I have a TalkSwitch customer that wanted to have two remote extensions in a corporate office in a different state. I have managed remote extensions for some time. They are a major cost savings, and work wekk, but configuring the routers and/or firewalls on both sides can be hairy.
TalkSwitch has been designed for this from the ground up however. All you have to do is to set the remote phones up with the public address of the system. The remote phones automatically establish a connection back to the TalkSwitch, which is used for both inbound and outbound calls. Thus, no firewall/router changes required!
The creates some interesting possibilities. Imagine an employee working temporarily at a customer site, hotel room, or any other location with a network connection just plugging their phone into the network and being immediately connected to the corporate phone system. Very powerful!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
SIP Circuit While You Wait!
We did our first TalkSwitch install today using a new (to us) VOIP provider, netVortex. From the time we began, we had SIP dial tone in 15 minutes. Despite Sonicwall's reputation for poor VOIP support, our TZ190 was easy to configure.
The value of VOIP circuits is really coming into focus. Imagine a business needing an additional line. If they already have a VOIP phone system, they can literally have their circuit the same day. No more holding for 20 minutes to get the next available agent, only to spend 15 minutes waiting for them to get through a cumbersome order system, so you can wait days for a new phone line which you will overpay for.
In their latest release, TalkSwitch has added features to make VOIP setup even easier. They have incorporated a firewall test, to make sure the necessary ports are open. You can also setup a new SIP phone by simply plugging it into the network, and entering an unused extension on the phone.
The value of VOIP circuits is really coming into focus. Imagine a business needing an additional line. If they already have a VOIP phone system, they can literally have their circuit the same day. No more holding for 20 minutes to get the next available agent, only to spend 15 minutes waiting for them to get through a cumbersome order system, so you can wait days for a new phone line which you will overpay for.
In their latest release, TalkSwitch has added features to make VOIP setup even easier. They have incorporated a firewall test, to make sure the necessary ports are open. You can also setup a new SIP phone by simply plugging it into the network, and entering an unused extension on the phone.
How to Avoid Being Scammed or Over Billed
In my last entry, I described my latest experience with the local phone company trying to install service I did not order. I honestly believe that phone companies in general do their best to prevent abuse and over billing. That being said, given their size, it is all too easy for these abuses to happen.
How do you prevent them? Here are some tips:
How do you prevent them? Here are some tips:
- Most companies will allow you to lock your account so that only designated individuals may request service changes. If you company does, take advantage of the service.
- If you request a quote for new service, make sure you keep a paper copy, and know who you spoke to.
- If a phone company shows up to install service, don't allow them to complete the installation unless you are sure it was ordered.
- Compare your initial bill against the quote, and review the bill periodically, in case unauthorized charges are added.
- Consider using a reputable company to act as your intermediary with the phone company. Such companies can help eliminate the annoyances in dealing with the phone company, and can usually more than pay for themselves in reduced costs, and better matching with the services you actually need.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Beware the Tactics!
I confess to not being an AT&T fan. I have spent too many years putting up with their monopolistic attitude, which has continued even though they are no longer a monopoly.
My latest such experience was yesterday. I was at a customer site doing some additional setup on a TalkSwitch system with Cbeyond service. In order to give the customer the best group of options, I had priced the service through AT&T initially, whose quote was discarded when they could not service the facility with DSL.
While at the customer site, an AT&T installer came in looking for me. He had an order to install 4 lines for the organization. It seems that AT&T sales reps, under pressure to close business, often put in orders after doing quotes, even if the customer never ordered the service. The sad fact is that many such companies assume that AT&T must know what they are doing, and let them complete the installation of service they never ordered in the first place, leaving them to fight with AT&T over the bill.
The morals to the story are: a) Always comparison shop among multiple service providers; b) Use a good vendor to help you with the quotes, one that can stand up to the tactics of some vendors.
My latest such experience was yesterday. I was at a customer site doing some additional setup on a TalkSwitch system with Cbeyond service. In order to give the customer the best group of options, I had priced the service through AT&T initially, whose quote was discarded when they could not service the facility with DSL.
While at the customer site, an AT&T installer came in looking for me. He had an order to install 4 lines for the organization. It seems that AT&T sales reps, under pressure to close business, often put in orders after doing quotes, even if the customer never ordered the service. The sad fact is that many such companies assume that AT&T must know what they are doing, and let them complete the installation of service they never ordered in the first place, leaving them to fight with AT&T over the bill.
The morals to the story are: a) Always comparison shop among multiple service providers; b) Use a good vendor to help you with the quotes, one that can stand up to the tactics of some vendors.
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