Basic Question - Is Voiceguide What I Need?

[m3554]

Hi.

I want to start a company. We are 2 people and we will be mobile all the time.

Nevertheless, I want to provide my customers with 1 and only 1 phone number to call.

My customers would call to this 1 fixed-phone number, and then VoiceGuide will answer and provide with a menu of alternatives. Most clients will be content with finding out "number of available items" (by pressing item number into the phone keypad) and letting VoiceGuide get the information from a database.

Of course, some customers will want to speak to a live person, in which case the call should then be routed to one of us (depending on time of day and so forth). In case that person does not pickup, the call should come back to VoiceGuide to be re-routed to the second person or to the voicemail system.

 

Questions:

 

1)How many fixed lines do I need? I don't expect to be flooded by calls, at this point in time it is acceptable that clients get a "busy" sign. Is one line attached to VG enough to also handle this call forwarding scenario (forward but make sure it is answered before freeing the line)?

 

2)I live in Sweden, my understanding is that the phone lines here are digital, not analog (or am I mistaken)? We do use tone dialing and not the old-old fashioned analog phones. Is there a special requirement on the lines itself that is optimal?

 

Sorry for such basic questions, but I actually tried to find out this info by looking at the forum but no luck.

[SupportTeam]

1)How many fixed lines do I need? I don't expect to be flooded by calls, at this point in time it is acceptable that clients get a "busy" sign. Is one line attached to VG enough to also handle this call forwarding scenario (forward but make sure it is answered before freeing the line)?

Most likely you will need two lines. For routing of calls with escalation you would probably need to use a second line for the outbound leg of the call (and use "Dial and Conference"/"Tromboned" calls). Few Telcos give you facility to retrieve a call transfer on timeout if doing this using hookflash signaling.

 

2)I live in Sweden, my understanding is that the phone lines here are digital, not analog (or am I mistaken)? We do use tone dialing and not the old-old fashioned analog phones. Is there a special requirement on the lines itself that is optimal?

Do you use BRI ISDN lines then?

You will need to confirm what type phone lines are used. Would have thought that analog lines are available in all countries.

[SupportTeam]

We do use tone dialing

If you use Tone (DTMF) based dialing then you are using analog lines.

[m3554]

Many thanks for your prompt answer.

Of course, the line is actually Analog because of the last mile still being copper-based... (evertying else is digital).

Nevertheless, I find out that my operator provides, free of charge, the follwoing additional features for one line (1 phone number):

 

3-party call

Inquiry/Commuting

 

Does this mean I can get away with only 1 line instead of 2?

Do you have any required specifications (for this 1 line) which I could ask the phone company so that I am sure it is ok with only 1 line?

 

Cheers

 

Marcelo

[SupportTeam]

Does this mean I can get away with only 1 line instead of 2?

Do you have any required specifications (for this 1 line) which I could ask the phone company so that I am sure it is ok with only 1 line?

The line would need to be able to support abandoning of call transfer attempt, so that VG can do escalations if there is no call answer within a certain time.

Most Telcos do not support this. Only some PBXs support this.

That is why to do call escalations properly two lines are usually needed.

[m3554]

I don't mean to be insistent, but could you please clarify to me?

If I were to do this manually, I understand that:

Party A calls me. I answer. Put him on hold (with music in the background).

I dial Party B. If he does not answer, I call Party C. Upon answer I then connet Party A with Party C.

Possibly, if Party C does not answer, I connect Party A to the voicemail.

 

Seems to me I can do all that with the features 3rd Party call and "commuting".

I assume that VG would work the same.

Why is it then that I need 2 lines?

 

Thanks for your clarifications. I am interested in understanding the way VG works, if I am to try to implement it.

Cheers

 

Marcelo

[SupportTeam]

If the phone lines supplied by the Telco support the required facilities then you would only need one line.

The facility you require is the ability to retrieve the all that is on hold (and terminate the attempted outbound call) using a hookflash signal.

The only way to really find out is to try it with one line and see.

[m3554]

Is there any company offerng a VC-based solution that is hosted?

So that I don't need to invest in new hardware?

[SupportTeam]

The time involved in setting up your databases and servers to be secure while allowing them to be accessible over the internet (from a hosted IVR) is such that its usually cheaper overall to just buy the hardware and have system in-house.

 

Most of the hosted VG installations that we know of are US based and are strictly outbound type systems, and would not provide for call escalation like you require.