Tranquil Voice - Home/Soho/Small Business Services
Home/Soho/Small Business Services
- Handset Specific Support
- Basic Functions
- Audio Library
- Block List
- Call Analyser
- Call Barring
- Call Heatmap
- Call Recordings
- Call Statistics
- Itemised Calls
- Maximum Call Length
- Number Presentation
- Outbound Presentation Name
- Text to Speech
- Transfer Calls Between Devices
- Advanced Functions
Handset Specific Support
Handsets
Basic Functions
These functions are available to all non Enterprise VoIP users and can be managed through your Client Area
Audio Library
Telecoms VoIP Edit VoIP Account Audio Library
The audio library is a definitive collection of audio recordings which can be used by the platform. Files are segmented into one of three categories:
- Voicemail prompts (eg "Sorry, I'm out of the office today, leave me a message)
- Music on Hold
- Caller Menus (IVR) prompts (eg "Welcome to our company. Press 1 for...")
Files contained within the Audio Library can be played back using the embedded player.
Uploading Files
MP3 and WAV formats are supported. The maximum file size is 8Mb. Please ensure that you have the correct copyright permissions to upload any files, especially for the purpose of music on hold. The music on hold page itself contains more information about current laws and license options.
Text to Speech
Text-to-Speech converts text into human-like speech for a wide range of accents, sexes and languages. Within seconds you can have a professional recording to greet customers, or allow you to have voicemail prompt which isn't recorded by yourself on the move. You can sample a preview of a voice using a pre-written script. To create your own customised audio enter the text and select 'Add Audio'. Shortly afterwards the file will appear in your Audio Library list ready for playback and assignment.
Should you wish to make an amendment to a script choose edit the existing file listed in the Audio Library. Here your existing script will show. Make your corrections and save. The original file will be overwritten in the process replaced with your newly created script.
Assigning Files
Assigning a file in your audio library to an application (ie voicemail prompt / music on hold / caller menu) is actioned via the respective pages within the control panel. The audio library page will simply show if a file is in use.
Block List
Block lists help stop unwanted inbound calls. You can block calls from a specific number as well as the option to block all anonymous calls. Lists operate on a per account basis, as such any entries will apply to all users / trunks. We don't support wildcard entries across ranges, only specific numbers.
Entry into a block list can be made one of two ways:
- Via the block list page available when managing a VoIP account / trunk.
- Through the inbound itemised calls records page. Next to each call will be an option to add a caller to the block list.->
Call Analyser
From the itemised call page is an option to 'view' a call. This presents analysis of the call quality.
Call Quality
Average MOS Score
Mean Opinion Score (MOS) is a way of measuring the overall quality of a call, with 5 being excellent and 1 being bad, generally anything above 2.5 is considered acceptable.
Average Packet Loss
If there is a lot of packet loss on a call, parties may not be able to hear each other and may experience choppy audio.
Average Jitter
Jitter is a delay between packets on a phone call. Average jitter should ideally be less than 70ms.
Call Summary
A technical summary of the call including devices, caller and callee details.
SIP Packets
A summary of the SIP packets which have been exchanged to faciliate the call.
Call Barring
We provide controls over outbound and inbound calls, including the ability to block all calls in either direction. Changes take immediate effect but won't terminate any in-progress calls.
Unless necessary, we would recommend applying barring to premium numbers and international calls. They are normally the destinations targeted by hackers, so if you restrict their access, then even if they were able to access a phone or user account, removing these restrictions would remain a challenge.
Call Heatmap
The heatmap tool is split across 2 tabs (UK Heatmap + World Heatmap). Using inbound and outbound call data we detail hotspots for your calls. Using this you start to better understand areas you are calling, and where you are called from. Limitations include exclusion of mobile calls and withheld or non-geographic numbers.
For the UK heatmap, the boundaries you see are designed to be reflective of the area code boundaries, which differ from county lines.
Call Recordings
Enable / Disable Call Recordings
Account Level
Edit the Hosting VoIP / Trunk in question, click on the Call Recordings icon and click on the Settings tab. From here you can choose which calls are recorded, and whether you want to make use of an extended retention period.
Live Call Recording Controls
It is possible to enable and disable recording whilst on a live call using feature codes. To access this facility it must be enabled on a per user basis. Edit the user in question, click on the Call Recordings icon, and select the 'Live Call Recording Settings' tab. From here you can select to enable these controls.
Accessing Call Recordings
Full Recording
Recordings can be played through the control panel, or downloaded as an MP3 file.
Partial Recordings
End user control panels provide a user with visibility of their associated inbound and outbound call logs and recordings. Should a call be transferred across multiple users within an account, they will only be able to play back their leg of the call. A copy of the full recording is available via other user types.
Storage Location
All calls are stored encrypted (AES-256), and held within the UK. Files are replicated, as standard, across 2 UK data centres.
Retention Periods
By default we will store call recordings for 30 calendar days. If you require them to be held for longer, we offer plans to extend storage, or you can opt to download and store the files locally.
Disclaimer
Where you take a service which includes call recording of inbound and / or outbound calls you accept that it is your responsibility to obtain legal advice to ensure you are fully compliant before recording any calls. We shall have no liability for any costs or claims which may be incurred as a result of any failure by you to comply with any legal requirements whether or not you were aware of the requirement.
Call Statistics
We offer call statistics for the following user applications:
- VoIP Account (ie all users)
- Groups
- Users
The amount of detail available differs based on the application.
Statistics By Account
| Overview | Total Duration | A combined total of all inbound and outbound minutes across the VoIP account. |
|---|---|---|
| Average Call Length | An average duration of all inbound and outbound minutes across the VoIP account. | |
| Inbound | Missed Calls | The number of missed inbound calls. A missed call would appear when an inbound call was not answered within opening hours. |
| Inbound Duration | Total time duration of inbound calls. | |
| Average Time to Answer | The average time taken to answer inbound calls. | |
| Outbound | Not Answered | The number of outbound calls which failed to be answered. |
| Inbound Duration | Total time duration of outbound calls. | |
| Call Trends (by time of day) | Visualisation of popular times for inbound and outbound calls for the time period selected (eg today / this week / this month / custom). | |
| Call Trends (by month) | Visualisation of call patterns over the past 6 months. | |
| Call Success Trend | Answered and unanswered call patterns over the past 7 days. | |
Statistics By Group
Group statistics provide the same breakdown as the account level, with the following additions:
| Inbound Answered Calls | The volume of inbound answered calls is broken down based on the user who handled the call. |
|---|---|
| Inbound Call Time | The talk time of inbound answered calls is broken down based on the user who handled the call. If the call is transferred internally, the stats do reflect this taking into the legs / path taken and proportion accordingly. |
| Outbound Placed Calls | The volume of outbound calls made is broken down based on the user who placed the call. |
| Outbound Call Time | The talk time of outbound placed calls is broken down based on the user who handled the call. If the call is transferred internally, the stats do reflect this taking into the legs / path taken and proportion accordingly. |
Statistics By User
User statistics provides the same breakdown as the account level, just specific to the user selected.
Itemised Calls
The itemised calls page provides a complete breakdown of outbound and inbound calls made. We retain call records indefinitely and previous months records can be easily accessed or searched against. Call records are provided in real time. As such, you can see in-progress as well as completed calls. We are not able to currently show the cost of an in-progress call.
| Date | Date the call started. |
|---|---|
| Start Time | The time the call started. |
| End Time | The time the call ended. |
| Duration | The length of the call shown in the format of HH:MM:SS. |
| Inbound Number | The number presented when the call was placed. |
| Inbound Friendly Name | Assoicated friendly name to the number presented. |
| Destination | The dialled number. |
| Destination Name | If the dialled number is present in an associated address book, the name will appear. If no entry is present, the option to add one is provided. |
| Assigned User | The user who placed the call. |
| Recorded | If the call was recorded, the option to access the recording is provided. This will open in a new window. |
| Transferred | If the call was transferred between users, details of the transfer journey are shown. |
| Description | Called destination name. |
| Service Charge & Call Access Charge | For non-geographic calls, the call is made up of a Service Charge and Access Charge. These columns make the associated charges clear. |
| Connection Charge | If a call connection charge is applied as part of a tariff, or is applicable to a specific type of call, this will be shown. |
| Free Call | This is classed as a free call as it was made to another number on our platform. By not leaving our network we don't need to associate charges by involving a carrier. |
| Total Charge | A combination of the service, access and connection charges. |
Download
We provide two options to download this data. Both options are presented at the top of the page.
- CDR File
Logged Calls
The calls logged within the itemised call records include:
- Calls to voicemail
- Calls abandoned whilst using an IVR
- Calls made out of hours
Maximum Call Length
We have a maximum call length of 24 hours (1440 minutes) for a single phone call. This is a feature to help protect against large unexpected bills where a call may have failed to disconnect, or is part of a fraudulant activity. We cannot override this on a per account or user basis.
Number Presentation
We provide three options for number presentation:
- No Number Presentation
- Dynamic Number Presentation
- Static Number Presentation
If you choose to present a phone number, which isn't one we list as associated to your account, it is imperative you do so in accordance with our terms and conditions:
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Outbound Presentation Name
Some devices, such as Samsung phones, will show a name alongside a dialed number, even if that entry isn't in your address book. The data they use to create this association is not supplied by ourselves. Any records we have associated to a number are for the purpose of 999 UK emergency services, and they are the only party this are shared with.
If you find yourselves in a situation where the information displayed in this situation is inaccurate, sadly there isn't a simple solution to this. There isn't a single organisation or database we can direct you to. We believe that the time of writing that Samsung use a company called "Hiya", however it may be equally important that you ensure that as many parties as possible who recognise that number have the correct association. Ensuring your public records with Google are correct would be a sensible starting point.
Text to Speech
Text-to-Speech converts text into human-like speech for a wide range of accents, sexes and languages. Within seconds you can have a professional recording to greet customers, or allow you to have voicemail prompt which isn't recorded by yourself on the move. You can sample a preview of a voice using a pre-written script.
Start the process by selecting the language. Some countries will offer multiple options for sex of the narrator, others may only have one. Make your selection and on the following step will be samples of the various tones available. Select to play a preview using button. Select a letter to make your selection. The final stage will require you to select the VoIP account to associate it with (only Hosted VoIP options will be presented). Enter a clip name for ease of reference and enter your script in the text box. Save, and seconds later the file will be available within the associated audio library for playback and assignment.
Should you wish to make an amendment to a script choose edit the existing file listed in the Audio Library. Here your existing script will show. Make your corrections and save. The original file will be overwritten in the process replaced with your newly created script.
Transfer Calls Between Devices
A Basic VoIP user can support multiple devices. To transfer calls between the devices use the feature code 6 6 8 3 which will ring the other associated devices for pickup.
Advanced Functions
These functions are only available to users on the Tranquil Small Business VoIP package.
Address Book
Address books provide a useful means to not only aid in the process of dialing out, they can help you make sense of your inbound callers too. There are 3 main categories of address books to be aware of:
| Company | This "company-wide" address book will appear for all users within an account. It's an ideal solution for sharing internal or important names and numbers. | |
|---|---|---|
| Group | These address books are only made available to members of an internal group of users (eg sales team). All users associated to the call group will see this address book and can review and contribute to it. | |
| Personal | These are only visible to the end user themselves via the end user control panel. There is no other mechanism for these entries to be viewed. |
Creation
Start the process by picking a reference name for the address book along with a category for application (eg company / group / personal). Personal or group selections will require you to select an association. Once saved your book is available to accept entries.
Adding Entries
Add Individual Contact
Select the 'Add Contact' button at the top of the page. We allow you to enter a wide variety of details about a caller, although it should be noted that only a small proportion of this can be synced with handsets via LDAP. Mandatory fields ae shown without an [optional] label beside them.
Import Contacts
We provide various methods to upload existing data. This can be currently completed via CSV, vCard, syncing with Pipedrive or uploading an export from Freshdesk. Any file you upload, you can match the various data columns up to categories we support. As a minimum we require first name, surname and at least 1 phone number.
You can import a CSV into an address book, columns can then be matched to the relevant fields. You can add multiple columns for the same field (i.e add several columns for phone numbers, websites or email addresses).
Each data type that can be imported has a different set of fields which are detailed below:
- First Name: Text (First Name or Surname required)
- Surname: Text (First Name or Surname required)
- Address: Text
- Company Name: Text
- Company Position: Text
- Company Department: Text
- Phone: Text/Numeric
- Email: Text
- Website: Text
- Photo URL: Text
Call Diversion
Call diverts can be controlled on a per DDI basis. You can choose to enable or disable a diversion, which will take immediate effect. When a call is diverted, to an external number there is a cost associated depending on the destination dialled. If you have bundled or bolt-on minutes applied to your account, these can be used to cover these calls. If not, you will simply be charged for the additional leg of the call. For example, if you choose to divert calls to a mobile, you will be charged a per minute cost for the leg to the mobile provider dialled.
IMPORTANT: It is not possible to divert calls to international or premium rate numbers.
Callflows
Callflows are key to how your Hosted VoIP platform works. Callflows are a visual tool which allows you to pull together existing settings and rules. The key to making this quick and easy is to build your other components first, whether that be users, groups, opening hours or media files. Once these are ready the call flow creation process can be very quick, with most of your decisions already made outside of the flow.
The tool works by dragging in the components you want, and joining the nodes in the order desired. For example, your first step may be to check the opening hours. Drag in the opening hours component, and join the 'start' node to the 'opening hours' node by clicking and dragging between the two elements. This ensures that when a call comes in, opening hours are the first thing which is checked. You can then build in the rest of your rules based on whether the phone system is open or closed at the time of the all taking place.
To put this into perspective, here is a video tutorial guiding you through a simple
Caller Menus (IVR)
Menu Options
The options you pick are the key options the end user can select from. For example, if you want to present the call with option 1 to go to the support team, enter the option as 1 and for a friendly reference enter support. The menu you build can be used as part of a call flow, and the friendly references you enter will help you in your flow design.
There are no limits to the number of menus you can create. One menu can lead to another. However for the sake of caller frustration it is worth trying to limit the possible where possible.
Audio Prompts
If you have files within the Audio Library of this account, for the purpose of Caller Menus, they will appear in the drop-down menus for the following options.
| Recording PIN (optional) | When a menu is built it is auto-assigned an extension number. Unless you set a PIN number, any extension on the account can access said extension and record a greeting. We recommend that a PIN is set to restrict access. When you access the recording menu, it will simply request the PIN entry before proceeding. |
|---|---|
| Allow External Recording? | Ticking external recording allows you to be able to remotely make a recording. You must apply the IVR to your call flow, dial in, and enter the recording PIN whilst the menu greeting is played. |
| Audio Greeting | This is your recording announcing the options to the caller. It doesn't matter when during the greeting the digits are pressed, that path will be taken. Example |
| Audio On Exit | Should all retries of the menu announcement be exhausted, then this announcement will be played. Example |
| Audio On Transfer | Once a selection is made, this audio is played. Example |
| Audio On Invalid Entry | If the caller enters digits which are not supported as an option, this audio message can be played. Example |
Menu Details
| Menu Name | A friendly name as a reminder as to the purpose or application of this menu. |
|---|---|
| Allow Extension Dialling? | Provide the ability for specific user extensions to be dialled as part of the menu. |
| Maximum Extension Length | Specify the maximum size of the extension that can be dialled. The minimum is 3 and maximum is 6 digits. |
| Interdigit Timeout | Specify, in seconds, the time the system waits for the entry of a secondary digit (if applicable). |
| Timeout | The amount of time (in seconds) to wait for the caller to begin entering digits. |
| Repeat Menu Options | The number of times the menu options are replayed. Should a valid entry not be received the call will end. |
Call Conferences
Conference Room
You can think of a Conference Room as a physical meeting room, in as much as it can only support one meeting at a time. If you are set to need to hold multiple simultaneous conference calls, multiple conference rooms need to be built. To aid the management of conference rooms, and avoid double bookings, a schedule facility is available within a room.
Conference Details
| Room Name | An internally visible reference for the room (eg sales team) |
|---|---|
| Extension | The extension number will make dialing into the conference easy from devices associated to the account. They only need to dial the internal extension as opposed to an external number. |
| Maximum Participants | A maximum limit of 10 applies to a room. If you wish to lower this limit you can. |
| Lock Conference? | It is recommended that a conference room is locked by default. This ensures that unless a meeting is scheduled the facility cannot be used. |
| Ask Participant Names? | If selected callers to the confernece will be asked to announce their name and this will be played back upon entry. |
| Play Entry Tone? | A tone will be played when callers join a conference. |
| Play Exit Tone? | A tone will be played when callers leave a conference. |
| Lock Conference? | It is recommended that a conference room is locked by default. This ensures that unless a meeting is scheduled the facility cannot be used. |
| User Assignment | Assigning a user will grant that user the ability to oversee the conference room in the VoIP User control panel. Facilities include the option to schedule meetings as well as access live overviews. |
Participants Details
| Join Muted? | Choose to mute participants upon entry. This may be suitable for broadcast conferences where participation isn't required. |
|---|---|
| Member PIN | Choose to pick your own PIN or generate a random one. |
| Moderator PIN | Choose to pick your own PIN or generate a random one. |
Edit Conference
Schedule Meetings
Scheduling is important, especially if you are set to lock the room by default. Any locks are removed 10 minutes before a scheduled meeting is set to start. Using the scheduling tool meeting timings can be applied, along with the ability to override the default PIN number for the room, and optionally send invites.
Sending Invites / Branding
The invitations are sent out as a generic email along with a calendar integration attachment. The branding of which is applied across the platform and cannot be altered on a per user basis.
Live View
Provides users with a visual representation of the virtual room. As participants enter or leave they will appear on-screen. If they are in an associated address book their name / photo will appear. Various controls are available including the option to mute all or individually, and to lock the room (thus preventing new participants entering).
Itemised Call Records
A simple means of seeing all previous conferences with access to a call recording (if enabled).
Call Monitoring
Call Monitoring enables users to listen to an in-progress call without the other parties being alerted. Used by supervisors and managers to take notes and provide feedback after the call.
It is a permission based solution which can be enabled for specific users. If permissions are applied then that user can make use of a feature dial code to listen in on a call either from within a call group they are a member of, or for all calls across the account.
How to Use
Once the correct permissions are applied to a user from the 'Call Monitoring' page, the authorised party can dial *68 followed by the extension number to tap into. Confirmation of this and other dial codes can be found within the Feature Dial Codes page.
Devices
Add Device
From the Devices page select the Add Device button.
You will be presented with 2 options:
- Desk Phone
- Soft Phone
For all physical phones, select Desk Phone, and for software based phones for desktops and mobile devices select Soft Phone.
Desk Phone
| Manufacturer |
We provide support for a number of manufacturers. Simply select the manufacturer for your desk phone to proceed. Other Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| Model |
Upon selection of a manufacturer, you can now see a list of supported models. If your device is listed, select to proceed. Other Model |
| Device Details |
Friendly Name MAC Address Public IP |
| VoIP User |
You choose to assign the device to an existing user, create a user, or simply add un-assigned. |
| Location |
By selecting a location you can make greater sense of where this device resides. If the device is set to be mobile, you may prefer to select the generic Planet Earth option. |
| Completion |
Upon adding your device to the panel, you are ready to connect your device. The provisioning window will be open for the supplied IP address. The phone will contact the manufacturer, the manufacturer should direct the phone to our servers (based on the fact we have already sent them your MAC address), and your phone should download automatically our configuration. Within minutes your phone will be ready for use. |
Distinctive Ringing
Distinctive ringing can help you audibly distinguish different types of calls, for example, internal calls, or calls routed to specific callflows. They can act as a means to draw attention without the need to refer to the screen.
Provisioned Phones
For phones provisioned through the control panel, distinctive ringing can be enabled to separate internal and external calls. Simply visit the settings page for the device in question, and enable the distinctive ringing tick box.
Call Flow
Distinctive ringing can be applied within a call flow. Simply drag in the distinctive ringing node into a flow. You are required to enter in the notification code based on your manufacture of phone. Open the modal for examples to use.
Use
Set an Alert-Info SIP Header that can be used by your device to play a distinct ringtone. The following format can be used depending on the manufacturer:
- Yealink & Grandstream: info=Bellcore-drX (where X starts from 1 up to the device available ringtones).
- Snom & Gigaset: ;info=alert-event
- Polycom: info=event
If a device does not recognize that header, it would simply ignore it and play the default ringtone.
If you have different device manufacturers, you can concatenate multiple headers inside the same Distinctive Ringing box (i.e. ";info=alert-event;info=Bellcore-dr3")D
Follow Me
The Follow Me function allows you to tell the system what users, devices, groups and external numbers you would like to ring when a call comes in for a particular user. This can be particularly helpful if you are on the move, and would like your mobile to ring as well as your desk phone, or perhaps a user is on annual leave, so to direct calls to a group as opposed to a voicemail.
Strategy
There are 2 strategy options:
Single
This option allows you to choose the order in which devices ring and for how long. For example you may want your desk phone to ring for the entire duration of a incoming call, and after 5 seconds you would then like it to ring your external mobile phone. This gives you the option to pick up from your desk first without alerting you on the mobile. To choose the order and ringing duration, use the sliders next to the end points.
Simultaneous
Selecting this will ring all your end points at the same time.
Endpoints
There are 4 endpoint options:
User
You can pick from a list of users on this account. The drop down list shows the users name and associated extension number.
Device
A list of associated devices on the account are provided, whether they be desk or soft phones.
Group
You may wish to ring a group of users when a call comes in. This can be helpful of you need to pass your calls to a team because of absence, for example.
External
You can dial an external phone number to receive you calls. Please note that if you choose this option you will be billed for the minutes to this destination.
Groups
Groups are designed to associate entities together for the purpose of receiving calls. A group can be made up of:
- Users - Individual users setup within the account
- Devices - A selected device can form part of a chain to call
- Groups - You can assign existing groups to another group
- External Numbers - Outbound calls can be made. The caller will receive notification they are set to receive a forwarded call
Groups contain the following attributes:
- Unlike a user, there are no additional costs associated with a group.
- Each group has it's own extension number. If dialled internally the associated users devices will ring as per the rules set.
- An address book is created for each group as a shared pool of contacts that group may wish to reference or share between their users.
- Call management facilities allow you to access group related call records, statistics, and heatmaps.
Adding Assets to a Group
Edit a group and choose the 'settings' icon. From here you can select an asset category (eg users / devices etc) and from here you can 'add' them into your group. To save, select 'Update Group'.
Call Routing Strategy
There are 2 options available for call handling:
Single
This is where each phone rings individually. If you select the option then beside each of associated group assets, will be the option to select a ring pattern / distribution. You may choose to prioritise certain phones to ring first before others start to ring, as an example. Simply drag the distribution marks to indicate your ring strategy (shown in seconds).
Simultaneous
When selected, all users will have their devices ring when an incoming call is received. As soon as one user in the group picks up the call, the other devices will stop ringing.
Users
Users are created where there is a requirement to make and / or receive calls. Traditionally this would be applied to individuals within a company, or for the purpose of a room (eg boardroom phone). By creating a user:
- Subscription charges are applied on a per user basis.
- If you choose a subscription with inclusive minutes, the minutes from each user is pooled for access by all users across the account.
- Users are assigned a unique extension ID, used for internal dialing. This is typically a 4 digit number.
- Multiple devices can be assigned to a user. These can include physical desk phones as well as softphone applications. Rules can be set as to which devices ring and in which order.
- A user can belong to a group. If the group is called as part of a call flow the users phone can be dialed as part of incoming calls.
- Each user can access their own optional control panel. Permission controls allow you to specify the functionality the user will see.
- Permission to allow hot desking can be applied, allowing a user to login to phones to access call facilities.
- A user can have a voicemail mailbox assigned.
- Users can access associated address books (eg company wide or group books), and they can create multiple personal books. The content of personal books can only be accessed by logging into the users control panel.
- User specific usage can be accessed via call management controls. These include, but not limited to itemised calls (inbound and outbound), call statistics, call heatmaps, and call recordings.
On Hold Music
Ready-Made Playlists
We have secured a selection of 16 royalty free and PPL & PRS playlists for encompassing tastes and scenerios (including Christmas). The license we have allows us to:
- Provide access worldwide
- License term is in perpetuity (forever)
- Provide access for commercial and non-commercial usage
- No restrictions on the number of VoIP accounts using them
- Permission to use for music on hold
- We are unable to provide the files for download or re-purpose
As such, they can provide a very simple solution for lots of businesses, without the need for additional licenses.
Music From Audio Library
You can choose to upload your own hold music to the Audio Library. Please note that at present we can only accept 1 file for use as your hold music. If you want to create a compilation of music then please use a service, such as audio-joiner.com to stitch them together to form one file. The maximum file size is 8MB.
Copyright Notice
To play on-hold music you may require a license. Tranquil IT accepts no responsibility for the gathering of copyrights and licenses required for the music held within our platform. There are exceptions which include classic music out of copyright (copyright on written music expires 70 years after the composer has died), or royalty-free music. We cant offer advice or pricing information, please contact PPL PRS for all further enquiries regarding licensing and costs. At the time of writing, the tariff relating specifically to music on hold can be viewed here.
Opening Hours / Holidays
Opening Hours
Opening hours schedules help define your availability to answer calls and can be referrenced as part of your call flow design. To create a schedule:
- Enter a friendly reference name in the empty form field and click on +
- Click on the + button next to the newly created schedule.
- You will be presented with a blank calendar view of the week
- Click on a day of the week and and entry will start to be built. You can drag to increase or decrease the availability window in 30 minute blocks.
- Click on 'save' at the bottom of the page before exiting.
Holidays
Holidays are whole days where you want to pause existing schedules. A classic scenario would be to factor in a Bank Holiday where your business may be closed.
- Enter a friendly reference name in the empty form field
- Enter the start date and either choose to leave it open ended (ie permanently close the lines) or select an end date by ticking the range box.
- Click on + to apply your holiday entry.
NOTE: Holidays can't be edited, you can only choose to delete and recreate.
Reset BLF State
BLF stands for Busy Lamp Field. Typically this is a light, or LED light with buttons, on an IP phone that indicates whether another extension or phone is available, ringing or busy.
Resetting BLF
Sometimes the BLF state may not be reflecting the correct state of the user. In this event, you can use the reset BLF state tool to refresh. Simply find the user in question and click on the 'Reset Presence State' button.
Voicemail
Mailbox Creation for User
Each user can have a single mailbox. From the voicemail page select 'New Voicemail Mailbox'.
| Voicemail Name (mandatory) | This is a mandatory friendly name for the mailbox. |
|---|---|
| Voicemail Extension (mandatory) | This is a mandatory field which needs to be unique (eg the voicemail extension can't match the extension of the user). It must be 4 digits in length |
| PIN (optional) | To aid security of your mailbox a PIN number can be assigned. This should be between 3 and 15 digits long. |
| Unavailable Message | |
| Temporary Unavailable Message | |
| Assigned User | Each user can have only 1 mailbox. The users presented are those without a mailbox. |
| Email Addresses To Notify (optional) | You can add multiple email addresses to notify when a voicemail is available. The email will contain a copy of voicemail as an MP3 attachment. |
Mailbox Creation for Group
We do not support the creation of Group Voicemails, but the work around is to create a Voicemail Mailbox but do not assign it to a user (leave User Assignment blank) and assign a PIN to it. Once created, from within a Callflow include the 'Leave Voicemail' node and choose the Voicemail.
Any User in the VoIP account can then access the Voicemail by dialling *98 + the Voicemail extension. That will then prompt the caller to input the PIN to access the Voicemail. Management of the greeting can be achieved through the main control panel, as opposed to on a user level.
Accessing Messages
Control Panel
From the voicemail page of the control panel, next to each mailbox is a 'messages' button. From here you can view, play, download and delete messages. We do also provide a bulk delete option by selecting multiple messages using the tick box on the right hand side of the table.
Local Access
From an associated device on this account two options to dial:
| This is the standard access path where you will be prompted for the mailbox extension and PIN (if set). | |
| As long as the device is associated to your user profile, this will skip the need to enter the mailbox extension. |
External Access
Should you wish to access voicemail from any device, anywhere in the world there are a couple of paths available:
Option 1 - Build voicemail into your callflow. You could choose, for example, to dedicate a DDI which could take you straight to the assistant which would prompt you for the PIN. Alternatively include it as part of your IVR such as a hidden option your staff know about (eg press 9, but 9 is not announced in your IVR recording). These options would only be achievable with a Hosted VoIP account, and not the Basic VoIP.
Option 2 - Alternatively, as long as you have a PIN set on your mailbox, you can access your voicemail by:
- Call your phone number.
- Allow it to play the voicemail introduction.
- Press the * key during the introduction.
- You will be prompted to enter your PIN followed by #.
- You are now in control of your voicemail mailbox.
Advanced
| Maximum number of voicemail messages (per mailbox) | 100 |
|---|---|
| Maximum message length (seconds) | 500 |
| PIN number length | 3-15 |
| File format of recordings | MP3 |