Office Phone Systems Knowledge Base
What office phone system do I have and how do I update it? My two-employee (with an occasional intern) office has a very old phone system, one with probably more features than we need. We have four lines coming in. A few weeks ago, something strange happened to the phones, making them not work the same way they used to. Since this system is so old, we do not have any of the telephone or system manuals and don't know how to fix it. We may need new phones or an entire new system. The current phone seems to be a PBX system. The cabinet and three phones are all Fujitsu. I guess my question is can I just buy new 4-line phones (nice and cheap) and us them with the current cabinet, or do I also need a new cabinet (not so cheap)? Our office would probably be fine with a key-less system, just using the phones, but I imagine that would involve a removal of the current cabinet, which would also require professional installation (un-installation) services. Any ideas are appreciated. We are looking for the most cost-effective option. Thanks.
what makes a good office phone system? I am researching office phone systems and would like to know what people think are the most important criteria for a great office phone system from a customer and representative perspective
Can two Alcatel OmniPCX Office phone systems be linked over a VPN\WAN? We have two OmniPCX's at two seperate sites, plus one Siemens really old thing at our main site. The 3 sites will soon be migrating into one big site. Instead of buying a new system, we was wondering if we could put one of the Alcatels at the new site, setup IP phones at the site it's removed from (4 users...) then link up to the 2nd site with the Alcatel - so that when they move over - we can migrate them as and when as the system is already in place. Then when the last site moves we can leave the old siemens system behind and get new handsets to join up to the alcatel. I know it'll take up to 236 connections, we don't need that many - but close too (inc analogue). Also, can two be run on the same site, so to take the connections up to 472 connections - if need be. Thanks in advance.
how do I wire/setup small office phone system? I have 2 main/pilot lines coming in to the office I need to add 4 over-lines. I need a diagram. this job is in toronto, I need help. I will pay for a service tech to show me how to set this up. thanks
I want to connect my office digital phone to my computer so that I can use my bluetooth headset. Can I do it? I have a digital multiline PBX system at my office. I think it's a LUCENT/AVAYA Partner ACS System. I also have a laptop that has bluetooth built in. I also have a bluetooth headset that I normally use with my cell phone. I'd like to somehow connect my phone system with my computer so that I can that use my bluetooth headset to speak on my phone. I'd also like to perhaps record my phone conversations through my computer. Does anyone know what product I need to purchase so that my digital phone system will somehow connect to my laptop?
Is anyone familiar with Nortel phone systems? I need to forward calls that are coming in to the front desk to another phone in the building. Does anyone know if this is possible or how to do it? We have a phone tree and when the caller hits zero it does a double ring at the front desk. I need that double ring to go to my office phone??? Anyone?
What's the advantage of using T1 over the regular Verizon phone system in an office? We have an issue of static with the Verizon system in our small office. A different line every time; can't pinpoint when, where or why it will happen. Verizon and our PBX manufacturer just point fingers at each other, w/no solution so far. Swapped out all of our PBX equipment a while back, so I think it's Verizon. Someone suggested going to a T1 for the phones -- we already have one for data -- to circumvent Verizon. Need to know what the possible risks are. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
How do you take a voice mail on a office phone and transfer to PC? The business I am working with has a standard phone system (not VOIP). We want to set up a phone so that customers can call in and record their testimonials. We then want to transfer those voice mails to the PC so we can edit the testimonials, make podcasts etc. My issue is, how to get the voice mail from the phone to the PC?
Small home office phone system? Hi my setup in the house so far is 2 telephone lines 1 for calls 1 for fax and a 4mb broadband , i will be starting my own buisness and was looking to get a phone system like big companies have "press 1 to sale press 2 to complain etc." i would like the ability to monitor my calls on the desktop and see what department the call is coming to and accept basicly a switch board on my computer im not too bothered about a desktop one this would cool although i would settle for a phone with flashing lites for diffrent departments , if possible ? ive also heard about VOIP phone systems using my internet would it be alot more reliable to use a phone line instead of internet , incase of brakedowns? Thanks for anyone that can help Gary.
I am looking for a good cordless home\office phone with noise cancellation? I am looking for either a headset that has the standard 2.5mm jack, or a complete phone system that is cordless but features noise cancellation. I work from home and want to block out as much sound around as me as possible. Looking for people who can tell me what they like from personal use, or good reviews.
Office phone system with 35 lines? I am very confused on how this works. I am looking to start a business in sales. I want to set up about 35 lines with different phone numbers or extensions. I would like something that would be unlimited, that way I would have similar monthly charges. What is the best way to go about this? Would it be good to go with those digital phones, which connect to internet lines and offer unlimited national calling for about $50 a line? any help would be greatly appreciated as I am lost. Thanks in advance
What all does it take (software and hardware) to link phone systems? I want to link the phone systems of my two remote offices to the head office. They are all in different cities. So far through research I have discovered VOIP over a VPN how exactly does this get done? What software/hardware is needed? I am sure I could just call up a company to come do this for me, but it is not of great importance and I would like to keep the cost low. Do it my self.
Wireless IP phone small office system? I have a small business that I would like to run VOIP system in but: a) I don't want to pay thousands of dollars for such system and b) I'm renting an old office space that does not have LAN capabilities and I'm having a hard time negotiating a deal with the property manager. How would I go about a Wireless IP phone system that would allow me to run my business better and not go through construction, wiring closet, wall ethernet ports, etc I've been looking at some Wireless IP phones but I don't think it is as simple as turn on a wireless IP phone, connect it to your wireless router, and you are all set. Can someone give me an idea on what other equipments are needed?
Recording Specific Extensions within a Business Phone System? I am currently searching for a recording system that will record phone conversations at specific extensions within our office phone system. We do not want to record every conversation on our main line, but rather conversations within specific extensions. For example, not every conversation that occurs at (123) 555-5555, but every conversation at (123) 555-5555 ext.444. How can this be accomplished? Thank you so much in advance!
What type of phone systems should an Executive Receptionist know? Due to the recession I haven't worked in a corporate setting since 2008. I've been self-employed since 2009 and have not been exposed to the latest office technology. I'd like to know what phone systems receptionists are expected to know so I can research the models and see how I can get some training.
I need help from someone who knows a lot about setting up a computerized office phone system (music on hold)? Hi. I want to make this myself, because i like making things myself. Plus, i don't want to spend any money, because I like making things myself without spending money. Its ok if they get a little ghetto because that makes it more fun :) So, what I want is to be able to have my land line phones (2 lines) to be connected to a computer which will run scripts that handle incoming calls. I want there to be music on hold when i put them on hold, and I want to be able to transfer the calls and stuff like that. My question is: Will a phone modem card work to plug the phone line into my computer?? Like is there software that can use a modem??
Best cordless phone system for office? Okay, so since I'm finding phones with good reviews in some places, not so good in others (basically a mix all across the board) I'm not sure quite what to get or where to find info and look. We need a 5.8 GHz cordless phone, multiple lines is NOT a necessity, with caller ID, and a good battery life (9 hours min) and good range. The one complaint from different people on different phones seems to be the range - for some reason I've come across two different reviews for phones that state something along the lines that the phone has only a 15 yard range (and mind you these reviews come from different people and are almost the only bad review to the good ones). Suggestions/thoughts/opinions?
Business phone virtual system office with fax? Currently I use Freedom Voice for my 888 number that will call my house and mobile when someone calls Google voice to call out from a business line. They have a blackberry app that lets me use my outbound business number from my cellphone I'm using extreme fax to send/ receive faxes and they have the Microsoft office plug in which i require. Is there one company that deals with all this or at least the first and third one?
How do I transfer a phone call from my office to another office in another city? I hear of other companies being able to do such things like transfer calls from a land line to someone's cell phone or from one land line to another land line. Is this capability unique to the phone system hardware that was installed or can this be done with any old phone system? I have a phone system with multiple lines and would like to forward calls to cell phones and to another satellite office which also has multiple lines (but you call through one number). How do I do this if it's possible. Thank you,
What kind of phone system can I use for my small business office? I am looking for a system that can automatically save who called and who answered the phone. And also, what can I use for my employees to save all their call logs for the day in one folder where I can view the call logs? I forgot to mention... If theres a system that can do so, can all the computers I have in the office be able to view the current caller? Caller id
Need help installing phone system for office? I have a Samsung iDCS 100 phone system that was installed in my office. I have since moved and am trying to re-install the system at my new location. I have two new phone numbers from the Telco. I would like to hookup 2 phones into a dual jack (each being able to access both new phone numbers)to the system. One of the movers disconnected the system from the old office and did not make note of the wires coming from the NID onto the 66 block; although he did take the 2 blocks with the system. The blocks are labeled #1 and #2 and connect to amp cable into the system box. Punch block #1 has all of the wires from the #1 amp cable punched onto the left side of the block....as does punch block #2. I have the 2 pairs from the Telco coming into a closet where the phone system is located. My questions: Where exactly do I punch the 2 lines onto the block coming from the Telco? Where exactly do I punch each individual phone unit onto the block? Is this second block necessary and should be part of this install? Does this sytem require any special jack requirements other than RJ11 to hook up each phone? I have run CAT 5e to the jack to be installed. I have attempted to install this and have been able to power up the phones. I did this by connecting the Tip (wht/blue) and Ring wires (blue/wht) from the phone itself onto the right side of the block opposite the pair wht/blue and blue/wht from the sytem amp cable utlizing rows #1 and #2. I have been unable to get the line lights on the phone itself to light up as if to indicate their is a Telco connection. What gives? Does this system require programming o the phone in order to accept a line? Thanks in advance! Any expertise would be much appreciate.
How do I set up a multi phone system in my office? I work in a small office that's growing. Right now, it's just me and my boss and someone new that will be joining us soon. How do I set up call transfers/multi line phone systems for our office instead of hollering for my boss each time someone calls? We have 2 land line, one that is used primarily for fax machine and internet, and the other is the main line. I've tried calling AT&T, our provider, to ask for help/instructions but had ended up banging my head against the wall many many times out of sheer frustration. So my main questions are: 1) Do I need to get new phones for the entire office of the same brand? Or can we use our existing collection of phones which are of different brands? 2) The call transfer feature: do we have to call AT&T to get that started or is it something i need to set up with the phone on my end? Best of all, I will really appreciate it if someone can write a dummy proof step by step instruction list. I've been wrestling with this problem for over a week and am near tears.
Why am I having trouble with my office phone wiring? I'm not very savvy when it comes to telecommunications but I will try to explain to the best of my ability. I have recently moved offices, because of a good deal at a better/larger office. The last tenant had vacated the office about a year ago. They had renovated the office and installed a PBX phone system and lay cables for a network throughout the office (cat5e cable with about 15 rj45 wall jacks). They left the office in a rush, and were apparently being loaned most of their equipment, so they removed it all, so when I moved in there was just a bunch of cat5e cables hanging out of the wall in the closet, as well as the demarcation (?) phone cables. The phone cabling is all wired up to a krone punch-block. I tested some of the pairs (Blue/White, Orange/White, Green/White) with an analog phone, and got a disconnected tone from the O/W and G/W pairs - I'll assume they had 2 phone lines running through these pairs. My ISP has activated naked DSL for the building (a techie went out to the exchange and did whatever they do). On my end, all I've done is connected my modem directly up to the appropriate pair (regular cable from modem to the wall with the BT plug cut off and the wires exposed) to see if I get DSL Sync. I get absolutely nothing though, and I have tested a few of the other pairs too. So my question is: Am I doing something completely wrong/stupid? Should wiring up the modem to the phone wires like this work? What should I do to sort out the problem (DIY)?
What kind of business phone system do I need? I want to install a phone system at my office with 8 lines but have each of those eight lines available to each of the five rooms in my office. With eight seperate numbers, in which anyone of the five people in their office can answer those individual lines. Someone from ATT told me centrex would not be suitable, that I need multi-line telephones, but I can't find phones that offer more than four lines. Please help.
Why does on-hold music sound so horrible over a cell phone? I still do some computer support for a company that I used to work for during college, and they have asked me to help them with the on-hold music that their phone system uses. The music sounds great over land lines, but when people get put on hold on a cell phone, it sounds horrible. It's got a lot of static, it cuts in and out, and even when you can hear it, the overall quality is poor. I read into it and it seems like this is a common problem. Apparently the music feeds in on an 8-Ohm single phone wire, and that's fine for land lines but horrid for cell phones. Their system has got to be 14 years old now, so I'm wondering if newer small office phone systems don't have this issue as much. The owner is willing to upgrade his system if it can deliver quality sounding on-hold music that they can plug in from an iPod. Does anyone know about small office phone systems and on-hold music? Are there any good systems that you can recommend? Or is it just a limitation of cell phones, and no matter how much money they spend, it's still going to sound crappy?
How can I re-program the outside line buttons a Merlin 410 phone system? I have the AT&T/Lucent/Avaya Merlin 410 phone system at my office. The top left 4 buttons are pre-programmed for the outside lines. Since we only have 2 outside lines, I would like to re-program the other buttons to one of the available programs so that I do not have 2 "dead" buttons. I tried following the manual, but it is not holding the program. I know I am doing correctly because it is holding on the 2nd group of 5 buttons (I am using the 10-button receiver). Can anyone tell me if this is possible; if so, how? Thank you in advance! -Matt
can a single line phone work on a netowrk with multiple lines? I am not sure if it is possible to use a single line cordless phone on an office system with multiple lines. I am trying to find a better way of calling, without having to get phones for the whole office and paying thruogh the nose for a 4 line phone.
How do I wire a cordless phone system with 2 phone numbers? At my office, I have two phone numbers. Both lines are currently going through a Avaya PBX system. I want to get rid of the PBX and go to a 2-line cordless 6.0 DECT phone system. Do I have to run both phone lines to the cordless phone base?
Can The Ipod Nano 3G play songs while charging using the wall charger ? Hello I need to play songs while the Ipod is charging, plugged into the wall charger. Plugging in Via USB is not an option and i need to keep songs playing continually for our office phone system’s on hold music. So my question is: will the ipod nano be able to play music while wall charging? Thanks
What is a good, basic, inexpensive phone and fax system for a small office? We have a small office in Utah Valley, and are looking to get just a very simple phone system. two lines + fax. the only features we really care about are voice mail, and being able to transfer calls around the office. right now we only have a cordless phone that I have to take to everyone when it's for them. It sucks! we only have about 8 employees. Where do I go? Who do I call?
Good phone recorder or device to record calls? I need a device that can record phone calls for a podcast series so I can emulate the feel of a radio talk show where people call in. I found a simple adapter at Radio Shack, but it was buggy with my office's digital phone system. Do you know of any other products that will work?
What is the average unit cost per phone for a 5 - 50 unit VOIP setup? I'm getting ready to contract out the installation of a VOIP phone system in our offices. Initially we need 10 units, but will need to expand up to 50 within the next 2 years. On average, what should I expect the initial install and future upgrades to cost? Ideally, I'd like to break this down to a per unit cost, which I know will be higher with fewer phones and lowers as the cost is deferred across more phones. Thanks
Small Business Office needs tech support with phone system AT& T 1080...? I called the at&t comp. and someone came out and said the cables wires whatever its called is good... That the problem is the device the phones I called the phone number on the manual and asked them if they can send someone for repair and they said no.... Any suggestions on who can i call for repair here in Houston TX... What is it called tech support? What term do you refer to? ok... serious answers please... stop sending weird email add...
Should I change jobs after 10 years of working insurance? Should I change jobs? I work as an insurance agent making only $10.80 after 10 years? My boss is cheap! We have 20 year old phone systems, broken office supplies, etc.. I could earn $12.75 starting out and $15 in 3 years at a very reputable company. I think that's pretty good money but I'm scared I will have a hard time learning something new after so many years. Also I work in an office with 2 other ladies (one of which is very attached to me). I think she might freak! How can I break the news to her gently?
PBX Phone Systems in Homes? I have a few questions. -Are PBX Systems common in houses these days? -Why do people use PBX systems in houses? -What are some of the advantages about having a PBX system at home? Also, I am talking about home, not home office or small business. Thanks in Advance!
How can I converge all my phone lines for easy access? I have a regular land line, 2 voip lines,and a cell phone. Is there some way I can make all of the available throughout the house? I can buy a new router, switch voip company's and/or buy new phones (except for the cell). I was thinking something like an office system, but definately focused at the home user. The landline is only used as a backup dialup connection and the occasional fax (send/receive), but I would like to have easy access to it in case of an emergency. The landline has no extra features. The 2 voip lines, and cell phone all have caller id, call waiting, voice mail and 3 way calling. I would like the ability to conferece between them, and direct a fax received on any of the lines (except the cell). I also have 3 pc's in the house that all run windows xp home, but only one of them's on all the time, if there's a virtual solution. If I'm asking too much, or it would cost a lot, what about something that comes close. Thanks! :)
Is it possible to hack into a multi-line phone system to make a call look like it was tranferred internally? A coworker of mine keeps getting harassed at work by an ex-boyfriend. At first he kept sending her e-mails but she was able to block them, so now he constantly calls her at work. Weird thing is, when he calls, he's somehow blocking his number on the caller ID so that it says the call is being transfered from an inside line when he's actually calling from a line in a different state (and no one in the office is transferring the call to her). We do not have numbers to call our extensions directly -- the caller has to dial a main line and type in the extension, but when you do this, it doesn't normally show up as a transfered call, it shows the number that is calling. Is he hacking into our phone system or something? And how can we stop it or block his number when he's making it come from an internal line?
Moving offices and need a phone system that'll cover 10 extentions. WHERE DO I START??? We each have our own independant phone lines with voice mail currently. We are looking for some kind of system where the main line will ring to a receptionist and she can transfer the call to a specific extention. We would also like to be able to reach each other in the office by dialing the persons extention. I'm not sure where to start, I called our provider (AT&T) but they said the service I'm looking for is provided by a third party. Any help is appreciated. Take care
How to skip around insurance automated systems on the phone? Working at a healthcare office can be strenuous at time, as calling insurance companies to get our patient's eligibilities is a daily norm. Calling up to 10 different insurance companies a day, and most of them resulting to an automated message system that is a nuisance, i was wondering if anyone knew if there was a way to skip through these automated systems swiftly? Is there another phone number that these insurances have that's hidden? Thanks! Most insurance companies do have a business only line AKA Healthcare provider's National line, but even then it's also an automated line. Sometimes spamming zero can lead to the automated system just to disconnect your call. These automated systems are getting smarter by the day! Helpful website Lucy! Thanks again everyone! I'd love to have more information if anyone has some to share, and I'd like to clear out that I do have a list of already understood sequences. For delta dental it's dial 1-888-335-8227 , press 1, then press 2/3 (depending if its eligibility, 2, or claims, 3) then spam a weird subscriber ID of your liking, some random number, press #, it'll then say its invalid then enter the same wrong Subscriber ID again, hit #, then it'll say its invalid once more then just hit 0 and it'll transfer you.
Nec Bussiness Phone System help? My company recently acquired another and in the office they have a nec phone system. Currently the phones only ring on the front desk one but we want all to ring when a call comes through. Could someone please help? The company has given us the run around and we don't have a manual....:-( it actually says 124i/384i on the back, would that be the model number?
Does the office psychopath use asymmetric warfare ? The office psychopath presumably uses telephone and e-mail for his own base purposes. But how long would you last if you tried to use the phone or e-mail to challenge the office psychopath. Wouldn't you be prosecuted for misusing the communications systems ?
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