PABX Question

[port27374]

hi all -

unfortunately im a real newbie when it comes to telephone systems - im still trying to figure out the basics (im more of a PC/Network Support guy) - so if anyone has any articles or websites they can point me to, to learn about the basics of phone systems and VoIP i would be grateful -

rightyo - question: a friend has requested a new phone system in a small office, i believe he is trying to set up a very small call centre with 5 people manning 1 phone each - he has 1 external incoming line, and he basically has asked for a solution whereby if a call comes in it goes to the first phone (assuming the phones are somehow prioritised 1-5)... if the 1st is busy then it automatically routes it to the 2nd and so on... he also wants to be able to manually switch the call to another phone on the telephone system, call conferencing is a possible requirement but not a necessity, and he needs to be able to give outgoing call access to phones which are not engaged on incoming calls - he has also stated that if all phones are busy he would like to give the caller a mandatory "leave a message" avenue. hes budget for this project including cost of phones/equipment and cabling = £700 UK pounds. (about $1200)

Correct me if i am wrong but the best solution here would be a PABX?
Questions:
1) what BRAND/TYPE of phone would be suitable for this scale? (No need for cordless)
2) Besides the phones what other equipment will be required?
3)can the incoming line be used as a line to callout of? or will he have to lease another line to make outgoing calls if another phone is in use?
4) is the telephone system setup similar in anyway to a computer network where you have a central server controlling connected clients? could this analogy be used for some kind of control box(server) with 5 different phones conncted to it(clients)... does the server have the incoming and outgoing lines connected to it?how do i "console" into the control box and configure the desired effects?

thanks for reading - your help is much appreciated
bye

 

[bkrike]

Quote: “he has 1 external incoming line.” If this is the case- you are never going to get more than one call at a time in, so there is no need to think about routing additional calls.

So, first of all, your friend needs more lines.
Second: There is so much to know about buying and configuring a phone system that your friend should really be talking to vendors. For that size setup, I personally like Nortel.

 

[phones1]

bkrike is right you need more lines, & right again about nortel (CICS/ Compact+) this sys is feat rich & reansonably priced. But if i were you i would get a pro to install & prog.

 

[skip555]

typical call center would be one line per agent min plus a couple of extra for overflow.

nortel is nice but pricey , any small key system will do what he is looking for look at avay partner , NEC ds1000
both will handle present needs with pleanty of expansion capiblity.

as the others suggested call a pro , brand name is really not as important as the vendors competency

 

[Delster]

the Panasonic KXTD(A) systems would handle this or the 3com NBX100 which is pretty easy to administer via a web browser interface

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umm,it IS supposed to do that, right??

 

[RussellMcL]

Almost any system produced in the last 15 yers would do you. You don't even need to buy a new system - although you probably should. Get more lines, a hybrid system (giving digital extensions, and anologues so you can add an answer machine). For everything to be done, you shoudl get in a pro like said before as well.

 

[Sympology]

typical call center would be one line per agent min plus a couple of extra for overflow"

Not exactly true....it really depends on the size of the call centre and the nature of calls and work. You need to analize what they are doing most of the time. If they are only making and taking calls, then yes, more lines than people. However as we have a lot of Tech support onsite, we've found a rough 2-1 ratio has been fine (Nortel 61c + Sympsoium, a tad out of this price range..lol). We have 90 incoming and 160 agents, as much of the time, the agents don't hang around on the phones.
However as it's a small op, go with the 5 + say 2 as it's not worth paying the huge consultancy you'd need. HOWEVER, if you don't have enough staff, then this itself may pose problems, if you have 5 staff but calls can queue for 10 minutes at a time, you may end up needing a lot more line, but again, in this scenario, a busy tone may be preferable to 10 minutes of ringing.

If you want a server based phone system, you could try and get an s/h Artisofts (now Vertical) TeleVantage 5 set up, but may be difficult especially in the UK.

Stu..

Only the truly stupid believe they know everything.
Stu.. 2004

 

[phones1]

Your not wrong option 61, thats is what we call in the UK using a hammer to crack an egg.

 

[biglebowski]

look for a secondhand meridian norstar or Hicom 112/118

That rug really tied the room together, did it not?

 

[Delster]

The norstar is quite a bit harder for a newbie to administer than the likes of the 3com NBX100.
Look for something with a web browser based administration console. These normally give a fairly easy way to change configurations and call flows which can be impostant in a call centre environment.
Also an IP compatible system such as the NBX would give you plenty of room for growth and also provide CTI functionallity (useful for call centers) and the ability to provide service to more than one site if required.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
umm,it IS supposed to do that, right??

 

[jerryreeve]

For a simple call center (no reporting of calls just handling calls to the agents) you probably would find a centrex set-up works well. use athe main number as first agent with forward on busy to next number for as many as you need agents. set up one voicemail on first line/number for the leave message option and then centrex allows transfers, confrences and outgoing calls. this is assuming that UK has centrex available. your price restriction will limit you somewhat for phone systems. ;but take a look at

http://www.vikingelectronics.com/products/view_product.php?pid=5

I know that the BT had some restrictive regulations in place for equipment hookup so I cannot take a guess on wether or not this style unit can be used.

----------------------------
JerryReeve
Communications Systems Int'l
com-sys.com

 

[Delster]

Centrex is available in the UK, it's also known as featurenet 5000 over there.
However that would not be the most cost efficient solution over the long run. A basic panasonic system with a capacity for 6 lines can be purchased for around 600 euros + cost of phones. This would just need the lines and some basic programming to fit the requirements

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
umm,it IS supposed to do that, right??

 

[phones1]

it all depends on which type of line you need to support, for ISDN look at norstar compact+ (CICCS) and for analogue lines try panasonic KXTES range. BOth cheap for what they are

 

[Delster]

personally i would go with NBX100 rather then Norstar compact for ISDN (BRI) lines.
It's easier to administer (i've worked on both) with a nice web browser front end and can offer VoIP and PC soft phones if required. it should also be a comparible or slightly lower cost than the norstar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
umm,it IS supposed to do that, right??

 

[ISDNman]

Siemens HiCom is excellent for ISDN. There are many UK vendors that sell parts. Easy to sell administer.

 

[phones1]

ISDNman i used to work for Siemens, & us engines used to say the only good Hicom is a Knackered one, Theirs only one good siemens switch & that the DX

 

[ISDNman]

Phones1

funny you should say that as my expeirence with the HiPath has been bad. The HiPath stuff seems to work, but I'll admit my experience is somewhat limited.

 

[johnpoole]

nortel northstar, ics, or bcm 6 by 16 expandable to much larger. small key system.. hipath is not bad, but 4 tons of software for very seldom used features. nortel can be installed in a day by most end users.. imo,, btw, system grading depends on office type. a gas station, 2 lines 6 phones is to many lines.. a sells office, 8 lines 6 phones, very comfortable.. even if all 6 people are doing cold calling, you don't want that one call back to get a busy, voice mail or acd que etc.. i work on a site with 8000 phones, and we are never all trunks busy with 800 lines

john poole
bellsouth business
columbia,sc

 

[ISDNman]

Phones 1 -

I meant to say my experience with HiCom has been good, but not HiPath.

 

[avayaconsultant]

I would recommend for this small of a center for you to look at the Avaya IP Office. It has several flavors and will support you needs now and into the future. With your background in data/pc arena, this box is ideal for you. It would actually be fairly easy to migrate you in to. You learning curve as an admin is minimal on the IP Office. Feel free to get in touch if you need further info. Great system and rock solid. The system is ready for digital Avaya phones, standard analog phones or IP Phones. So many options, so many decisions.

Chris