BCM SRG 1

[BizFoneGuy]

I need to know from anyone on here about the benefits to using a BCM as an SRG vs using VOIP trunks etc?

I gather if SRG is used then dedicated circuits must be put in place between switches to carry the traffic?

If someone has ballpark pricing on the SRG software, I'd like to know that as well and from I understand it can only be loaded on 50,200,400 and not 1000?

Any details on this type of installation or software would be appreciated. I'm looking at networking a lot of BCM's to Meridian Succession 3.0

 

[biv343]

SRG is handy in some respects, but lacking in others. Local mode functionality (if the WAN is down) is virtually non existent. You can transfer, last number redial and hold. When the WAN is up, it's full CSE functionality. That being said, when the world is happy, you shouldn't ever be in local mode.

If you plan on using the local PSTN trunks at the SRG site for outbound dialing, plan on quite a bit of work on the CSE end to make it work. Inbound isn't any big deal, but outbound is essentially the same as a Succession Branch Office setup.

You don't necessarily need to have dedicated circuits to connect the SRG to the CSE, but that all depends on the number of virtual trunks you plan on using.

Ballpark pricing on the SRG 1.0 keycode is between $800-1000 depending on where you purchase from. Pricing for SRG 50 isn't yet available as it's not yet GA.

SRG isn't supported on the BCM 1000 platform, only 200/400 and soon to be GA SRG 50.

I've worked on both BCM networked to a CSE and the SRG platform. Coming from the Norstar/BCM background, I'd prefer a networked BCM over SRG any day. Much less headaches and finger pointing. The only major loss I see with a networked BCM over SRG is the loss of Virtual Office if going with networked BCM's. If your users don't travel from site to site, then that's not a big deal.

Hope this helps.

 

[BizFoneGuy]

If your using the BCM vs the SRG format. I know you'd tie together using VOIP TRUNKS. If the central Succession 3.0 was processing ACD calls is there a way to configure the BCM in order to have the calls overflow back or off to other offices if the branch office was busy? I take it you would have to have ACD Keycodes in each branch office in each office for ACD to work? If this was the case, reporting would have to also be processed on a branch by branch basis and not from the central ACD where the Succession switch was located. Currently their reports are centralized as they have been achieving the branch arrangements by using MCK line extenders & a fibre link from another meridian back to the head office. This method allowed them to deliver to branch offices and pull back the call and deliver it to another office if the wait time was too long. Could this be achieved by using BCM's in each of the branches and VOIP trunking? Could the calls be re-routed on extended wait times by overflow of call forward? ACD keys and Reporting Keys would be required at each branch?

 

[BizFoneGuy]

I'm still looking for more information or comparisons on how call processing differs between the two set-ups, specifically on ACD applications. If VOIP Trunking is used, does each remote BCM require an ACD key? Is there anyway to accomplish overflow between offices if wait times are excessive? In the BCM manual it attempts to show one central BCM with ACD branching out to different offices using VOIP trunks. Comments from anyone on this?

Thanks in advance for any direction on this.

 

[biv343]

You can use standalone BCM's with ACD keycodes overflowing to each other in a no agents/timer scenario. One issue with this is that you don't have centralized reporting, unless calls were all taken at a hub site then overflowed to remotes - you would be able to tell which calls overflowed from the main site. You would have to pay pretty close attention to the call center rules, otherwise you could potentially have calls overflowing all over the map.

SRG offers one nice feature in that you can have a centralized Symposium/Symposium Express/Basic ACD call center that all the remotes can log directly into, since as far as Symposium is concerned the SRG sets live at the main office. You can direct inbound calls from the SRG sites to Symposium and let the scripting handle it from there.

It might be more cost effective to go with SRG versus networked BCMs in your environment, especially since they could keep their centralized reporting.

If I were in your shoes, I'd look towards SRG - I think you'll find that your management will be less than trying to maintain X number of separate call centers.

 

[BizFoneGuy]

BIV343 Thanks!

So what you're confirming is that you'd have to put ACD & reporting keycodes in each remote as well as VOIP Trunking. Overflow although functional would be single step rather than centrally distributed from the Symposium. This I take it would make understanding reports a little grey? You'd get a total count of say 1-800 coming into the Symposium, but after it got sent to a specific office if it got overflowed once or twice it would be a chore to interpret?

So going back to the SRG, is it stable? How many voip trunks could be run over a dedicated high speed internet circuit handling only this traffic as apposed to a dedicated point to point data circuit? I understand on incoming calls you said they could be channelled to head office. Is this routing programmed on the BCM or on the Succession? On outgoing, using local trunks instead of head office, do you program the routing through the BCM or Succession? Do you have the CD for SRG that I could get or Buy from you so that I could read up on it?
Thanks again.

 

[biv343]

Exactly - you'd be hard pressed to tell what exactly was happening from a reporting standpoint if using networked BCM's with skillsets overflowing all across the board.

SRG is as stable as your data network. I haven't had any issues with the SRG itself - all it really does is provide UTPS for the sets, and redirect them to the main office. If you use local trunking, then it handles redirecting the lines/trunks to the main office.

Your call routing is programmed in both locations - you build the SRG same as you would build a BCM with IP sets, except you point the lines to the local mode DN's which differ from the main office TN's. In normal mode, the local mode DN is redirected by the SRG to the MOTN/BUID which is specified in the SRG. You can also use the "forward all calls" option on the lines to forward calls to the main office.

Outgoing calling gets interesting, as you need to "append" unique digits to the outbound calls, then absorb those digits on the SRG to send the calls to the PSTN. Pay close attention to the remote access packages on the SRG and branch office zone dialing plan info on the main office. Where the calls get sent depends on the zone that the phone is built in - make sure that each site has a unique zone, otherwise you'll have big problems with it comes to 911.

Go ahead and download the SRG docs from this link.

http://s32.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=09DZE3N11EXUJ373PHUQUL7QH3

 

[BizFoneGuy]

BIV343 Thanks!

I'm going to read through the documentation. Af few questions that would help. If IP sets (remote agents) are put up off a remote BCM, do those sets have the same log-in capability that the Norstar Sets on the SRG in that they log into the Central Symphony ACD etc? Thus, they receive queue calls, direct inline calls etc. DID's from a costing standpoint could all be centralized unless you want a local DID numbers? Do you know what is required on the Meridian/Succession 3.0 side? What investment is required there to interface to the remote SRG software BCMs? Is that investment per port/station based or a hardware software combination? Any ideas on that previous question of what can be squeezed over a dedicated internet access at the remote (perhaps a certain set/bandwith ratio/guess? The central would be well equipped with a fiber internet access. Remotes offices I would guess would be less than 12-20 agents. 12 in house and allowing for some IP home based off the remote sites.

 

[biv343]

Thing to remember is that ALL Norstar features are lost when the system is converted to SRG - the feature button is gone, even in local mode. That being said, IP sets at the remote sites are seen as local to the Succession, so they could log into Symposium as if they were at the main site. SRG's support IP and analog sets only - Norstar digital sets do not work on SRG.

The Succession side requires virtual trunks (or H.323 access ports as they are called now in the 4.0 workd) to network to the SRG's. I believe that's all thats required, provided you've got the sig servers to register the SRGs to. Since the virtual trunks aren't allocated to a particualr site, you can have a pool of them that service multiple sites - I have a customer with 6 SRG's sharing 16 access ports. Virtual trunks are only used when calls come in from/terminate to a PSTN connection, not for station to station calling.

Bandwidth requirements are dependent on codec used - I'd go with G.729 if going over a VPN scenario. It's difficult to predict voice quality or number of possible calls in a VPN environment as there are all sorts of variables in the connection. If you have the same ISP at both ends, that makes a difference. If they are dissimilar ISPs, then your traffic has to travel that many more "hops" to get to the final destination.

 

[BizFoneGuy]

BIV343,

If a BCM is converted to an SRG, does it still support remote VOIP sets? If so, that means they don't use a feature key to log into the symposium?

It also mentions in the docs that if a unit is converted to an SRG, it cannot be converted back at a later date? If the feature key no longer works, does that mean all keycodes (like an ACD) are lost? Is that correct?, or can it be later restored if the application is no longer required and the programming restored with it's original keycodes?

 

[3Sixty]

If you convert to an SRG there is no way back to a BCM.

Marshall

http://www.marshallshouse.co.uk

 

[biv343]

A SRG 50 can be converted back to a BCM 50 by means of a level 2 reset. But as Marshall mentioned, a BCM 200 or 400 that has had the SRG keycode applied is an SRG forever, or at least until the MSC card is replaced and the hard drive reimaged.

You could apply the SRG keycode to a BCM with other keycodes applied, but you'd be throwing those keycodes out the window. Buy a new chassis and save the existing BCM for another site.

Thing to remember is that in SRG mode, the phones use the Meridian/CSE/Succession feature set. The only part that looks like a BCM to the administrator is the local trunking and local mode phone set programming.