal
2- the call goes to PHONE COMPANY voicemail (if you've got that setup)

The first option is the least desirable of course. The second option is also not great, but is a good way to assess what kind of call volume you're getting. If you suspect you may be getting more than two calls at once, it's a good idea to setup telco voicemail. If you're getting a lot of voicemail there, then it's time to get more phone lines.

The best way to handle this situation is to have enough phone lines that you can always receive a phone call into your phone system, so YOU can decide how you want to handle it. This may require an upgrade to your phone system so it can physically handle more phone lines.

VoIP offers other choices. Some phone systems and voip service providers (ITSPs) allow you to have multiple calls on a single registration. In principle you can have a situation where the inbound calls are coming in on a VoIP number, with no limits on the number of simultaneous calls except those imposed by the bandwidth you have. This will be the subject of a separate posting.

December 21 2006, 08:43 AM

What is DID, and how does it work?

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 02:08:58 GMT

Neobits, Inc.

DID = direct inward dialing.

DID allows each employee to have their own phone number (not a main number followed by an extension, but a complete private phone number).

DID is now generally offered only with a T1/PRI service. For example a PRI can have upto 23 voice channels, but you can have as many phone numbers ringing in on those 23 lines as you want. A company may have 200 employees, each with their own phone number.

The way DID works is that the telco sends information regarding which number was called in a string of digits sent along with the call. The phone system must be capable of capturing these digits, and handle calls for that number in a predefined manner. For example, the phone system may send calls for 303-123-4567 to internal extension 145. Thus Joe Smith, who is a x-145, has a private number 303-123-4567. Even if Joe gets a second and a third call at the same time, as long as there's a line free, he'll get that call.

Further enhancements to DID:
1- if the phone system has a flexible extension number plan, e.g. you can create extensions 4500-4600 (and perhaps map these to the phone system's internal extensions 100-199), then Joe Smith can have extension x-4567. Internal extension to extension calls, or calls hitting the auto attendant can dial 4567, and reach Joe Smith. Since these are the last four digits of his DID number, it makes it easy to reach Joe.
2- if Joe makes an outgoing call from his extension, the phone system can transmit information to the telco saying an extension belonging to 303-123-4567 is making the call. The telco can then transmit that number as the caller ID. So if the called party wants to call back the number they got a call from, they'll reach Joe Smith directly, instead of reaching the company's auto attendant.

DID service is generally only available on T1/PRI service, it can only work on phone systems that can directly handle a T1/PRI circuit. Of the systems Neobits carries, Allworx, Zultys and Avaya are some examples of systems that have this capability.

December 17 2006, 06:08 PM

How does call waiting work with a phone system?

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 01:59:19 GMT

Neobits, Inc.

This question often comes up when one started out with one phone line with call waiting to handle a second simultaneous call, but now feels the need to handle more phone calls and/or desires a more professional sounding phone system.

Bottom line:
1- Call waiting cannot be handled by a phone system
2- Call waiting and hunting/rollover (more on this below) are mutually exclusive, i.e. you can't have both

If you have a single phone lines connected to a phone system, and a second call comes in on that line, the caller will hear a ring, but that call cannot be answered by the phone system (e.g. by an auto attendant). In some cases, the 'call waiting beep' may still be transmitted through the system to the phone, and you may be able to 'flash over' to it (assuming the phone system doesn't interpret the flash as something else) - but this scenario rarely works and is not recommended.

If you want the second call to be answered and handled by the phone system, you need it to come in on a second phone line. Since you generally want to publish only one main number, this requires a phone company service called hunting or rollover (not expensive - should cost around $1/mo). When the first line is busy, a second call coming in on that number is 'rolled over' to the second line, and now arrives at the phone system on your second line. Now it can be handled like any other incoming call (e.g. auto attendant, ring the operator, etc.).

You can now see why call waiting and rollover are mutually exclusive. The telco can EITHER send a call waiting beep on the first line, OR send the call on a second line, but not both.

If you feel your business is going to continue to grow and you'll need to handle three or more calls at the same time, call waiting is not an option at all, and you must choose rollover.

December 17 2006, 05:59 PM

Caller ID - how does it work with a phone system?

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 01:46:58 GMT

Neobits, Inc.

Three things are required for caller ID to work when you have a phone system:
1- You must have caller ID service from your phone company on all your phone lines.
NOTE: It's not enough to have it on one line, since if a call comes in on a line that doesn't have the service, caller ID won't show.
2- The phone system must be able to capture CID and send it to the phones. Many phone systems have this feature built in. Talkswitch, Epygi, Allworx, Zultys, and others are examples. Certain phone systems offer optional Caller ID cards - Panasonic Advanced hybrid is one example of such a system.
3- The phones themselves must be capable of displaying Caller ID (i.e. should have an LCD screen with CID capability).

December 17 2006, 05:46 PM