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  • Yealink T58A Phone Overview

    Video Guide: Yealink T58A SIP Business Phone

    Fastmetrics has been installing, supporting and providing training for Yealink phones and hardware for many years. Combined with our metricVOICE UCaaS, Yealinks are robust SIP compatible desk phones with modern features. The Yealink T58A is a smart business phone which supports Microsoft Teams. It has a camera option (the T58V comes with an integrated camera), a 7 inch multi-touch screen, HD audio plus more.

    See the below T58A SIP video for an overview of features and capabilities. For more Yealink user guides, see our videos on the Yealink T54W and the Yealink T41P and T42G series.                          

                         
    Yealink T58A Video Guide

    Described by manufacturer Yealink as a “premium phone for Microsoft Teams”, see a complete video overview of the Yealink T58A phone and features from Crosstalk Solutions. 

     

    Video transcript: Welcome to Crosstalk Solutions. My name is Chris and today we’re going to be taking a look at the beautiful Yealink T58A Voice over IP telephone and I mean just look at this thing. It comes with this gorgeous seven-inch touchscreen display and this is quickly becoming my favorite new phone.

    Now this has been out for a while, but this is actually the first time that I’ve had one here in my office. So I’ve been playing around with it for the last couple of days and the screen is amazing. The features are amazing. The voice quality is the best voice quality of any phone that I’ve ever used and we’re going to get into all the details about this phone in a little bit. But I have a second one here that I’m anxious to get unboxed. So let’s start there because I want to start doing some video calls between these two extensions.

    All right. Let’s get to the unboxing. OK. So here we go, Yealink T58A. Now it’s a little bit confusing as far as the model numbers go. They got a nice piece of foam here to protect this seven-inch touchscreen display that comes with this thing.

    But the model numbers, they have a T58A and they have a T58V. The difference is that the T58V comes with a camera integrated into the phone whereas the T58A has the camera separate. So you can either buy just the T58A without the camera. See, no camera on top. But there is an extra camera called the Yealink Cam50 that you can buy separately and it pops into this little port right on the back here. Whoa! Again, this is a seven-inch touchscreen display, fully adjustable. You can see you have a really nice angle of adjustment, smooth-moving angle here.

    Quick start guide, got a regular handset here. Here is the USB camera. We will get to that in a second. But you got a CAT 5 cable or probably CAT 5e I imagine. The handset cord and then you get the stand which this only has one angle that it can sit up at. So the T56, it actually has two angles for the foot stand. This one only has one angle.

    So there’s the phone. Let’s also take a look at the camera here. Again this is the Yealink Cam50 and one nice thing I like about the camera is it does have like a hardware filter, right? So you can cut the image off. You can close it and open it so that it doesn’t feel like there’s a camera staring at you all day. That’s kind of nice. Then the camera itself is adjustable. So then it sits right on the back here and goes in very nicely right there with USB 2.0 and now you’ve got a little camera sitting off the top of your T58A.

    Let’s go ahead and plug it in to fire it up. This is powered by either an AC power. They’re powered up – it does not come with the phone but you can buy separately and then it’s also powered by 802.3af PoE.

    All right. So let’s talk about this. First of all, this is not a cheap phone. This is rather expensive. The T58A by itself, MSRP with the camera, is $539. However no one pays MSRP. So the actual price for this camera on Amazon, which I have a link down below if you guys want to look at this on Amazon. I will certainly match the Amazon price if anyone is interested in purchasing this phone through Crosstalk Solutions.

    But the price on Amazon is $244.22 for the phone itself and then an additional $88 for the Cam50. So if you want just the phone itself, which can work with – you know, like if you had a receptionist that had a video door phone such as this AXIS A8105-E, this works great with this phone where you hit the button on the AXIS. It rings the phone. When you pick up the phone, the video shows on the display of the phone so you can see who’s at the backdoor or the front door or wherever.

    I will have a separate video on the connection from the AXIS over to the phone coming up in just a little bit. Make sure you subscribe to Crosstalk Solutions. So total price with the camera for this phone is $332.22. This phone has a seven-inch touchscreen display. The video resolution on this phone is 720P at 30 frames per second. So it runs Android 5.1.1. Now as far as ports go, this phone has two USB ports. It has one in the back here and then one for the CAM50 to slide into.

    The extra USB 2 port on the back is for a USB stick so if you wanted to put added storage. What you can do with that, which is pretty neat, is you can have a photo slideshow. So basically this becomes a digital photo frame when the phone is in screensaver mode. So if you had a bunch of pictures of your family or your cats or whatever, you can load it into the USB port on the back and then those photos will display on the screen and actually two different screensaver modes that utilize your photos.

    Down here below the stand, we’ve got dual gigabit ethernet ports, again one in which is PoE power in and then one out, which is also fully VLAN-capable if you want to have the phone on a different VLAN than your computers. AC power, handset port, headset port and again, this is either 802.3af power or just straight-up AC if you buy an additional power adapter.

    Take a look at the screen of the T58A. We have a few things down the side here. This is to make a phone call. You just hit the button there or certainly you can just dial on the keypad that is down below. Right here we have a directory. So if you’re utilizing either the free PBX directory that comes with the free PBX phone apps or if you’re using the Yealink directory that can be downloaded to this phone, that will show up here.

    Then we have the call history right here. So you can see all of the calls in and out of the system. Across the bottom here, we do have some extra buttons such as “Do Not Disturb,” also call history again, the directory again and then the menu of the phone itself. This will get you into the various options.

    We’re going to go through the menu, the actual GUI-based menu, the HTTP-based menu which includes all of this and then some more. So in the meantime, let’s get out of there. If you pull down from the top, you get a bunch of extra options as well. You’ve got video, Wi-Fi, “Do Not Disturb,” Bluetooth on or off. See, opening. Bluetooth is on. Bluetooth is off.

    Forwarding settings, screenshot if you want to take a screenshot with the camera, auto answer settings, regular settings. That of course gets you back to that same settings menu and you will also see some little icons up at the top for if you have “Do Not Disturb” on. Let’s try that. There. So “Do Not Disturb” is on. “Do Not Disturb” is off.

    Then if you have missed calls or voicemails, that will all show up right here. You can press the time. This is pretty interesting. If you press the time, you get a bigger display of the time but you also have an alarm, the time, a stopwatch – no, a timer and then a stopwatch. So all built in here. I don’t know exactly why you would need a stopwatch on your desk phone but maybe some people would. So there you go. You have that option.

    Now over here on the side, we can see our BLF keys, right? So for instance, if I dial from a different extension, actually let me add a BLF key. So you can add BLF keys right here and I think this second T58A, I have an extension 203. It is. So if I wanted to add 203 as a BLF extension, I can just hit plus and then it gives me the option to add a different key. Type, BLF. We will say “Label”. I’m doing this upside down so pardon me. Well, here we go. Label “x203,” value “203,” extension “203”. Saving config file now. Of course this can also be done or I should say should be done through the Free PBX EndPoint Manager. But if you’re not using the Free PBX EndPoint Manager, you can just configure your keys just like that.

    We can now see that I have extension 203 and if I for instance dial something like the Echo Test with extension 203, you can see that extension 203 is currently in use. It has turned red. So just that easy to add a BLF key. One other interesting thing I found is if you hold down on the time, you can actually resize some of the various elements. So you can actually resize the time or push it off to the side where you want it, something like that as well.

    So that was kind of a neat little feature and then there are actually 27 DSS keys here. So you have all of these keys here. But if you hit this button here, it expands out and you can have a whole bunch more BLF keys. So these are all empty right now. But if you wanted to have like a receptionist phone or something where you had 10 or 15, up to 27 different BLF keys, you can have those there and then you simply just have to expand those keys so that you can see them all.

    Now if we scroll this way, we have settings once again. We have our File Manager. So that’s to manage different files on the USB stick or on the phone itself and then you’ve got messages, which is your voicemail, your email, calendar, camera. So with the camera, you can just take pictures. There we go. We can see, like, there’s my camera right here. That’s recording. This is recording that, is this, is that.

    You have a gallery for pictures that you’ve already taken. Yeah, very handsome. Very, very handsome and then we’ve got a recorder. So this is kind of cool. So you can actually record and then if you want to do just a quick recording, we’re doing a recording. We’re entering in a test recording into the Yealink T58A. Save. And then it shows up here and you can just play it back. [We’re doing a recording. We’re entering in a test recording into the Yealink T58A.] So kind of nice if you like doing recording and at your desk, if you want to take voice notes.

    You also have a calculator, which is great. Always good to have a calculator right on the phone and then you have web browser. Though honestly, if you have this phone on your desk, you probably have an iPhone or a smartphone or just an actual desktop or laptop computer. That would be a much better browser than the one that is integrated in here.

    Now if we scroll one more time to the side, this is where we can actually touch to set up our email. So for instance, if we were going to set up whatever various type of account, you can put in your actual email address and it will try to autodetect it if it’s Gmail or something like that or it will just ask you to manually input your email settings so that you get email on this phone. Again though, I don’t know how useful email on one of these phones is going to be. I would be shocked to find out that someone was actually using one of these phones for their email.

    So now let’s take a look at the GUI interface. I’ve logged into the Yealink T58A and now let’s take a quick look through these settings. So Account Settings of course are going to be your SIP settings, how the phone is connecting to your SIP server, whatever that may be.

    Now in my case, most of these settings and certainly all of the pertinent settings were set by the Free PBX EndPoint Manager. But there are so many settings in this phone. You can do basically anything that you would ever want to do with a Voice over IP phone with this phone, much like most of the Yealinks and while not all of these options are in the Free PBX EndPoint Manager, these are all options that you can configure with the Base File Editor.

    So even if you’re using Free PBX and the EndPoint Manager doesn’t have the option that you want, there’s always going to be a base file edit that you can perform in order to add the options into the phone. We only ever have to do that very rarely though. So it’s usually not an issue. So here we can see that account one is registered to my Free PBX. Then you’ve got some basic settings and your codec settings.

    Now I have taken then G.722 high def codec and move that all the way to the top because I like to use G.722 by default. It just has a little bit better audio quality than Ulaw, which is the second one that I have here. But there are also all of these other codecs and then a ton of other codecs that I actually have disabled on the side here.

    For the video codecs, we’ve got H264 as well as VP8. One thing that I was able to find – so I was able to do a videocall from T58A to T58A and I was able to do a video call from a Bria softphone to the T58A. But I was not able to do a video call from the CounterPath X-Lite free softphone to the T58A because the free softphone uses H263 as the video codec, which this phone does not support.

    However, I was able to do a call from the Zoiper app on my iPhone over to the Yealink T58A, no problem. So Zoiper with the added H264 support. I think it was like an extra dollar or something to add that H264 support into Zoiper and then it worked just fine.

    I want to do a separate video on video calling with these devices or just video calling in general. So stay tuned to the channel for that, coming soon.

    All right. Under “Advanced,” again there’s just way more settings than you would ever need. So like I said, most of these, you’re just going to leave default. But there are a ton of settings that you can actually configure.

    For network, we’ve got our basic network settings. This phone is just set up to be DHCP and then we have options for what do we want to do with the PC port. So there are two gigabit ethernet ports on the back. One is for input, for PoE, as well as your LAN.

    The second one is for output to a separate computer and that separate computer can also be on a separate VLAN if you want and the VLAN settings are right here.

    For DSS key, this is also – just like we saw on the actual display of the phone where you can set up your own different types of functionality for the phone’s buttons. There are up to 27 keys. So 1 through 10, 11 through 20 and 1 through 27.

    Then you’ve got your programmable keys. These are the keys that display across the bottom of the phone or the main display of the phone and this phone is also compatible with the EXP40 Expansion Module and since I don’t have one connected, it’s telling me I don’t have one connected.

    All right. So here we go, features. Forwarding and “Do Not Disturb”. There are all those sorts of forwarding and “Do Not Disturb” information, general info about the phone, audio options, intercom options, transfer options, all sorts of different options for whether you’re doing a semi-attended transfer or a fully-attended transfer, blind transfer options, et cetera, et cetera.

    “Transfer on Conference Hang Up”, that is basically like when you have a three-way call, if you hang up and you had initiated that, it’s going to transfer it so that the other two people are now talking to each other and then an option for what happens when you use the transfer key on the phone. Is that a blind transfer? Is that an attended transfer, et cetera?

    Pick-up and park options, remote control options, phone locking options. Then we’ve got all sorts of other stuff, Bluetooth on or off, door phone options. This is pretty interesting. They have some door phone options in here. But I’m not really sure exactly how you would use these. Most door phones are going to have all the functionality for the door phone itself built in to the little device. But maybe this is like so that you can create a custom key or something. I’m not sure exactly what this door phone list is for.

    Then under “Settings,” again a whole bunch more stuff here, preferences, time and date, call display options, upgrade, auto provision, configuration and so, so much more, all the way down here to SIP, video, power saving, et cetera.

    The directory options again allow you to create a local directory in this phone. If you’re going to be using the Yealink directory across multiple phones though, I would suggest having that in the TFTP server that this phone auto provisions from. It’s just much easier that way and it keeps everything synchronized much easier. Then we have options for LDAP, Multicast and just sort of some general settings about the phone and some security settings included the ability to upload a trusted certificate to the phone.

    Finally just to prove that some of these video calling features work, let’s go ahead and try a couple of things. I will be doing separate videos on extension to extension video calling as well as calling from a door phone and having it display on the screen here. But that stuff does work. So let’s go ahead and try it out here. I’m going to dial extension 202. Pick it up and there we can see my shiny face, my beautiful, shiny face right on that screen, right? And you can hit it one time and make it full screen and have a full screen video call with these two extensions. Very cool.

    Also in regards to the door phone, now you can have it so that when you hit the button on this door phone, it rings either one of these extensions directly or the way that I set it up is that it actually rings a ring group and then whichever phone happens to pick up that call, the video will go through to that phone. So let’s go ahead and try it now. We’re going to hit the button. Both phones are ringing and let’s pick it up over here. Check, check, check. Check, check, check. There we go.

    So we can see on the screen the feed coming through the door and if I press like “99,” in this case, a dog is going to bark but normally that would actually unlock the relay which unlocks the door or trigger the relay which then unlocks the door. So let’s do “99”. All right. So there’s our dog barking noise which is basically our relay and we can see that the door phone works perfectly with these extensions.

    So what do you guys think about these phones? I think they are absolutely amazing. Again the price tag is a little bit steep coming in at just over $330 per phone. But for receptionists, for executives who want a super fancy phone or just if video calling is something that’s important to you, you really can’t go wrong with the Yealink T58A. I highly recommend this phone and the sound quality as I said earlier is excellent, especially when you’re running it at the G.722 codec.

    So if you guys enjoyed this video, please give me a thumbs up. If you would like to see more videos like this, please click “Subscribe”. My name is Chris with Crosstalk Solutions and thank you so much for watching.

  • A2P 10DLC Messaging Explained

    What Is A2P 10DLC Messaging?

    Firstly, the acronym A2P 10DLC stands for;

    • A2P – Application 2 Person
    • 10DLC – 10 Digit Long Code

    More simply, 10DLC just means a regular phone number.

    What is A2P 10DLC used for? This is a new protocol that changes how businesses which utilize applications to send messages to communicate with individual phone users, have to go about doing just that. This is a recent change. It supersedes previous options of short codes and the standard 10DLC protocols. So, the way in which businesses and companies that send text messages (SMS) and also outbound MMS, is changing and there are new requirements.

    Note: As a provider of A2P messaging, users of Fastmetrics metricVOICE texting functions have been notified of requirements. For any further questions, please contact support@fastmetrics.com

    Female and male texting each other via mobile phone - A2P 10DLC update

    Explainer Video: A2P 10DLC Messaging

    So why has this change been made to text messaging protocol now? What does it mean for businesses, carriers and users? More on that below, in this excellent (less than 5 minute) explainer video from the Blue Collar Nerd.

    Video transcript: What’s going on everybody? It’s Richard Kohberger here, the Blue Collar Nerd. So I have some complicated and arguably not great news for you. It involves congress and the FCC and mobile carriers like Verizon and AT&T and you. It’s something called A2P 10DLC.

    So what the heck is that? Well, 10DLC, that’s a 10-digit long code. It’s what non-telecom industry people and non-aliens would refer to as a regular phone number and A2P, that stands for “application to person”. So this is a new protocol that changes how businesses using some sort of application to communicate with individuals, with people, need to go about doing that.

    So before this change, there were basically two routes that a company could use to send messages to its customers and we will think of them as like two roads. So one road was like a really major highway, like a paid turnpike and this turnpike was short codes. So if you’ve ever received a text message from a business that came from like a five to six-digit phone number, that message came from this highway.

    Now the benefit of this big turnpike is that it’s huge. It was built for this. So companies will get really high throughput, meaning they could send lots and lots of messages all at one time without having to wait. It also offered really good deliverability rates. So there wasn’t a very high chance that a carrier like Verizon or AT&T would filter that message because messages coming down this highway were considered more reputable.

    Now the downsides were that this highway, this turnpike was really expensive to use and you had to use these short codes, which weren’t very personal. A lot of companies, especially local companies prefer to use regular phone numbers that appear to be from the area. So for those reasons, many companies used the other road, the 10DLC road. But this road was not built for this. This road is more like a just regular suburban backroad. So that means worst deliverability rates. There was a higher chance of your message getting filtered, lower throughputs. You can’t send as many messages all at one time and because there was less of a process to get on this road, it meant that spammers were using it left and right.

    OK. So talks about doing something about this problem started a while ago. I want to say around 2018. So congressional leaders and the FCC, they were looking at these phone providers, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and they were saying, “Hey guys. You kind of need to do something about this.” The carriers were like, “Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Don’t you worry about it, don’t you worry about it. We’re on it.”

    Then some time would pass and the FCC and congress would be like, “Guys, we really need to do something about this,” and the carriers are going to be like, “Oh, that? Oh, yeah. We’re on that. Yeah. Don’t even worry about it. We’re going to take care of it.” So finally the FCC and the congressional leaders, they said, “Hey, do something about this or we’re going to be imposing a regulation.”

    So this A2P 10DLC, this is the result of that. So the carriers have built a new road and it’s not quite as small and dinky as the suburban backroad but it’s not quite as big and expensive as the short code highway.

    So how this works is there’s an initial registration process and registration fee. The registration fee is four bucks. It’s not a big deal. I should rephrase. It’s four bucks right now at 2:26 on June 8th of 2021. It could change. I’m just giving you the information that is here right now. So once your brand is registered, you will be assigned a reputation score and that score basically says that you’re legit. You’re a real company and you’re allowed to be sending text messages through this highway. Then after that, there’s a $10 per month fee to stay registered and then there’s a per text message surcharge and that surcharge is fractions of a penny.

    Now a caveat is that surcharge, that per text message charge, it’s not universal. Different carriers charge differently and the charge comes from the receiving party’s carrier, meaning when you the business sends a text message, unless you happen to know that person’s phone carrier, you don’t know exactly how much that text message is going to cost. Pretty sick, right? I know.

  • Yealink T54W Phone Overview

    Video Guide: Yealink T54W SIP Business Phone

    Fastmetrics has been installing and supporting Yealink business phones and hardware for many years now. Coupled with our metricVOICE UCaaS solution, Yealink provides robust SIP compatible phones with modern features. Yealink offers a range of voice hardware that meets the demands of our voice customers. Yealink phones include HD voice quality, high resolution displays, cordless options, wireless connectivity and bluetooth headset comptible choices. The Yealink T54W is a newer offering, which we are pleased to now offer to our voice and phone service customers.

    See below for an overview of features and basic capabilities. For more Yealink user guides, see our videos on the Yealink T58A and the Yealink T41P and T42G phone series. 

    Yealink T54W SIP phone for business
                                                         

    Video: Yealink T54W Overview

    Below, see a video run through of the Yealink T54W phone from TeleComp Holdings. Yealink describes the T54W as a “prime business phone, ideal for professionals and managers with moderate call load”.

    Video transcript: Today we will be going over the Yealink Model T54W. This guide will also apply to the T53 and the T52. Other than cosmetics and a few buttons, there are no functional differences between the three models. Let’s take a look at the LCD screen. First on the top right, you’ve got the notification LED. It will flash when you have a voicemail or missed call. Your individual extension is listed on the top two left hand buttons. The extension is listed twice so that each user essentially has their own line one, line two rollover system.

    Below the extensions, we have a few examples of busy lamp field. You see the status of other phone users. You can see if they’re on the phone or if they have a call on hold. These buttons can serve as a speed dial to the monitored person and under some circumstances will allow you to answer a call ringing into them. Next on the right hand side, there are four park slots. Park slots are an easy way to manage call overflow or to move a call from one user to another without the need to transfer.

    Yealink T54W Soft Keys

    Next let’s talk about the soft keys along the bottom of the LCD screen. They offer quick options when you need. They will change based on the activity of the phone. When the phone is idle, the following buttons are available.

    “History” will show all calls, missed calls, placed calls, received calls and forwarded calls. The option button inside this menu will allow you to add the highlighted contact to your address book, block the person or delete the entire list.

    It’s not necessary to clear the list. The phone will delete the oldest event when the list becomes full. The directory button will show you a list of all phones configured on your TeleCloud phone system. Under “All Contacts,” you will see every contact from every list on the phone.

    “My Location” will show a list of programmed users at your location. “My Company” will list all phones at all locations within your company. The personal list is built and maintained by you. It’s unique to your phone. The “My Location” and “My Company” lists are built and maintained by TeleComp as part of your TeleCloud service and will automatically be updated when new users are added or leave.

    Next is “Do Not Disturb”. Activating this button sends all calls that would normally have come to your extension directly to voicemail. This feature is useful for meetings or any situation that requires your dedicated focus.

    The “Menu” button is the last soft key to the right on an idle phone. There are a lot of options in the menu that may be useful such as WiFi, Bluetooth and screen brightness settings. However, most items in the menu are presented on the face of the phone as you need them.

    Yealink T54W Hard Keys

    Below the screen, you have physical buttons. On the left is the directional pad used for navigating menus and selecting options inside the menu. Under that is volume control. This will set the volume for whatever you’re currently using. If the phone is idle, it will set the ring tone volume. If you lift the handset, it will become the handset volume. In the middle is your keypad used for dialing and all the way to the right are additional function keys. Let’s go over those now.

    The headset button enables or disables the headset. This button must be active for any connected headset to operate properly. The mute button disconnects your microphone. When this is active, callers cannot hear you but you can hear them.

    The voicemail button allows access to your voicemail system. The hold button places a call on hold and can also be used to retrieve a call from hold.

    Your new system comes with predefined hold music. Music or recordings can be added on request. The history button will bring up the same recent call list mentioned earlier in the video.

    The transfer button serves two functions. When the phone is idle, it provides a quick way to forward your extension. When you’re on a call, it will function as a transfer button.

    Yealink T54W Call Functions

    With TeleCloud, placing a call is as simple as dialing a number. You don’t have to dial 9 to get an outside line and there are no long distance codes. Dial the number or select it from the directory and then either lift the receiver, hit speaker phone or activate your headset. The call will be placed automatically.

    You can place an active call on hold with either the physical hold button described earlier or with the newly visible soft key. You can resume a call the same way. If you need to place another call while a call is holding, simply hit the free extension line and place the call normally. Parking a call with TeleCloud is just as easy. While on an active call, navigate to the park soft key along the bottom of the LCD screen. Press “Park” and then hit the park slot you want to park the call again. To retrieve the call, tap the park slot where your call is being held.

    Call Transfers With The Yealink T54W Phone

    All right. Let’s talk about transfers. There are two kinds of transfers available, either a blind transfer or an attended transfer. Let’s go over how to do both of them now.

    Let’s do an attended transfer first. Attended transfer allows you to talk to the person before handing the call off to them. The original caller will hear hold music through the entire process. While on an active call, tap the new transfer soft key at the bottom of the screen or the physical transfer button next to the dial pad. Then dial the extension or number you want to transfer the call to. You can also hit directory at this time and pull up your phone lists. Then hit “Send”. You will be connected with the person to receive the transferred call and when you’re ready, hit “Transfer” again to connect the two callers and hang up on your end. You’ve completed an attended transfer.

    Now let’s do a blind transfer. During an active call, again hit the transfer key and dial or search to select your target. Then hit the “Transfer”. You will not talk to the person receiving the transfer. Instead the call will be sent immediately and will look like a direct call to the recipient.

    The last thing I want to talk about is conference calls. With TeleCloud, quick group or conference calls are easy to initiate and manage. It’s important to note that these are not conference bridges that attendees can call into with a meeting ID. You will have to add each new member to the call. While on an active call, hit the conference soft key at the bottom of the LCD screen and just like with the transfer, dial the number or the extension that you want to add.

    You will have a chance to talk to the new party before adding them to the conference. Hit “Conference” once again and this will bring everyone together into the same conversation. Now that a conference call has been initiated, there are new management soft keys below the LCD screen. “Manage” allows you to mute, hold or remove individual members of the conference call. “Split” allows you to break up the members of the conference back into individual calls. OK, that’s it. That was the TeleCloud Yealink Model T54 product demonstration. Thank you for watching.

  • metricVOICE Basic User Guide

    How To Use Your metricVOICE Account

    This metricVOICE basic user guide is all you need to know to get going on your new voice and UCaaS service. This guide and downloadable manual will show you how to navigate the online Manager Portal, that allows you to access and control all the features of your metricVOICE account.

    Click on a link in the index to navigate to a specific section of the metricVOICE user guide.
    See step by step instructions, or watch a video overview.

    Quick Reference Links:

    These quick reference links are to specific guides on popular features of the metricVOICE service.
    For info and videos on how to navigate the online portal, continue reading the basic user guide below.

    1. Getting Started

    Welcome to metricVOICE unified communications from Fastmetrics! Your metricVOICE account will allow you to make calls, send SMS, receive voicemails, chat with other users in your organization and much more.

    This document is designed to help teach you how to navigate to the Manager Portal, a web interface that allows you to access and control your account.

    We will then break down the Manager Portal home page, the application navigation icons, the configuration options for them, and how they change the behavior of the application.

    Finally, we will discuss how to use those applications in a real-world use case scenario, so you understand what the applications do, the configuration options that control the behavior of the application, and how to apply your knowledge to configure the application to meet your needs.

     

    2. The Manager Portal

    2.1.1.  Accessing the Manager Portal

    To manage your account, you will use the manager portal. A web interface that allows you to easily communicate with others and manage your account settings.

    In order to access the manager portal, open a web browser and enter https://nms.vofm.us/portal/ (or click the link) in your web browser as seen in figure 2.1.1.a .

    Figure 2 1 1 a

    2.1.2.  Logging In

    After entering https://nms.vofm.us/portal/ into your browser, you will be taken to the login page as seen in figure 2.1.2.a.  On the login page, enter your credentials provided by your administrator or click the New User link. Then enter your email and extension number and your credentials will be emailed to you. After entering your credentials, you are taken to the homepage of your account as seen in figure 3.1.a.

    Figure 2.1.2.a
     

    3. Homepage Layout

    In the top righthand corner of the Manager Portal you will see the links for the Attendant Console plus your name and extension number displayed. Clicking on your name and extension number will display the options to edit your Profile information and log out of the manager portal as seen in figure 3.1.a.

    3.1. The Attendant Console

    At the very top righthand corner of the home page is a link to the Attendant Dynamic Call Parking Console. This link will open another webpage and take you to the Attendant Console Contact’s page as seen in figure 3.1.b.

    Figure 3.1.a

    You can also enable Dynamic Call Parking from the Attendant Console. Call Park enables you to put a call into a parking orbit so that another user can then retrieve the call when they are available. Dynamic call park will place the caller in the first available parking spot. While static call parking parks the call on a specific extension.

    Figure 3.1.b

    3.1.1.  Contacts tab

    The Contacts tab provides you an overview of all the contacts in your organization and provides a status indicator.

    A green circle displayed next to a user’s name and extension means that user is currently available. A red circle means the user is currently unavailable as they are already on the phone with another user or set their status to Do Not Disturb. Clicking on an extension will bring up a new window as seen in figure 3.1.2b, where you can call the contact at their extension, their work contact, mobile number, or their home contact number. You can also leave a voicemail for the contact as well.

    3.1.1

    3.1.2 Call Queues tab

    The Call Queues tab will give you an overview of how many Call Queues your organization has, and the number of agents logged into each queue as seen in figure 3.1.3.

    3.1.3

    3.1.3. Auto Attendants tab

    The Auto Attendants tab as seen in figure 3.1.4 will provide you with an overview of the Auto Attendants in your organization and allow you to click on them to call them.

    Back on the Manager Portal homepage next to the Attendant Console link we see your name and extension number displayed as seen in figure 3.1.4.a. This link lets you manage your profile information. When clicking on the Profile link the profile page will appear with the options to configure your account settings as seen in figure 3.2 below.

    3.1.4.a
    3.1.4

    3.2 Profile

    The Profile options as seen in figure 3.2 allows for you to change your account options such as your first or last name, and Time Zone.

    3.2.1 Directory Options

    Announce in Audio Directory

    Directory options allow you to configure how you are represented in the organization contacts in the Manager Portal and audible company directory.

    Checking the Announce in Audio Directory will list you in the company directory. Callers will be able to search for your extension when routed to a company directory.

    List in Directory

    The List in Directory options controls if your extension is listed in the Contacts in the Manager Portal.

    3.2.1

    Caller ID Information

    The Caller ID Information section allows you edit your area code that will be in your Caller ID and appended when only dialing 7 digits on outbound calls. You cannot edit your Caller ID or 911 Caller ID. If you need that changed contact your officer manager.

    3.2.2. Change Account Security

    The Change Account Security section in the profile windows allows you to manage your passwords and email settings for your account.

    Email Address

    The Email Address field is the is where you configure your email address you would like to receive notification from. You can add more than 1 email address by clicking the green plus sign next to the email address field.

    New Password

    The Password field allows you to configure your account with a new Manager Portal password used to login with. Below is the Confirm Password field which requires you to enter the new password a second time for verification.

    Current Password

    The Current Password field is required to be filled out with your current password if any changes are made to any of the Change Account Security options.

    Change PIN

    The Change PIN option allows you to change the numeric password used to check voicemail messages over the phone.

    Below the Profile link is the Log Out option as seen back in figure 2-1 which will log you out of the manager portal and take you back to the login page.

    3.3. Widgets on homepage

    3.3.1 New Voicemail Messages Panel

    The New Voicemail Messages panel displays all new voicemails as seen in figure 3.3.1. The voicemails are displayed with the number of the caller that left a voicemail. Their Caller ID name. Followed by the date and time the message was left and the duration of the voicemail.

    3.3.1

    You will also see the options to Call to Play, forward the voicemail, download the voicemail locally to your computer or delete the voicemail message as seen in figure 3.3.1.a.

    3.3.1.a

    3.3.2. Recent Call History Panel

    3.3.2

    The Recent Call History panel provides an overview of the last 10 calls as seen in figure 3.3.2. A phone icon with a green arrow represents an outbound call. A phone with a red icon means a call was not answered. Phone icon with a blue arrow means an inbound call was answered. 5 blue circles mean that a call was placed to a conference bridge.

    3.3.3. Active Answering Rule Panel

    3.3.3

    To the right you will see the Active Answering Rule window which will display which rule is currently active and provide a summary of how calls are routed when they reach your extension as seen in figure 3.3.3. You can select a different answering rule by clicking the Active Answering Rule drop down and selecting a different rule.

    3.3.4. Active Phones Panel

    The Active Phone fields below list the active phones currently registered to your account you can send and receive calls from as seen in figure 3.3.4. If you do not see a device listed there that should be, that means the device is not configured for your account or the device is currently unregistered.

    3.3.4

    3.4. Navigation Options

    On the top of the home page under the Attendant Console, Profile, and Log Out options is the application navigation menu as seen in figure 3.4. Selecting an option here will take you to that applications management center for the option selected.

    3.4

     

     

    4. Messages: Voicemail / Chat / SMS

    The Messages icon as seen in figure 4, is where all your voicemails, chat messages, and account settings for voicemail options are stored.  

    4.1. Voicemail tab

    Clicking the Message Center icon as see in figure 4 will take you to the Messages center voicemail tab as seen in figure 4.1. On the top of the tab, you will see a new message indicator showing how many (if any) new voicemails your account has as seen in figure 4.1.

    4.1

    Underneath the tab selection you will see a drop down as seen in figure 4.1.a, which allows you to display new voicemails, saved messages, or trashed messages.  On the new page you can see all your new voicemail messages displayed with the caller’s phone number. The Caller ID name, along with the date, time, and duration of the message as seen in figure 4.1.

    4.1.b

    To the right of the message and message information you will see the voicemail management options as seen in figure 4.1.b.

    4.1.1. Call to Play

    4.1.1

    The phone icon allows you to use the Call to Play options where the system will call our extension and play the voicemail. 

    4.1.2 Forward Voicemail

    The arrow pointing to the right allows you to forward the voicemail to another extension.

    4.1.3. Download Voicemail

    The Arrow pointing down allows you to download the voicemail to your computer.

    4.1.4. Save

    The disk icon as allows you to save the voicemail in your account Saved section and will appear when selecting the Saved option from the voicemail box options as seen in figure 3-4.

    4.1.5. Delete

    The red X as seen in figure 3-1-2 is the delete option and clicking the icon will remove the voicemail. Once a voicemail has been deleted it cannot be recovered from the phone system. If your account is configured to send an email notification with voicemail attachment.

    4.2. Chat Tab

    4.2.1 Chat and SMS tab

    On the Chat tab you can see all your Chat conversations as seen in figure 4.2. The message is displayed with the contact’s name. The last message received or sent.

    4.2.1

    4.2.2 Start new conversation

    4.2
    4.2.2

    To start a new conversation, click the New Conversation button as seen in the righthand corner of figure 4.2 and a new chat window will appear. Start typing the users name or press down to see a list of everyone in the organization you can select from. Or on in your contacts widget, click the chat box icon next to their name as seen in figure 4.2.2. After clicking one of the options a chat window will appear. Click in the Send a message… field and start typing. Press Enter when you would like to send your message.

    4.2.3 Replying to message

    If you would like to reply to a message, simply type in the chat window that displays when receiving a message. You can also click the reply icon to the right of the message in the message center as seen in figure 4.2.3

    4.2.3

    4.2.4 Delete a message

    To delete a message, click the red x that appears next to the reply button when hovering over the message as seen in figure 4.2.3.

    4.3 Settings tab

    The settings tab as seen in figure 4.3. is where you can make changes to how your account handles voicemail and is represented in the company audible directory and in the Contacts of the organization.

    4.3.1 Enable Voicemail

    You can enable or disable the voicemail by clicking the checkbox next to Enable Voicemail option. A check means voicemail is enabled and unchecked means that it has been disabled.

    4.3.2 Inbox Options

    These options allow you to control your experience when calling into your voicemail box and checking your messages over the phone.

    Sort voicemail inbox by latest first

    Clicking the box next to Sort voicemail inbox by latest first will configure your voicemail to play the most recent voicemail message left as the first message you hear. If this option is not enabled the voicemails will be played in the order they were received.

    Announce voicemail received time

    Clicking the box next to Announce voicemail received time configure your voicemail account to tell you the time the voicemail was left when checking messages.

    Announce incoming call ID

    Clicking the box next to Announce incoming Call ID will have your voicemail read the caller ID number to you.

    4.3.3 Greetings

    Under the voicemail inbox options, you will see the Greetings section contains your Voicemail greeting and recorded name used in the company directory.

    Voicemail Greetings

    You can have more than 1 voicemail greeting and the drop-down box as seen in figure 4.3.2.4.1 allows you to select which greeting callers will hear when reaching your voicemail. To the right of the message select option you will see 3 icons for the options to Play the voicemail greeting, Download the greeting, Or Manage Greetings.

    4.3.2.4.1

    Manage Greetings

    Clicking the Manage Greetings icon takes you to the Manage Greetings center as seen in figure 4.3.2.4.1.1. Here you can add multiple greetings to be selected from your voicemail greetings drop-down list as seen in figure 4.3.2.4.1.

    4.3.2.4.1.1

    Adding voicemail greetings

    To add a voicemail greeting, click the Add Greeting at the bottom of the Manage Greeting portal page. You will see the options to Upload a new recording from a file on your computer or selecting Record which will call you as the number you enter to record a new greeting. After the greeting is created you will see the message displayed as seen in figure 4.3.2.4.1.1. To the right of the message you will see options to Download, Edit the message, which will allow you to re-record the message or change the greeting. You will also see the option to delete the voicemail greeting message.

    Recorded Name

    The Recorded Name option as seen in figure 4.3.3.4 allows you to record your name which will be played when the company directory says your name. If no recording is uploaded the system will read your name off by each letter. When clicking the Manage icon the Manage Recorded Name window appears as seen in figure 4.3.3.4.a which will allow you to upload a recording from your computer. Or record a new name by clicking the record and having the system call you to record.

    4.3.3.4
    4.3.3.4.a

    4.3.4 Unified Messages

    Under the Greetings you will see the Unified Messaging options as seen in figure 4.3.4 which will allow you to manage your email notifications when a voicemail is left, a call is missed, or if your mailbox becomes full.

    4.3.4

    Email Notification

    The Email Notification options allows you to select the format of email notifications that you receive.

    None

    Selecting none will not email you when a voicemail is left.

    Send w/ brief hyperlink

    Send w/ attachment (move to saved)

    Send w/ attachment (move to trash)

    Send w/ brief attachment (leave as new)

    Send w/ brief attachment (move to trash)

    Send email when mailbox is full

    Enabling this option will send you an email when you’ve gone over your mailbox data storage limit.

    Send email after missed call

    Enabling the Send email after missed call will email you each time you miss a call even if the caller does not leave a voicemail.

    For any of the changes to take effect you must click the Save button at the bottom of the page as seen in figure 4.3.4.a. The Cancel button will disregard any changes made.

    4.3.4.a
     

    5. Contacts

    The Contacts center icon as seen in figure 5 is where all users with “List in Directory” enabled under their profile as seen in back in figure 2.2 are listed. If you do not see a user listed in the contacts that is because “List in Directory” has been disabled.

    5

    5.1 Add Contact

    The Add Contact button in the righthand corner as seen in figure 5.1 will open the new contact window as seen in 5.1.a and allow you to enter a new contact that will be displayed in your account’s contacts.

    5.1.a

    5.2 Import

    The import option allows you to import contacts from a csv file (Outlook, Google, and Apple vCard) that will bulk create users in your contacts.

    5.3 Export

    The Export button will allow you to create a csv file for the contacts group select in the Contacts to export drop down. The Export format will export the csv file into an Outlook, Google, or Apple vCard csv file format.

    5.4 Groups

    On the Contacts page, you will see a drop down as seen in figure 5.1 that will let you filter for:

    5.1

    5.4.1 All Users

    Displays all users on the system with List in Directory enabled.

    5.4.2 Your Favorites

    Displays contacts you selected as favorites. Which you can add to by clicking the star next to the contacts name as seen in figure 5.1.2.

    5.1.2

    5.4.3 Shared

    Shared contacts are contacts available to the entire organization added by Office Managers.          

    5.4.4 My Contacts

    Contacts you have manually added by clicking the Add Contact button in the top right.

    5.4.5 Coworkers

    Displays all contacts in organization with List in Directory enabled. 

    5.4.6 Departments

    Which break users down by the Department entered on their user profile.

    5.4.7 Available Users

    Displays contacts that are available to be called or chat via the portal.

    5.4.8 Busy Users

    Are users currently on the phone or has their status set to Do Not Disturb.

    5.4.9 Offline Users

    Users who do not have a registered device and not logged into the portal available to chat.

    When selecting a contacts group option, the contacts for that group will appear as seen in figure 5.4.9. You can sort them by Name, Status, Department and Email.

    5.1.a

    5.5 Contacts Status Icon

    5.5.1 Green

    Contacts displayed with a green dot are available.

    5.5.2 Blue

    Contacts displayed with a smaller blue dot in front of the green means that person is available to chat in the portal.

    5.5.3 Red

    If the contact has a red circle that means the user is currently busy.

    5.6

    You can chat with the user by clicking the chat icon to the right as seen in figure 5.2. Next to the chat icon you will see the Edit contact icon as seen in figure 5.6.

    5.6 Chat with contact

    Clicking the chat icon seen in figure 5.6 will open a chat window with that user.

    5.7 Edit

    The Edit icon to the right of the contact will open the Edit Contact window as seen in figure 5.4 where you can configure the contact with a different:

    • First Name
    • Last Name
    • You cannot change the extension number
    • Work number
    • Mobile Number
    • Home Number
    • Fax number
    • Email address
     

    6. Answering Rules

    6

    The Answering Rules icon as seen in figure 6 will take you to your answering rules center. Answering Rules are how you control what devices ring, how long those devices ring for when receiving a call. It is also where you can configure what to do with a call that goes unanswered.

    Clicking the Answering Rules icon in will take you to your Answering Rules center as seen in figure 6.0. Here you will see your answering rules listed. Every account is configured with a Default rule that cannot be deleted.

    If you have multiple answering rules configured the answering rule that is currently infect will say Active next to the rule. Every rule is displayed with their name. A description of how the rule will route the call and the options to edit or delete (except the default) the rule.

    6.0

    6.1 Ring for __ seconds / Ring Time

    When you click on Answering Rules you will see the option to set the Ring for seconds as seen in figure 6.1. This is what controls how long a call attempts to ring you for. 

    6.1

    To set the ring time out click the drop-down to select how many seconds you would like calls to ring before sending the call to voicemail or the specified destination entered into the When unanswered field in the active answering rule. If you do not want a ring time out, meaning you want your phone to ring forever, select Unlimited at the bottom of the drop-down.

    6.2 Allow and Block Phone numbers

    To the right you will see the Allow and Block button as seen in figure 6.2. This allows you to enter certain phone numbers to allow or prevent them reaching you. Clicking the Allow / Block button will open the Allow / Block window as seen in figure 6.2.a.

    6.2

    On the left is the allowed numbers. This allows you to add numbers that are blocked by the domain so you can still receive calls from that user.

    6.2.a

    Phone numbers added to allow will also let the call bypass Call Screening. If you have Call Screening enabled in an answering rule but want certain phone numbers to not have to record their name when calling you, add them to the allow field. Then when that number calls you, they will be sent directly to you and not have to record their name first like other callers not listed.

    Block allows you to add phone numbers you do not want to be able to reach you. To add a phone number to Allow or Block, simply enter the number into the respective field and click the plus sign to add the phone number.

    6.2.1 Block anonymous or unknown

    You can block all anonymous or unknown callers simply by clicking the check box next to Block anonymous or unknown.

    6.3 Add Rule

    The Add Rule button as seen in figure 6.3 allows you to configure a new Answering Rules for your account. Clicking the Add Rule button will display the Add an Answering Rule window as seen in figure 6.3.a

    6.3
    6.3.a

    6.3.1 Answering rule Time Frame

    Time Frames are a set period which covers when we want certain events to occur such as our phone to ring. When configuring a new answering rule, you must first choose when the rule will be in affect by selecting a Time Frame as seen in figure 6.3.1.

    6.3.1

    6.3.2 Enable

    The enable options lets you easily enable and disable the rule from being in affect. A check in the box means the rules is enabled and will be in affect during the selected time frame.

    6.3.3 Do Not Disturb

    The Do not Disturb option as seen in figure 6.3.3 will prevent calls from reaching your devices and send the call to voicemail if voicemail is enabled or disconnect the call if voicemail is not enabled.

    6.3.3

    6.3.4 Call Screening

    When Call screening is enabled, callers record their name. After they record their name, then your devices will ring. If you answer the call, it will play the users name and allow to press 1 to be connected or hang up the call and have them be sent to voicemail or wherever your Call Forwarding options are configured to send unanswered calls.

    6.3.5 Call Forwarding

    The Call Forwarding options as seen in figure 6.3.5 will route calls based of the options selected. When entering a destination, it can be anything you would like, another user or another telephone number that does not have to be associated with your account or even on the system.

    6.3.5

    Always

    Always will forward the call to the destination entered in the Extensions, phone number, or phone field every time your account received a call.

    When Busy

    When Busy forwards calls only when you are already on the line.

    When Unanswered

    When unanswered dictates where to send the call when the Ring For X Seconds has been reached.

    When Offline

    When Offline routes the call to the desired destination entered extension, number, or phone field when the user’s devices are offline. If you use a softphone on your laptop and shut down the softphone this is where your calls are forwarded.

    6.3.6 Simultaneous Ring

    The Simultaneous Ring options, also known as SIM ring for short, seen in figure 6.3.6 allows you to configure what devices ring when receiving a call. Clicking the Simultaneous Ring box will allow you to ring more than just your extension and allow you to ring other extensions or phone numbers as well.

    6.3.6

    Include user’s extensions

    Enabling this option will make sure your extension rings when sim rings is enabled.

    Ring all user’s phones

    This option will ring all devices registered to your account.

    Answer confirmation for off net numbers

    This option lets the user know the call is forward from their phone system and gives them the option to be connected to the user by pressing 1 or hanging up the call so they are not connected with the forwarded calling party.

    6.3.7 Just ring user’s extension

    As seen in the bottom of figure 6.3.a this option is only available if Simultaneous ring is not enabled. If just ring user’s extension is enabled, it will just ring your default device configured under your account.

    6.4 How to create new Answering Rule with Simultaneous ring

    If we wanted to create a rule when receiving an incoming call during business hours to ring our extension for 45 seconds before sending the call to voicemail, then after 10 seconds ring our cell phone, then after 30 seconds ring a receptionist’s extension 1003. Then go to voicemail after business hours we would:

    • On the Answering Rule page, we would adjust the Ring for timeout option to 45 seconds.
    • Create a new rule by clicking Add Rule in the Answering Rules center.
    • On the Add an Answering Rule window select the Time Frame you would like the rule to be in effect.
    • Make sure Enabled has a checked box.
    • Click the Simultaneous ring option under Call Forwarding.
    • Click Include user’s extension to ring our phone.
    • Enable Answer confirmation for offnet numbers so our cell phone voicemail does not take the call if our voicemail answers the call.
    6.4
    • In the Extension, number, or phone field enter your cell phone number you would like to ring then click the Ring Delay option and slide to 10 seconds.
    • Then click the plus sign next to the Extension, number, or phone field and in the new window that appears enter the extension of the receptionist 1003 and click save. Your rule should look like the example in figure 6.4.
    • Once the answering rule is created you will see it appear in the answering rules list as seen in figure 6.4.b. If the time frame you select is in effect, then you will see Active next to the rule.
    • To send calls directly to voicemail afterhours click the edit icon for the default answering rules.
    • On the Edit Answering Rule for the default rule, select Always in the Call Forwarding options then enter your extension, select voicemail, and click save.
    • Then slide the rule with the during business hours selected to the top of the answering rules and the default on the bottom as seen in figure 6.4.b.
    6.4.b

    Now when your extension receives calls during business hours your extension will ring. After 10 seconds your cell phone will start ringing in addition to your extension. Then after 30 seconds have passed it will ring the receptionist at extension 1003. If no one answers after 45 seconds the call is sent to our voicemail.

    If a call reaches your extension outside of the selected business hour time frame, then the Default rule would be active and route the calls directly to voicemail.

     

    7. Time Frames

    7

    The Time Frames icon as seen in figure 7 will take you to the Time Frames application center. Time Frames are a set period which covers when we want certain events to occur, such as our phone to ring.

    We create Time Frames with different time and date ranges so we can apply them to answering rules which then allow you to control how calls are routed depending on the time of the day the call occurs.

    7.a

    To view and create your available Time Frames click on the Time Frame icon in the top navigation menu bar as seen in figure 7. Here you will see all the time frames available for you as displayed in figure 7.a. Time frames with names in black and without the option to edit or delete are time frames created at the domain level that are available to everyone in the domain to use. You can only edit the time frames with blue name that you created. If you need domain level Time Frames changed contact your Office Manager.

    7.1 Adding Time Frames

    To create a time frame, click on the Add Time Frame button as seen in figure 7.1. After clicking Add Time Frame button the Add Timeframe window will appear as seen in figure 7.1.a

    7.1

    The Name field allows you to give the Time Frame a name that will help identify the time frame. The name cannot be changed once the rule as been created. If you want to change the name delete the rule and recreate it with the new name. Under the name field, you see three options for when the time frame should be in effect:

    7.1.a

    7.1.1 Always

    This option makes the time frame always in effect. 24 hours a day 7.

    7.1.2 Days of the week and times

    Allows you to select specific days of the week and the hours in the day you want the time frame to take effect. When selecting this option, the days of the week appear with a check box that allow you select which days you would like the time frame active. Once selecting a day of the week, a blue bar appears allowing you to slide the ends to when you would like the time frame to stop and start as seen in figure 7.1.1.2. If click on the edge of the blue bar and slide them over to the desired time as seen in figure 7.1.1.2.a. would like your time frame to be in effect from 7am to 7pm, simply.

    7.1.2.a
    7.1.2.b
    7.1.2.c

    If you’d like a break in the middle of the time frame, click the plus sign next to the 11:59m as seen in figure 7.1.2.b. You will then see another blue bar appearing representing when the time frame will take effect as seen in figure 7.1.2.c.

    7.1.3 Specific dates or ranges

    This option will allow you to configure a time frame to be in effect for specific dates and times. After selecting the Specific date or ranges options you will see the to and from dates as seen in figure 7.1.3.

    7.1.3

    When clicking in the To or From date fields a calendar will appear as seen in figure 7.1.3.a.

    7.1.3.a

    Then select the end date you would like the time frame to start and stop.

    Below the calendar is the Hour and Minute options so you can configure your time frames to start and stop certain hours on the selected dates.

    Clicking the plus sign will all you to add more date ranges for the time frame to be in effect.

    7.2 Edit Time Frame

    To edit a Time Frame click the pencil icon to the right as seen in figure 7.2. You can edit the When options however not the name. If you would like to rename the Time Frame delete it and create a new when with the same When options however new desired name.

    7.2

    7.3 Delete Time Frame

    To delete a Time Frame click the red x delete icon as seen in figure 7.2.

     

    8. Phones

    8

    The phone icon as seen in figure 8 will take you to your phones center where all registered devices to your account are listed as seen in figure 8.a.

    8.a

    A green icon next to the device means the device is registered and will be able to send and receive calls without issue.

    A red icon means the device is unregistered. This could be caused because the device is softphone and currently turned off. Or the phone system is unable to communicate with the device.

    To the right of the status indicator is the name of the device. Followed by device type, the manufacturer and model number of the device, the IP address the device is registered at, the MAC address of the device. Then the line number the device has the extension number displayed.

     

    9. Music on Hold

    Clicking the Music on Hold icon as seen in figure 9 will take you to your accounts music on hold center and will list all the custom music uploaded to your account that is played when you place someone on hold as seen in figure 9.0. Music played in a top-to-bottom order or randomized depending how the queue was created.

    9.0

    9.1 Music on Hold Settings

    Clicking the setting button will display the Music on Hold Settings as seen in figure 9.1 which allows for the option Play introductory greeting to be enabled. When the option is selected, you will be asked to upload a WAV or mp3 file of the introductory greeting. This introductory greeting will always play first when someone is placed on hold then music afterwards.

    9.1

    9.2 Add Music on Hold

    The Add Music button as seen in figure 9.2 will allow you upload an mp3 or WAV file format and name the music on hold file.

    9.2
     

    10. Call History

    The Call History icon as seen in figure 10 will take you to the Call History page. Where you will see the calls made to and from your account for the specified date range as seen in figure 10.a.

    10
    10.a

    10.1 Call History Filters

    You can change the date range by clicking the Filters button as seen in figure 10.1.

    After clicking the filter button, the Call History Filters window will appear as seen in figure 10.1.a. Here you can change the Call History date range.

    10.1.a

    10.1.1 Caller Number

    Allows you to search for calls from a specific phone number by entering the number into the Caller Number field.

    10.1.2 Dialed Number

    The Dialed Number field will let you filter for a specific number that you dialed.

    10.1.3 Call Type

    The Call Type drop down as seen in figure 10.1.3 lets you filter based off the type of call. Inbound, Outbound, or Missed call.

    10.1.2

    Clicking the Filter button as seen in figure 10.1.a will then display the calls that match the filter criteria.

    10.1.4 Calls Displayed

    • Calls displayed with a red x are missed calls.
    • Calls displayed with a green arrow are outbound calls.
    • Calls displayed with a blue arrow are inbound calls that were answered.

    You can set the Call History to display 15, 25, 50, and 100 calls per page as seen in figure 10.1.4.

    10.1.4

    The caller can be added to your contacts by clicking the Add Contact icon as seen in figure 10.1.4.a.

    10.1.4.a

    You can add a call to your contacts by clicking the Edit Icon next to the call which will display the contact information fields as seen in figure 10.1.4.b.

    10.1.4.b

    If call recording is enabled for your profile, device, or if the call was from a queue configured to record calls you can download the call clicking the Download icon as seen in figure 10.1.4.d.

    10.1.4.c
    10.1.4.d

    If you’d like to listen to the call without downloading the call you can click the listen icon as seen in figure 10.1.4.e which will open a media player right in your browser as seen in figure 10.1.4.f

    10.1.4.f

    5.2 Exporting Call History

    The export icon as seen in figure 10.2 allows you to download the call history into a csv file that can be opened in any spreadsheet application such as Excel or Apache Open Office.

    10.2

  • metricVOICE – How To Make A Voice Call Via Webphone

    How To Make A Voice Call via Webphone

    The below video shows users how to make a voice call to an existing contact or any phone number, using the browser-based webphone. Webphones are a standard inclusion for all metricVOICE UCaaS users. Secure browser based calling allows users to make voice calls from everywhere. Simply login to start using your browser-based metricWEBPHONE to make calls, send chats, text and setup conference calls and more.

    Free calls are one of many standard features included with metricVOICE UCaaS from Fastmetrics. (A free demo is available to anyone to try it out). All users are given their own online portal, which they can log into. Call, chat, conference and text (SMS) directly from any browser, cell or free mobile apps from anywhere. Administrators are given ‘admin rights’ which allows extra features, such as adding new users, devices and more.

    A cloud based remote solution, metricVOICE works anywhere and across devices. It is a flat-fee service, with all features included (no add on fees). Other standard features include business telephony, texting, instant messaging, auto attendants, conferencing, voicemail and voice to text. It also integrates with MS Teams, email services, CRMs and other business tools and apps, offering a complete business telephony solution, backed by local support in the USA.

  • metricVOICE – How To Use Chat & Send Instant Messages

    How To Use metricVOICE Chat (Instant Messaging)

    The below video shows teams and users how to chat and send instant messages using the metricVOICE UCaaS service. This feature makes allows users to send chats and instant messages from anywhere, across devices. This feature is available across our free mobile apps and the browser based webphone included with service – metricWEBPHONE. Simply log in online and chat or instant message with any contact on your contacts list.

    Instant messaging is one of many standard features included with metricVOICE UCaaS from Fastmetrics. (A free demo is available). All users are given their own online portal, which they can log into. Call, chat, conference and text (SMS) directly from any browser, cell or free mobile apps from anywhere. Administrators are given ‘admin rights’ which allows extra features, such as adding new users, devices and more.

    A cloud based remote solution, metricVOICE works anywhere and across devices. It is a flat-fee service, with all features included (no add on fees). Other standard features include business telephony, texting, auto attendants, conferencing, voicemail and voice to text. Service also integrates with MS Teams, email, CRMs and other business tools and apps, offering a complete business telephony solution, backed by local support in the USA.

  • metricVOICE – How To Send SMS

    How To Send SMS Using metricVOICE

    The below video shows how to send SMS (text) using the metricVOICE service. This UCaaS feature makes it easy for users to send texts from any web browser, our free mobile apps or a cell phone. Our service provides unlimited texting for every user, to any phone number. In addition, every user can make unlimited free calls and conferences to numbers in the USA and Canada.

    New Text Messaging Registration Requirements

    There are new requirements for telcos who provide texting (SMS) services. This is an effort to reduce text spam. This requires Fastmetrics to register customer domains under a brand. Then register a campaign.

    Currently, Fastmetrics works with Campaign Registry, to add customer domains to their SMS registry. Campaign Registry is an organization also used by T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon to reduce text message spam to their customers.

    Fastmetrics handles the registration process for our phone service customers. However, it does require the following mandatory information;

    Fill out my online form.

    Once the above form is completed, Fastmetrics can begin the process of registering a brand and campaign, to complete the process and enable texting / SMS services. Reach out to support@fastmetrics.com for any questions.

    Unlimited free SMS (texting) is one of many standard features included with metricVOICE UCaaS from Fastmetrics, Inc. (A free demo of service is available to anyone who wishes to try it out). Users are given their own online portal, which they can log into. Call, chat, conference and text directly from any browser, cell or our free mobile apps from anywhere. Webphones are included for all users.

    Quick Reference Links:

    These links are to specific guides on popular features of the metricVOICE service. For info and videos on how to navigate the online metricVOICE portal, check the basic user guide.

    A cloud based remote solution, metricVOICE works from anywhere and across devices with an Internet connection. It is a flat-fee service, with all features included (no add on fees). Other standard features include business telephony, auto attendants, conferencing, free calls, voice to text and chat. It also integrates with MS Teams, email, CRMs and other business tools.

  • Enabling “Switch to Cell Phone” Feature for iPhone

    This particular feature is available for Apple devices only. It allows you to change the network your phone call is on.

    Example scenario: you are using the Fastmetrics Mobile App for iPhone, but the call quality is not very good, because you are using a public or a non optimized WiFi connection. You can select to move it to your actual cell phone network (fees may apply). The below video shows the settings you must turn on, in order to have this feature available.

    If you have voicemail set up via your smartphone network provider, the voicemail may pick up when you switch to iPhone. So, it is important to delay the voicemail on the smartphone native provider (let the smartphone ring at least 5 times).

     

    log in
    Log in

    wait for registration
    Wait for registration..

    select contacts
    Select contacts

    Select the settings Menu
    Select the “Settings” menu

    elect settings
    Select “Settings”

    Turn on both basic options
    Turn on both basic options

    Enter your full mobile number including the area code select done
    Enter your full mobile number (including the area code), and select “Done”

    Go back to settings a new option will appear
    Go back to settings. A new option will appear

    select call using Fastmetrics and done
    Select “Call using Fastmetrics” and “Done”

    next time you are on a call select more
    Next time you are on a call select “More”

    select switch to phone
    Select “Switch to phone”

    Select your iPhone
    Select your iPhone

  • Auto Attendant FAQs

    What Is An Auto Attendant Or Automated Phone System?

    If you’ve ever called a company or organization and reached the right department by selecting from menu options (e.g., press 1 for billing, press 2 for technical support, etc.) then you are familiar with an auto attendant. This is also referred to as an automated phone system or a digital receptionist.

    An auto attendant feature makes it easier for businesses of all sizes to manage incoming calls. Inbound callers can be routed and transferred to an individual, group or department, based on a caller’s needs. A standard auto attendant feature setup provides callers with an initial greeting and then prompts to select an option.

    Basic Auto Attendant Menu Setup

    auto attendant basic menu setup diagram

    Historically, greeting and call routing functions were carried out by a live operator or receptionist. As technology progressed, relying on a single individual or group to manage multiple incoming phone calls became inefficient and costly. Today’s hosted PBX or cloud hosted phone services make it easy to direct calls through prompts and commands, via key selections or voice commands.

    What Are The Benefits Of An Auto Attendant?

    There are a variety of benefits associated with an auto attendant or digital receptionist. When asked how an auto attendant has impacted their business communication needs, or helped reach operational goals, lower costs and improved efficiency are typical responses. 

    business owner on the phone after being routed by auto attendant in front of productivity whiteboard
    An auto attendant can increase efficiency, productivity and lower business costs

    Implementing an auto attendant eliminates the need for a designated receptionist or operator. This is an obvious cut to costs. Still, there are further cost savings of an auto attendant setup. A properly utilized auto attendant allows businesses of all sizes to streamline incoming calls. Sending phone calls directly to a department, hunt group, individual, or functionality best matches the caller’s needs. This frees up teams or skilled employees from taking distracting calls which may not be for them and having to reroute or handle them. This allows a workforce to focus on the job at hand with minimum distractions. Likewise, an auto attendant improves customer experience. Customers can reach the correct department themselves, avoiding unnecessary transfers. An improved customer experience translates to a stronger business reputation. 

    How Does An Auto Attendant Work?

    An auto attendant routes incoming calls to a destination based on a caller’s specific needs and inputs. Auto attendants can also be setup based on the operational needs of an organization (seasonal call volume changes, employee vacations, etc.).

    Common Auto Attendant Routing Steps

    • Go to a sub menu
    • Transfer to a specified extension
    • Transfer to voicemail
    • Play a recorded message (business address or other)
    • Repeat menu choices

    common auto attendant routing steps

    • Dial by name
    • Go to an Operator (live person)
    • Transfer to a cell phone or mobile
    • Transfer to a group of extensions

    After an auto attendant is setup, each inbound call to a designated number included during setup will receive a basic greeting. This provides essential information about your company.  At this point, callers can then select from options provided. These options often include call directories, functions (e.g., paying a bill), or groups and departments. In addition to making it easier to route calls to the correct destination for a caller, an auto attendant can be used to relay valuable information. Alternatively, it can play music while callers wait in queue. Or, return a caller to being on hold while a process is completed.

    Auto Attendant Setup – Minimum Required Values

    • ‘0’ – where to go when the caller dials ‘0’
    • Timeout – what to do if the caller does nothing (usually send call to the same place as ‘0’)
    • Default mailbox – where to send calls if ‘0’ is not answered. (Or, does not route to a live person)

    auto attendant setup diagram basic required values

    What Is An Auto Attendant Greeting?

    An auto attendant greeting represents the voice of your company. Much like a receptionist would answer the phone with a basic greeting or welcome. An auto attendant greeting does the same, then provides info or options to a caller. Every caller routed through an auto attendant can experience the same greeting, creating across-the-board consistency. Greetings vary from company to company. Typically, your business can customize the voice and initial impression of your company. In some cases,  automated greetings can provide important information like business hours or other notifications, that may be pertinent to inbound callers at any given time.

    hello in white letters being added to a blackboard
    Customize the voice and initial impression of your company with an automated greeting

    Immediately following the greeting, callers will be prompted to select the options to help route their call to them a direct extension, group or department or to a sub-menu that can help them reach the correct destination.

    How To Set Up An Auto Attendant

    Thanks to user-friendly online interfaces and apps that typically accompany today’s business phone services, setting up an auto attendant is now efficient. This is particularly true for Fastmetrics customers who have access to the online web portal. However, the exact method used to set up your auto attendant will be determined by your service provider and/or the equipment you use.

    Since many businesses utilize more than one phone line, the first thing to consider when setting up an auto attendant or automated phone system is what numbers you’d like included. This may involve sending all incoming calls to the same main greeting. Or, it may mean excluding some calls or altering greetings based on certain numbers.

    Once you determine what calls will be routed through the auto attendant, the next step is to determine what menu options will be used. This step typically takes a good understanding of your company directory. As well as skills and functions that accompany each individual, group, or department within your company. For those who offer automated services over the phone (e.g., payments), this map also needs to include access to those features.

    Many businesses will find that a single menu is not enough to meet requirements. The addition of an auto attendant sub-menu will be required. Often, existing customers and potential new customers have different needs.  Don’t have both types of callers sit through a lengthy menu of options, when they can be routed to a sub-menu that provides specific options that meet their needs.

    happy customers improve business reputation
    Auto attendants can improve customer experience

    Once the call routing map is complete, the next step is often to prepare the scripts that will relay the information and options you need to convey. This includes a greeting, menu options, and any additional information you feel is pertinent, including operating hours and locations, in some cases.

    Are There Any Auto Attendant Script Examples?

    Each business can design their own auto attendant script ,based on the nature of their business and their auto attendant needs. A good auto attendant script will be professional, easy to follow and provide clear instructions, based on a caller’s purpose or need. Most companies choose to provide an auto attendant script with a basic greeting. This typically provides general company information or general menu options.

    Example Auto Attendant Scripts

    A basic greeting that directs inbound callers to various departments may read as follows:

    1. Hello. Thank you for contacting [business name], where our goal is to [slogan/purpose].
    2. If you know the extension you’d like to reach, you may dial it at any time.
    3. If you’d like to reach the [department name], please press 1.
    4. If you’d like to reach [department name], please press 2.

    An auto attendant script can also be used to address an inbound caller’s specific concerns or questions. For example, the following auto attendant script may be used instead of the options from the above script;

    1. For questions about your bill, press 3.
    2. To make a payment, press 4.
    3. If you’re a new customer, press 5.
    4. To repeat the menu options, press 6.
    5. For all other inquiries, press 0.

    Some businesses may want to include additional options. This can allow inbound callers to gain valuable information that doesn’t necessarily require human interaction, like business hours.  In this case, a script example to use could be;

    1. If you’d like information about our business hours, please press 2.
    2. If you’d like information about our business location, please press 3.
    3. To hear about our recent specials, please press 4.

    How To Record An Auto Attendant Greeting?

    First, write an auto attendant script and determine who will be the voice of your company, or find someone who will be the ‘voice of your business’. Then you will need to record the auto attendant greeting. This can be done in a variety of ways. Via handset, mobile, or via desktop. The exact process depends on the tools and apps provided by your phone service provider and the equipment you will be using. For Fastmetrics phone customers, auto attendant greetings can be setup and managed via the admin login of our cloud web interface.

    It is common practice to record and upload an auto attendant greeting via a .WAV file. Follow the instructions on how to record your greeting via the link above. If you are an existing Fastmetrics customer and need additional instructions on how to record an auto attendant greeting, please contact our local support team.

    What Is A Phone Menu?

    A phone menu is one of the fundamental parts of your auto attendant greeting. A phone menu routes inbound calls by matching caller needs to a respective department, group, individual, message or resource. In order to create a successful phone menu, it’s important to map out the logical way you’d like inbound calls to flow.

    Example Phone Menu Options

    If your business has a customer service team and a sales team, your phone menu may include the following options;

    1. If you’re an existing customer, please press 1.
    2. If you’re a new customer, please press 2.

    Phone menus should be clear and simple to understand. Make it easy for callers to quickly identify and choose the options that best suits their needs. For example, if you send existing customers to a different sub-menu, your options may be similar to the following;

    1. If you’d like to make a payment, press 1.
    2.  If you have billing questions, press 2.
    3.  If you need technical support, press 3.

    What Is A Hunt Group?

    A single extension may connect to a specific handset or individual device, a hunt group is a phone feature that routes a call to a pre-defined group of numbers or extensions. How the hunt group works or prioritizes lines, depends on the mode you choose. For example, when a hunt group is set to broadcast, all available lines included in the group will receive the call and ring simultaneously. Similarly, when a sequential mode is used, a phone call will be routed to the first specified line. If that user does not answer the phone call or if the line is busy, the call will be routed to the next prioritized line within the call group. Hunt groups can also be used to send calls to a number based on idle time, last call, etc.

    Do I Need A Hunt Group?

    A hunt group is not only relevant to businesses with high call volumes, such as call centers. Small and medium sized businesses can also benefit from a hunt group feature. Hunt groups increase the likelihood that every inbound call ends with a human-to-human interaction. This is preferable to an inbound call hitting a voicemail, or a busy signal. Additionally, hunt groups also assist in fast-paced business environments where a missed call can have a significant negative impact on operations or sales. If a staff member is away from their phone or busy, a hunt group can ensure that the caller reaches another similarly qualified individual.

    Can I Use An Auto Attendant With Smartphones?

    With a cloud based business phone service, the auto attendant feature can be used to reach any line included in a phone tree. This is regardless of whether it’s a headset in your office or a mobile phone in the hands of a remote employee. This includes landlines, cell, VoIP, and toll-free numbers within the United States.

    mobile phone being used in front of laptop connected to CRM
    Automated phone systems can be managed and connect to various devices

    In addition to functionality across multiple devices, authorized admin users can access and manage the auto attendant feature by using the Fastmetrics admin web portal.

    How Much Does An Auto Attendant Cost?

    The costs associated with a hosted PBX or business phone service vary from provider to provider. Auto attendants are frequently considered a basic feature, included with a business phone system. Fastmetrics customers with business phone service have free access to over one hundred included business phone features, including an auto attendant.

    Can I Change My Auto Attendant Settings?

    Communication needs of your business may change over time. Cloud hosted business phone services are designed to facilitate changes easily. An auto attendant is no different. Users can change their auto attendant settings at any time by logging into the admin web portal interface. Accommodating changes in call volume, employee availability and customer needs is made as simple as possible in a single online interface.

    Can I Integrate My CRM With My Auto Attendant?

    Primary features like auto attendants and hunt groups are designed to increase efficiency and improve the customer to employee experience. Each phone provider is different, however Fastmetrics phone services integrate with CRMs such as Salesforce.com and Zendesk, via our Chrome Extension; metricCRMconnect. This extension also recognizes phone numbers within the Chrome browser and enables seamless click-to-dial. Got more auto attendant related questions for your business? If you are a Fastmetrics customer, contact our support team. We will be more than happy to answer any questions about your auto attendant or help set it up for your business.

    What Is An Auto Attendant Or Automated Phone System? – This Question Answered And More

    Who Controls The Auto Attendant Phone System Feature?  

    Typically, an account administrator will have control over the auto attendant feature and establish rules for the main company phone number. However, if you are an admin, you can also set up additional users with administrative rights that can access and manage the auto attendant phone system feature by using the Fastmetrics metricVOICE web portal.

    Can I Use an Auto Attendant With My Phone?

    If you’re using a cloud-based phone service, you can set up the automated phone system with any phone that’s listed in the phone tree. This includes landlines, mobile phones, VoIP and toll-free numbers in the U.S. 

    How To Change an Auto Attendant Greeting Message?

    In some cases, you may need to change the auto attendant script or greeting. This is essentially a voicemail, custom company greeting, or audio file that callers hear right after dialing your number. If you find that your business hours have changed or if you need to notify your customers and clients about any urgent changes about your business operations or holiday closures, changing an auto attendant default greeting is crucial. 

    First, you’ll need to record a new voicemail greeting using a handset, mobile, or desktop computer, depending on the tools and apps provided by your phone service provider. For Fastmetrics voice customers, you’ll then need to upload the new custom greeting in the .wav format using the admin login in the Fastmetrics metricVOICE cloud web interface.

    Why Do Businesses Have An Auto Attendant Phone System?

    There are several reasons why businesses opt to use an automated business phone system: 

    • It empowers businesses to filter incoming calls to appropriate routing destinations — like the sales department or a live operator — and ensures all direct callers are answered promptly, which in turn provides a better customer experience.
    • The upfront dialing options save time and offer an improved level of customer service.
    • They can better manage their call flow with sufficient menu options and ensure the right person handles the call.
    • They don’t have to worry about hiring a full-time receptionist to manage the calls to the main company number since the system acts as a sort of auto receptionist or virtual receptionist. This saves you money in the long run since you don’t have to worry about paying another employee or covering their insurance and other employee-related costs.
    • An automated answering service ensures employees don’t have to worry about answering calls that aren’t meant for them and waste time routing the call to the appropriate person or department. This enables them to focus on other tasks and get more done.

    What Is The Difference Between An Auto Attendant Phone System And IVR?

    An auto attendant routes the calls to the appropriate department or person. In a sense, an auto attendant isn’t “intelligent” as it can’t do much else other than route calls. You can set different parameters for your auto attendant phone system, such as configuring a day and night mode. However, the system will send the calls to a call queue or a mailbox. It will also play music while it hunts.

    An IVR, or Interactive Voice Response, is a more sophisticated version of an auto attendant. The voice input response from an IVR depends on the input and the response. It can handle automated tasks with advanced rules that involve numbers and simple questions with yes/no answers delivered via voice command. For example, you can use an IVR to let customers pay their credit card bill by cell phone or ask them to fill out a simple customer satisfaction survey.

    If you have more questions, feel free to reach out to us here at Fastmetrics. We can help your business connect better with the best auto attendant phone system. 

  • metricVOICE – Change Web Portal Password

    How To Change Your Web Portal Password

    Select Profile from the dropdown menu.

    change voicemail password

    Scroll to Change Account Security.

    • Make sure you have an email address entered in the Email Address field.
    • Type your new password into the New Password and Confirm New Password fields (specified requirements apply).
    • Click Save when done.

    change web portal password