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Frequently Asked Questions and Tips

General

  Do you have any general tips for buying a phone system?

Building The Right Telephone System For Your Business

THIS SECTION IS DESIGNED TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS AND THEIR USES. BE SURE TO CAREFULLY EXAMINE HOW YOUR STAFF CURRENTLY HANDLE CALLS (ESPECIALLY YOUR RECEPTIONIST) AND SPECULATE YOUR FUTURE REQUIREMENTS BEFORE INVESTING.

Telephone Equipment

KSU-Business telecommunications equipment consists of a switch called a Key Service Unit (KSU) that is the main "brains" of the system. Depending on the provided features and your specific needs, cards can be added to the KSU to offer features such as; Automatic Call Distribution, Caller Identification, Computer Telephony and much more.
 

Telephone Sets

Telephone sets for business use are generally proprietary, meaning that you can't mix and match with other manufacturers products. When buying a new system, the functionality of the sets is the most important factor to consider.

Voice Mail

Once considered a major pain in the neck, voice mail has become a standard for offices that pay close attention to customer service. With the new features of today's systems, Voice Mail has become neccessary to compete in the business world of the 21st century.

Feature Cards

Depending on the size of the telephone system, some features are included whereas others require cards to be added into the KSU. Additional features include;

  • ACD
    Automatic Call Distribution modules can be added to help distribute calls throughout your office or warehouse without a receptionists intervention. Callers can bypass the ACD system by dialing '0' or select the desired extension for immediate transfer, ie: 1-for sales, 2-for service, 3-for accounting etc.

    We all want a live person to answer our call but it is quite frustrating when you have to explain the nature of your call to several people before getting to the right person.
  • CID
    Caller Identification Display, the callers name and telephone number are shown on your telephone set's display panel before you answer the call. This allows you to search your database for the callers account or customize your greeting to the caller and create a more personable relationship.

    Have you ever been side-tracked by a customer's questions when placing an order, only to find out that you didn't get the phone number?(Maybe it's just me then).
  • CTA
    Computer Telephony Adapter, allows integration between your telephone system and computer system. This can be used for an almost infinate number of applications including; dialing from within your database or a screen-pop of customer information on an inbound call.

Vendor

Choosing the right vendor can mean the life or death of your communications system.

If you require a small but reliable system, be sure that the vendor can provide the necessary expansion support and products or you may find yourself with an obsolete system when your company grows. Technicians should always be manufacturer trained, certified and well versed in the latest cabling and installation technologies, you would be surpised to find out how many aren't really manufacturer trained even though the company offers 'manufacturer support.'

Ensure that you are going to recieve the neccessary product support by using an authorized dealer.

There are many "grey market" resellers who do not have the authority or resources to offer ongoing system support.

At NATG we are proud to have one of the strongest teams of manufacturer trained and certified technicians. We hold NEC's Canadian Dealer of the Year Award for providing outstanding service and support to our clients and have recently installed and configured one of NEC Canada's largest VoIP networks.

  Can our Telephone system hold calls in a priority queue?

Both NEC and Nortel offer ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) software systems that will allow calls to be held in priority queue. These can be installed as an option for additional costs. Please call you sales rep or our service department for further information. 604-856-9155.

  How do I activate my Holiday Greeting Override?

Nortel

Follow these steps:
1. Record greeting 4.
2. Press "Feature 982."
3. Enter password “1111,” press OK.
4. See ATDT Avail:Y press CHNG: see N, press next.
5. See BUS OPEN:Y press CHNG: see N press next.
6. Press “RLS.”
7. Note" When BUS OPEN set to Y system will play regular greetings:1, 2, 3. When BUS OPEN set to N system will only play greeting 4.

NEC UM8000 (SV8100/SV8300)

Follow these steps:
1. Press the “Voicemail” key and enter your security code when prompted.
2. On the display you will see "MORE", Press the key below it.
3. On the display you will see "MGR", press key below it.
4. On the display you will see "GREET", press the key below it.
5. It will say system is in DAY mode, do you want to change to alternate greeting mode: press 2 for no.
6. Follow prompts from there.

NEC (VMS, VMP, Elitemail, LX, UM)

Follow these steps:
1. Log into the system administrators mailbox and press the “>>>>” key.
2. Press the “MGR” key.
3. Press the “GREET” key. System will say it is in day mode, do you want to change to alternate greeting mode?
4. Press 1 for yes and then follow the prompts to record a Holiday greeting.
5. When the Holiday is over you must do steps 1-4 to turn off the Holiday mode.
6. Hang up when done.

NEC InMail (SV8100, Aspire, Aspire S)

Follow these steps:
1. Make sure you've recorded a holiday greeting (table 1?).
2. Log into the system administrators mailbox and press “SA (72)” for system administration.
3. Press “O (6)” for override.
4. When asked for the table enter 1.
5. Press the "ON" softkey on the display.
6. Press the "Speaker" key to exit. 

  Do you have any user guides for our system?

Please see our Cheat Sheets & User Guides page for a detailed list of user guides.

   Can we track call volume data to our call center as well as other areas of our company?

Both NEC and Nortel offer ACD software packages that are able to track call volume by hour, day, week, etc. There are also agent reports available for length of call, Calls answered, break times, etc. For other areas of your company, SMDR (Station Message Detail Recording) can track calls for each telephone. Hansen software provides CASH Call Accounting software that integrates seamlessly with NEC and Nortel telephone equipment to offer call detail reporting and statistics.

  How do I setup a conference call?

Nortel (308 / 616 / 128 / MICS / CICS / BCM's)

Follow these steps: 1. Make or answer the first call.
2. Put the first call on hold.
3. Make or answer the second call.
4. Press “Feature 3” (or press “Conf/Trans” key if programmed).
5. Press the line button of the first held call. (This step is not required on the M7100 set).

NEC (Elite IPKII / Aspire / Aspire S)

With a call in progress:
1. Press “Conf” key.
2. Place second call (Internal or external).
3. Announce conference.
4. Press “Conf” key twice to establish conference call.

NEC (Elite 48/192 & IPK)

With a call in progress:
1. Press “Conf” key.
2. Place second call (Internal or external).
3. Announce conference.
4. Press “Conf” key to establish conference call.

NEC (SV8100)

With a call in progress:
1. Press “Conf” key.
2. Place second call (Internal or external) and press the "HOLD" key.
3. Press "Begin" (on display) to join all calls.

NEC (NEAX 2000 / SV8300)

With a call in progress:
1. Press “Transfer” key.
2. Dial "9" for another line and make 2nd call or dial an extension number.
3. Press "Conf" key to join all calls. 

  How do access my voice mail from outside the office?

Nortel

Follow these 2 steps:
1. Call into the voice mail or have the attendant transfer you to voicemail.
2. From the main greeting enter "* *" + your extension number followed by your security code + "#."

NEC / Active Voice / UM8000 (SV8100 & SV8300)

Follow these 2 steps:
1. Call into the voice mail or have the attendant transfer you to voice mail.
2. From the main greeting enter "9" + your extension number followed by your security code.

Nitsuko / NVM / Aspire / Inmail

Follow these 2 steps:
1. Call into the voice mail or have the attendant transfer you to voice mail.
2. From the main greeting enter "#" + your extension number followed by your security code.

  Can you provide used sets and equipment?

NATG maintains a large inventory of used equipment. We are also able to source most types of older telecom equipment. Give us a call and we will try and help where we can.

  How do I transfer a call?

Nortel

When a call is in progress:
1. Press “feature 70.”
2. Enter the extension number.
3. Hang up.

NEC (Elite 48/192, IPK, IPKII, SV8100, & SV8300 )

With a call is in progress:
1. Press “Transfer” key.
2. Dial station number.
3. Announce call (Optional).
4. Hang up.

NEC (Optima, Aspire , Aspire S )

With a call is in progress:
1. Press “Hold” key.
2. Dial station number.
3. Announce call (Optional).
4. Hang up.

  How do I transfer a call straight to an extensions voicemail?

Nortel

While on a call:
1. Press “Feature 986.”
2. Enter the extension number.
3. Hang up.

NEC (Elite 48/192 & IPK)

While on a call:
1. Press “Transfer” key.
2. Enter extension number followed by a “7.”
3. Hang up.

NEC (Elite IPKII & SV8100)

While on a call:
1. Press “Transfer” key.
2. Enter extension number followed by a “8.”
3. Hang up.

NEC (SV8300)

While on a call:
1. Press “Transfer” key.
2. Dial extension number or press pre-programmed key.
3. Press "VMTRF" key.
4. Hang up.

NEC (Aspire, Aspire S, Optima)

While on a call:
1. Press “Hold” key.
2. Enter extension number followed by a “8.”
3. Hang up.

  Do you provide remote maintenance and service?

Yes. NEC and Nortel offer remote maintenance abilities. This allows our technicians to remotely access your Telecom equipment and perform programming changes and routine maintenance at a reduced labour rate.

  How do I reset a mailbox password?

Nortel

Follow these steps:
1. Press “Feature 983.”
2. Enter “1020000” for 3 digit extensions or “120000” for 2 digit extensions. The “0000” entered represent the system coordinators password for ext 102 or 12. Note: May have to use 1111 or 1234 instead of 0000.
3. Press “OK.”
4. Press “MBOX.”
5. Press “CHANGE.”
6. Enter the voice mailbox/extension number that you want to reset.
7. Display shows “RESET PASSWORD.”
8. Press “RESET.”
9. Press “RLS.”
10. The password has now been defaulted to “0000.”

NEC (UM8000)

Follow these steps:
1. Press "Voicemail" key and enter your security code when prompted.
2. On the display you will see "MORE>" press the soft key under that.
3. On the display see "MGR", press the soft key under that.
4. On the display see "SUBS", press the soft key under that.
5. The system will ask you to enter the mailbox...enter the mailbox you wish to add, delete, or change.
6. Follow the prompts to be guided though deleting the security code or mailbox.

NEC (VMS, VMP, Elitemail, LX, UM)

Follow these steps:
1. Log into the system administrators mailbox and press the “MORE” key.
2. Press the “MGR” key.
3. Press the “CHBX” key. System will say “Please enter the extension number.”
4. Enter the extension number you wish to delete the security code for.
5. The system will say “Extension XXX” if a mailbox exists. Next it will say “Would you like to delete the security code?”
6. Press “1” for yes.
7. Hang up when done.

NEC (Inmail, Aspire, Aspire S)

Follow these steps:
1. Log into the system administrators mailbox and press “SA (72)” for system administration.
2. Press “S (7)” for subscriber mailbox maintenance.
3. Enter the extension number you wish to delete the security code for.
4. Press "S (7)" to delete the security code.
5. The system will say “The security code has been deleted.”