Voipstream 101
Posted on 04. May, 2012 by KrebStar [archives]
How to transfer from the Panasonic cordless phone:
How Shared Line Appearance works:
How to customize speed dials and manage call history:
How to set up your Voipstream phone at home:
The 5 Features You Want Your Phone System to Have
Posted on 08. Dec, 2011 by KrebStar [archives]
These days phone systems can do a lot more than transfer and conference. The most modern systems come with so many features, it can be hard to separate the ones you’ll never use from the ones that can change the way you do business. Our phone system experts weigh in on the 5 most useful cutting edge features out there today:
Single number reach -Tired of leaving messages like this?: “Call me at my office… Unless it’s after 2, then call me on my cell.” With single number reach, calling one phone number rings your desk phone and your smartphone. For many, the benefits of single number reach seems superfluous, until they get used to it. Fewer missed calls, less phone tag, and more flexibility ensue. With a similar feature called Find Me Follow Me, decide on a set number of rings to your desk phone before it tries you on your home of smart phone number.
Plug & play – For those who travel, plug & play is essential for making any room with an Ethernet jack your “second office.” Plug into any Ethernet jack in the world and you keep your extension, caller ID, everything. Extension-to-extension calling works as if you were in the office. When you use your Voip phone in another country to call back to New York, and it will even bill as a local call. Continue reading “The 5 Features You Want Your Phone System to Have” »
Office Move Checklist
Posted on 20. Oct, 2011 by KrebStar [archives]
Moving offices, especially in New York City, can be an overwhelming experience. If it’s your first time at the rodeo, there are some key tasks to check off your list (listed in chronological order) (printable version):
- Get a blue print of your new space as soon as possible. You and your vendors will need to reference schematics throughout the process.
- Order your voice and data circuits. Circuit installations typically have a 4-to-6 week lead time (or longer in extenuating circumstances – i.e. a Verizon strike).
- Engage your furniture vendor as far in advance as possible, as furniture lead times can be several months.
- Determine where your new server room / IT closet will go. Be sure to confirm electrical, cooling and security requirements are met. Be sure the location is centralized enough to avoid cabling problems. Continue reading “Office Move Checklist” »
Polycom vs. Skype
Posted on 01. Oct, 2011 by KrebStar [archives]
If you’re searching for a video conferencing solution for your business, the question has probably crossed your mind: Why don’t I just use Skype? Skype is free, while professional video conferencing solutions such as Polycom can cost tens of thousands of dollars. What am I paying for? Well, let me explain:
Multi-point calling
For a long time Skype only offered one-to-one calls, making professional video conferencing the only option for multi-point video calls. Recently Skype added multi-point to their ‘Premium’ tier plan ($4.49/month), but the question of quality and reliability still remains. While Skype is well-known as an easy-to-use solution, it does not have a reputation for reliability. They have had outages that left users hanging in the past, and quality (especially on multi-point calls) can suffer depending on the internet speeds of all of the parties.
Call Quality
The great thing about Polycom video conferencing units is that both the software and the hardware are controlled by Polycom, which allows total control over quality. Even with an HD web cam, Continue reading “Polycom vs. Skype” »
Travelling with your Voipstream Phone
Posted on 09. Aug, 2011 by KrebStar [archives]
Did you know that since your VOIP phone system is “HOSTED” you can take it pretty much anywhere and your number follows? The ability to move phones around without getting the phone company involved gives you so many more options. From relocating a staff member to a different part of the office on the fly to taking the phone home with you while waiting for the plumber. You can even install it in a different country (satellite office?). Ext to ext calls to another one of your Voipstream phones will be free, and local/regional calls are applied when calling New York. Imagine calling New York from China for free. Continue reading “Travelling with your Voipstream Phone” »
Telephony Toolbar
Posted on 13. Jun, 2011 by KrebStar [archives]
Did you Know?
There is a Telephony Toolbar available for your Voipstream phone, that integrates with Outlook? (Available now for 2007, coming soon for 2010.) Continue reading “Telephony Toolbar” »
Phone System Terminology 101
Posted on 16. May, 2011 by KrebStar [archives]
If you’ve never used a phone system before and are not familiar with the terminology, here are some of the more basic terms you need to know. Office telephone systems can seem intimidating at first, but learn the basic terms and you’ll do just fine:
Announced Transfer – An announced transfer passes a call to another phone, but first allows the passer of the call to speak with the receiver of the call, so that they can “announce” the call they want to pass to them.
Auto Attendant – An Auto Attendant is an automatic recording that picks up with a caller dials the main number of the phone system. Usually this recording walks the caller through a list of extensions, and their matching departments.
Blind Transfer – A blind transfer passes a call to another phone, without announcing it to the receiver of that call beforehand. (Is sends it “blindly”.) Continue reading “Phone System Terminology 101” »
Traditional PBX vs Hosted PBX
Posted on 04. May, 2011 by Richard [archives]
When comparing PBX solutions, there is no wrong solution or better solution. As a consumer looking to integrate a voice system in your business, you should be looking for the tightest fitting solution. That means considering and balancing 4 factors – pricing, features, growth potential, service support.
First of all, let’s define a Traditional PBX and a Hosted PBX
Traditional PBX: Basically a Phone System installed in an office that routes incoming calls from telephone lines generally to phones in the office and provides features such as transfer, conference, exts for users, VM, Auto Attendants, Unified Messaging, etc. Continue reading “Traditional PBX vs Hosted PBX” »
What is Hosted PBX, and what are the benefits of HPBX?
Posted on 13. Apr, 2011 by Richard [archives]
If you’re reading this, 7 out of 10 likelihood that you’re planning something – a move, new install, upgrade, and you’re wondering if a Hosted PBX should play a role in your plan. If you’re just starting out your research, Googling “Hosted PBX” will be like opening a door to a room that is flooded to the ceiling with water. You are going to find yourself hit with a ton of vendor sites touting their particular services, forums, phone equipment sellers and the ever present wiki with +5000 words on the subject. Let me simplify it a LOT for you, so those sites can make some sense when you decide to delve deeper.
Continue reading “What is Hosted PBX, and what are the benefits of HPBX?” »
How to choose a phone system
Posted on 03. Mar, 2011 by KrebStar [archives]
You’re in the market for a phone system for your business. You saw Cisco featured on a TV show, you’ve heard of something called “Vonage”, and you’ve perused seemingly endless websites with stock images of models in pants suits smiling ear-to-ear in front of an out-of-focus office. All you want to know is: HOW DO YOU CHOOSE A PHONE SYSTEM???
Here’s what you need to know:
1. You’re not buying a phone system, you’re buying a relationship.
Most businesses change, and someone has to do all those moves, adds and changes for your phone system along the way. Until Apple decides to revolutionize office phone systems with “apps” and “intuitive design” and “flexible customization” (Which will be called The iOffice, mark my words), you’ll be buying more than a phone system. You’ll be buying a phone system that needs work. So before you buy the hardware, find out how they service your equipment. Depending on how crucial an up-to-date phone system is to your company, you’ll want to ask about guaranteed response times, service ticket fees, and what you can on your own versus what requires a phone system technician.
2. The best brand is not always the best brand.
Just because a brand is hyped doesn’t mean its right for your company. The fact is that most phone system installers are married to one brand, and they have an arsenal of reasons why their brand is the best… and they’ll pitch these reasons ’til their blue in the fact because, at the end of the day, that’s the only brand they sell. Spend some time thinking about what features you’ll need 5 years from now, go from there, and stick to your guns. Better yet, find a company that works with multiple brands. They’re out there, and they’re much more likely to help you find the right solution.
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