Talkswitch 24-CA, CTTS001021001 User Manual 2

USER GUIDE

TALKSWITCH 24-CA

v3.21

Reproduction, adaptation or translation without prior written permission is prohibited, except as allowed under the copyright laws.

Information in this user guide is subject to change without notice and does not represent any commitment on the part of TalkSwitch. No part of this user guide may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval systems, or translated to another language, for any purpose other than the licensee’s personal use and, as specifically allowed in the licensing agreement, without the express written permission of TalkSwitch.

Second Edition, May 2005. CT.TS005.021.EN

TalkSwitch is a division of Centrepoint Technologies Inc.

Table of Contents

1.0 Installing TalkSwitch

1.1 What’s included with TalkSwitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

1.2 Front Panel Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

1.3 Back Panel Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

1.4 Plugging into the Back Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

1.4.1 Attaching telephone lines to TalkSwitch line jacks . . . . . . . . . . . .4

1.4.2 Attaching phones to TalkSwitch extension jacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

1.4.3 Connecting Devices to the Music and PA Jacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

1.4.4 Connecting TalkSwitch to a PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

1.4.4.1 USB connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

1.4.4.2 Serial connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

2.0 Configuring TalkSwitch

2.1 Installing the TalkSwitch Configuration Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

2.2 Running the TalkSwitch Configuration Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

2.3 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

2.3.1 System Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

2.3.1.1 Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

2.3.1.2 Telephone Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

2.3.1.3 Line Hunt Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

2.3.1.4 Fax Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

2.3.1.5 Local Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

2.3.1.6 Remote Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

2.3.1.7 Extension Ring Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

2.3.1.8 On-hold/Ringback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

2.3.2 Voicemail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

2.3.2.1 Local Extension Voicemail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

2.3.2.2 Remote Extension Voicemail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

2.3.2.3 General Voicemail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

2.3.2.4 Global Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

2.3.3 Call Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

2.3.3.1 Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

2.3.3.2 Auto Attendant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

2.3.3.3 Telephone Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

2.3.3.4 Local Extensions — Call Cascade . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

2.3.3.5 Remote Extensions — Call Cascade . . . . . . . . . . .44

2.3.3.6 Extension Ring Groups — Call Cascade . . . . . . . .46

2.3.4 Call Back/Call Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

2.3.4.1 Auto Call Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

2.3.4.2 Prompted Call Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

2.3.4.3 Call Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

2.3.5 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

2.3.5.1 Audio Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

2.3.5.2 Manual Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

2.3.5.3 Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

2.3.5.4 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

3.0 Using TalkSwitch

3.1 In the Office — Receiving calls with or without the Auto Attendant . . . . . . . .67

3.1.1 Receiving calls using the Auto Attendant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

3.1.2 Receiving calls without the Auto Attendant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

3.2 In the Office — Making and Receiving Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

3.2.1 Making calls from a Local Extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

3.2.2 Receiving calls at a Local Extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

3.2.3 Placing calls on Hold at a Local Extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

3.2.4 Transferring calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

3.2.5 Call Park — Parking and retrieving callers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

3.2.5.1 Parking a caller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

3.2.5.2 Parking a caller using Auto Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

3.2.5.3 Retrieving a parked call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

3.2.5.4 Using Call Park with the External Paging option . . .71

3.2.6 Call Queue — Queuing and retrieving callers . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

3.2.6.1 Queuing calls to a single extension . . . . . . . . . . . .71

3.2.6.2 Queuing callers to an Extension Ring Group . . . . .72

3.2.7 Using the TalkSwitch Call Waiting feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

3.2.8 Conference calling with TalkSwitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

3.2.9 Using Phones connected in parallel to TalkSwitch . . . . . . . . . . .74

3.2.10 External modem telephone line access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

3.3 Out of the Office — Receiving Calls through Call Forwarding . . . . . . . . . . .75

3.3.1 The three ways to forward calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

3.3.2 Transferring calls from a Remote Extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

3.3.3 Screening options for forwarded calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

3.4 Using the TalkSwitch Voicemail System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

3.4.1 Activating Voice mailboxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

3.4.2 Retrieving Messages/Accessing a Voice mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . .78

3.4.3 Pager and Cell Phone notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

3.5 Music-on-Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

3.6 Mode Switching Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

3.7 Out of the Office — Making Calls with Call Back and Call Bridge . . . . . . . .82

3.7.1 Using Call Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

3.7.2 Using Call Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

3.8 Upgrading the TalkSwitch Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84

Appendices

Appendix A — Help & Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

Appendix B — Using TalkSwitch with Telephone Company Calling Services . . . . .97

Appendix C — Quick Commands and DTMF Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101

Appendix D — Safety Precautions and Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

Appendix E — TalkSwitch One Year Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

Appendix F — Return Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Appendix G — Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

Appendix H — TalkSwitch and Power Interruptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

1.1 What’s included with TalkSwitch

The TalkSwitch products come shipped with the following items:

1. The TalkSwitch Unit

2. AC Power Adapter (Warning: never use any other Power Adapter other than the one provided with the TalkSwitch.)

3. USB cable

4. 6' RJ-11 Telephone Cable – (2)

5. Software CD (This contains the configuration software and documentation)

6. Quick Reference Cards – (Local Extension Use)

7. TalkSwitch Start Guide

8. TalkSwitch Memory Card (optional purchase)

If any of these items are missing, please contact your reseller.

The TalkSwitch Line jacks are sensitive to high voltage spikes from lightning. If you live in an area where electrical storms occur regularly, we recommend that you protect TalkSwitch by plugging the telephone cords coming from the TalkSwitch line jacks to a surge protection device connected to the incoming telephone lines.

When you first receive TalkSwitch and live in an area with cold temperatures, do not plug TalkSwitch into a power outlet until the system has warmed to room temperature. Otherwise condensation could build up on the electronics and cause damage when powered up.

11.0 Installing TalkSwitch

Installing

TalkSwitch

1.2 Front Panel Descriptions

TalkSwitch’s front panel consists of a power button (“Power”) and 5 LED lights that do more than let you know TalkSwitch is plugged in and turned on.

What do the LED lights tell you?

LED light State Description

Line 1 On Solid Line 1 is currently in use.

Pulsing Slowly The Line 1 caller is on hold. Flickering Line 1 is ringing. Quick Pulse Line 1 is engaged by another device on the line.

Line 2 On Solid Line 2 is currently in use.

Pulsing Slowly The Line 2 caller is on hold. Flickering Line 2 is ringing. Quick Pulse Line 2 is engaged by another device on the line.

Power / Data On Solid TalkSwitch is powered on.

Flickering The PC connected (via Serial or USB) to

TalkSwitch is either sending or retrieving information from TalkSwitch.

Pulsing Slowly Global Message Waiting Indicator (optional).

Line 3

On Solid Line 3 is currently in use. Pulsing Slowly The Line 3 caller is on hold. Flickering Line 3 is ringing. Quick Pulse Line 3 is engaged by another device on the line.

Line 4

On Solid Line 4 is currently in use. Pulsing Slowly The Line 4 caller is on hold. Flickering Line 4 is ringing. Quick Pulse Line 4 is engaged by another device on the line.

For more details on Line LED Error codes, see Troubleshooting — Appendix A

Line 3 and 4 lights apply to TalkSwitch 48 models

2 TalkSwitch User Guide

1.3 Back Panel Descriptions

Before connecting all your phones and lines to TalkSwitch, you may want to proceed with configuring the unit first. (See section 2.1) This will minimize the disruption time for your telephone lines while setting up the system.

1.3.1 The TalkSwitch 24

Jacks/Ports What to plug in

MUSIC Plug in a radio, CD player, PC soundcard or any other

device that emits an audio signal if you wish to use TalkSwitch's Music-on-Hold feature. This is a 1/8" (3.5 mm) phono jack. Mono cables are recommended.

PA Connect to a P.A. system if you wish to use the external

paging feature. This is a 1/8" (3.5 mm) phono jack. Mono cables are recommended.

E1, E2, E3, E4 Plug in any analog device that uses a standard (RJ-11)

telephone jack, such as: telephones, answering machines, fax machines, internal or external PC modems. Once these devices are plugged in TalkSwitch will recognize them as Ext. 111, Ext. 112, Ext. 113, or Ext. 114. Consider connecting the receptionist’s phone to Extension 114 as this will allow for calls to be received or made through Line 1 of TalkSwitch.

L1/L2, L2 This is where you plug in your telephone lines (RJ-11).

If you have 2 lines out of 1 phone jack, you can plug into the L1/L2 jack. Use a surge protector if you live in an

area prone to lightning strikes.

USB Use the USB port if your PC supports USB connectivity. If

you use the USB port, you cannot use the serial port simultaneously.

31.0 Installing TalkSwitch

SERIAL* You can use a serial cable (RS232) that connects

TalkSwitch to your PC. If you use the serial port you cannot use the USB port simultaneously. *Serial cables are not supplied with the TalkSwitch unit.

POWER Plug the supplied AC Power Adapter in here. Rating:

16VAC 1.1 A output. Do not use any other power adapter as this may cause damage.

MEMORY SLOT Memory expansion slot (located on side). Used to

expand internal memory for voicemail and Auto Attendant messages. TalkSwitch Memory cards can be purchased from your local TalkSwitch reseller. Simply place the memory card in the slot and TalkSwitch will automatically detect and start using the extra memory within 20 seconds.

The ‘PF’ box in between E4 and L1/L2 represents power failure support. In the event of a power failure or loss of power to TalkSwitch, Extension 114 will be able to receive calls and make calls on Line 1.

1.4 Plugging into the Back Panel

1.4.1 Attaching telephone lines to TalkSwitch line jacks

You can connect your telephone lines from the wall jack(s) to the TalkSwitch Line jacks with the phone cables provided. Take note of which telephone line is connected to which Line Jack on TalkSwitch - this information will be used in the configuration section. In order to minimize disruption to your business, you may want to configure TalkSwitch first before connecting it to your lines and phones.

We recommend that you connect surge protectors between TalkSwitch and your telephone lines to protect against lightning damage.

1.4.2 Attaching phones to TalkSwitch extension jacks

You can connect any analog device (regular telephone, cordless phone, fax machine, answering machine, modem) to TalkSwitch's extension jacks. Multiple devices can be connected to each extension jack by ‘chaining’ them together or using a line splitter.

4 TalkSwitch User Guide

To Attach a Single Line Corded or Cordless Telephone, Fax Machine or Answering Machine:

Connect your single line analog telephone or fax machine to one of TalkSwitch’s extension jacks E1 to E4 just as you would if you were plugging them into a standard telephone wall jack.

To Attach a Two-line Telephone:

Option #1 (Use it as one TalkSwitch extension.)

Disregard the telephone’s Line 2 jack (plug-in). Connect the telephone’s Line 1 plug-in to any one of TalkSwitch’s extension jacks. You will still be able to access both telephone lines in the same manner as if you were using a single line telephone attached to TalkSwitch.

Option #2 (Use it as two TalkSwitch extensions.)

You could use your two-line telephone as two separate TalkSwitch extensions. Connect the telephone’s Line 1 and Line 2 plug-ins to two separate extension jacks.

Most two-line phones have separate plug-ins for two incoming telephone lines (Line 1 and Line 2). If your two-line telephone does not have separate plug-ins, you can use a “Line 1/Line 2” line splitter to separate the two lines.

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To Attach an Internal or External Modem:

Simply plug the modem’s telephone cable into one of TalkSwitch’s extension jacks. Your modem is now a TalkSwitch extension and will be able to access all lines and take advantage of TalkSwitch’s call routing features.

If you don’t want to change your dial up settings for the modem, you will need to enable Direct Line Access for the extension associated to the modem. See section 2.3.1.4 for more details on configuring Direct Line Access.

1.4.3 Connecting Devices to the Music and PA Jacks

The Music jack is designed to support any audio source (CD player, radio, tape player, sound card etc.) for playing music or messages to callers while on hold. Simply connect the audio source via its headphone output to the Music jack. The Music jack requires a 1/8'' (3.5mm) phono connector. If you have more than one TalkSwitch connected to a LAN, you will need to provide audio to all the Music jacks on each TalkSwitch.

51.0 Installing TalkSwitch

The PA jack can be connected to a PA System for external paging or to an amplification system to screen voicemail or to use as a line simulator. The PA jack requires a 1/8'' (3.5mm) phono connector. If you have more than one TalkSwitch connected to a LAN, you will need to provide a connection from each TalkSwitch to the PA system.

1.4.4 Connecting TalkSwitch to a PC

There are two ways to connect TalkSwitch 24CA directly to your PC for configuration — USB or Serial

USB: Use the provided USB cable to connect TalkSwitch to an available USB

port on your PC or USB hub.

Serial*: Use a serial cable (RS232) to connect TalkSwitch to an open COM port

on your PC. *Serial cables are not provided with TalkSwitch units.

1.4.4.1 Connecting TalkSwitch to a PC using a USB cable

If you have an available USB port then connect TalkSwitch to the PC using the USB cable. When you run the TalkSwitch software, you will need to select ‘USB’ as the connection type then press connect.

1.4.4.2 Connecting TalkSwitch to a PC using a Serial cable

If you have an available Serial port, then connect TalkSwitch to your PC using an optional Serial cable.

When you run the TalkSwitch software, you will need to select ‘Serial’ as the connection then select the Serial Port associated to this physical Serial port on your PC.

Make sure you do not have any other communications programs running at the same time you want to use the TalkSwitch configuration software. These may include Palm Pilot, Hot Sync, TalkWorks, Digital Camera software. These programs tend to ‘hold’ onto COM ports and not make them available for any other programs.

If you are having problems communicating with TalkSwitch, please check the Troubleshooting section of the manual.

6 TalkSwitch User Guide

72.0 Configuring TalkSwitch

Configuring

TalkSwitch

2.1 Installing the TalkSwitch Configuration Software

Insert the TalkSwitch CD into your CD drive. The Install program will automatically launch. If the software does not launch automatically, you can use Windows Explorer to explore your CD-ROM drive. Double-click the Setup.exe file, then follow the instructions on the screen. If you are installing on a Windows XP machine, do not enable Windows 98 compatibility mode for the TalkSwitch software. The TalkSwitch software can also be downloaded from the TalkSwitch website (www.talkswitch.com).

Configuration software system requirements:

PC running Windows XP/2000

120 MB free hard disk space

128 MB RAM

800 x 600 minimum video resolution

If you are having problems retrieving the settings from TalkSwitch, please check the Troubleshooting section of the manual.

8 TalkSwitch User Guide

2.2 Running the TalkSwitch software

After installation is complete, double-click the TalkSwitch icon. The following screen provides different connection options.

Connection Type: USB

If TalkSwitch is connected to the PC via a USB cable, then select this option and press ‘Connect’ to continue.

Connection Type: Serial

If TalkSwitch is connected to the PC via a Serial cable, then select this option and choose the Serial Port associated to the connection. Press ‘Connect’ to continue.

Connection Type: Ethernet

Ethernet is not a supported connection type for the TalkSwitch 24CA. Only USB and Serial are supported.

Connection Type: Internet

Internet is not a supported connection type for the TalkSwitch 24CA since it does not have an Ethernet port. Only USB and Serial are supported.

Connection Type: File

If you wish to work offline on a configuration file, select this option then press the Browse button to select the file you wish to view/edit.

Restore Firmware:

This activates the TalkSwitch Firmware Update procedure in the event a firmware update has failed. Follow the instructions accordingly.

92.0 Configuring TalkSwitch

2.3 Configuration

The configuration screen consists of 4 parts:

1. Menu Items

2. Configuration Navigation

Controls what is displayed in the configuration window.

3. Configuration Window

Displays configuration information.

4. View System Information

Click this button to view each TalkSwitch unit’s MAC address, IP address, hardware version and firmware version.

5. Resize

Grabbing this corner by left-clicking on the mouse allows you to increase or decrease the window size.

There is context sensitive help information available for each option in the configuration software. Simply rest your mouse cursor over any control for a second or two and then information related to that control will appear.

10 TalkSwitch User Guide

Menu Items - File

Open File...

Opens existing configuration files from the PC. Default configuration files are included with the software. TalkSwitch also backs up to a file called “LastSavedConfig.dat” every time you save settings to TalkSwitch.

Save to TalkSwitch

Saves the current configuration to TalkSwitch.

Save to file...

Saves the current configuration to a file.

Exit

Closes the Configuration.

Retrieve settings:

Retrieves settings from TalkSwitch connected to the PC.

Update Firmware:

This action locks the system down and then proceeds with updating the firmware once all calls have terminated. For more details on upgrading the TalkSwitch Firmware, see Section 4.8.

Menu Items — View

Toolbar

Toggles the toolbar on/off.

Status Bar

Toggles the status bar on/off.

Menu Items — Tools

Memory Usage:

Displays a dialog box showing internal memory usage for Voicemail or Auto Attendant messages.

Voicemail Manager:

Displays a dialog box giving you options to check the status of all voicemail, delete a mailbox password, and reset mailboxes to factory default.

112.0 Configuring TalkSwitch

Terminal Window:

Displays a command line interface to enter commands. Useful for troubleshooting in conjunction with technical support.

Defaults:

Select this option to reset the current page or the entire configuration back to defaults.

Menu Items — Help

Support on the Web:

Launches your browser and directs you to our support site.

About TalkSwitch:

Displays the TalkSwitch software version number, TalkSwitch firmware version number and Copyright information.

Additional PDF help documents can be located in the Start Menu> TalkSwitch folder.

Configuration Navigation

The Configuration Navigation organizes all the configuration topics within folders. The following is a brief description of each configuration folder:

About TalkSwitch

This tab displays version information about the TalkSwitch software, firmware and hardware. It also displays memory usage with details about voicemail messages and Auto Attendants.

System Information

This folder allows you to configure the system setup. This includes activating lines, extensions, VoIP and music-on-hold.

Voicemail

This folder allows you to configure each individual voice mailbox and also some global settings for the voicemail system.

Call Handling

This folder allows you to configure how you want incoming calls to be handled. It allows you to setup your Auto Attendants and individual call handling for each line and distinctive ring number for both operating modes.

12 TalkSwitch User Guide

2.3.1 System Information

2.3.1.1 Administration

It is recommended that you enter an Administrator password to prevent tampering with the system configuration.

System Name:

The system name is for informational purposes to confirm the identity of the system when connected.

Administrator password:

To activate the use of an administrator password, enter a 4 to 8 digit password. The password can only contain numbers since it is also used to gain access to the system using a touch tone phone.

If the administrator forgets their password, the only option to gain access to the configuration settings is to contact TalkSwitch.

132.0 Configuring TalkSwitch

2.3.1.2 Telephone Lines

This section is used to inform TalkSwitch about the lines or VoIP ports plugged into its back panel. Simply select a line and fill in the information. For each line there is a status message (“Line detected at initialization”) indicating if TalkSwitch detected a line plugged into the associated line port. If a line is plugged into a line port and is not detected, check your telephone line, and then choose File>Retrieve settings to update the screen.

Connection type:

Select what’s connected to the Line jack on TalkSwitch. Selecting VoIP means that

you have a VoIP device plugged into the jack. This will now enable callers to select

250-299 from a local extension or auto attendant to speed dial a VoIP location.

In the “Phone numbers” section:

Enter the ‘main’ telephone number for the appropriate line connected to TalkSwitch. Enable the Distinctive Ring Numbers 1 and/or 2 if you have this service on the current line and wish to have incoming calls handled 'differently' on the basis of the distinctive ring. If you want Distinctive Ring numbers handled the same way as your 'Main' number, do not place a check mark in the box.

Next, enter the ‘Distinctive Ring’ telephone number for each of the Distinctive Ring numbers associated to this line. Distinctive Ring 1 corresponds to any double ring pattern. Distinctive Ring 2 corresponds to any triple ring pattern.

14 TalkSwitch User Guide

In the “Telephone company services” section:

Select any of the Telephone Company Services that you currently have for each line. The following is an explanation of each service and the impact of selecting each option with respect to how TalkSwitch handles calls. For definitions and details on how to use these features with TalkSwitch, see Appendix B.

3-Way Calling/Conference:

TalkSwitch can work with either service to forward calls to Remote Extensions or other external phone numbers while using the same line (Same Line Connect). You can also use this service as an option for bridging calls to external numbers when calling into TalkSwitch from the outside. If you find that you are having difficulties with line levels when forwarding calls to Remote Extensions or using Call Bridge, you should use 3-way calling to forward calls as a solution.

Transfer and Clear (Centrex/Plexar transfer):

TalkSwitch can clear the line after forwarding a call to a Remote Extension if your telephone line supports this feature. If you enable this feature without actually having the service, callers will be disconnected after the call is forwarded to the Remote Extension.

Call Waiting:

Check this box if you have Call Waiting service on the current line. It is recommended that you remove this service from your line(s) since there is no way for TalkSwitch to handle a second call on the same line while it is handling the first call. You may want to instead consider adding the Hunt/Rollover service to your lines.

Caller ID:

Check this box if the current line provides Caller ID information. TalkSwitch will pass along the Caller ID information to selected extensions. Also, TalkSwitch can use the time information provided by Caller ID to update TalkSwitch’s internal clock. (see section 2.3.5.4).

Telephone Company Voicemail:

Check this box if you are subscribed to a Telephone Company Voicemail service.

Hunt/Rollover/Busy Forwarding:

Check this box if the current line is associated with a Line Hunt or Line Rollover service from the Telephone Company. In general, any lines that belong to a Hunt/Rollover group should be configured to handle calls the same way.

In the “Calibration” section:

After you have configured the lines, it is recommended that you calibrate the lines. Completing this procedure optimizes your telephone line volume levels for the Call Bridge and Call Forwarding (with Remote Extensions) features.

152.0 Configuring TalkSwitch

Note: Only lines that are detected can be calibrated.

2.3.1.3 Line Hunt Groups

There are a total of 9 Line Hunt Groups for controlling outbound call line selections. These Line Hunt Groups are used by the Local and Remote Extensions, and when using the Call Bridge feature. Each Hunt Group can support several line choices and will attempt to grab an available line in the order that they are listed (Lines to hunt) for that Hunt group. These settings have no effect on incoming calls.

The default setup:

Hunt Group 9: selects any available line Hunt Group 81: selects Line 1 Hunt Group 82: selects Line 2

First select a Line Hunt Group then name the group(s) if desired.

Under Set Line Hunt Group, select the lines you wish to add to the Hunt Group by clicking the check boxes left of the line. Repeat this process for the other Hunt Groups. Lines will be hunted in the order they are listed from top to bottom.

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2.3.1.4 Fax Information

The information in this tab helps configure TalkSwitch to handle faxes.

If you have a dedicated fax line or a Distinctive Ring number for faxing associated to a line, please choose this ‘Fax number’ in the list. If you don’t have a line dedicated for inbound faxing, select ‘none’.

If you do not see your fax number in the list, make sure you have activated the appropriate line or Distinctive Ring number in the Telephone Lines section under System Information.

Next, select the extension number where you have your fax device connected. For example if you have your fax machine connected to E3 on the rear of the TalkSwitch, then select extension number 113.

By default, when both a dedicated line and fax extension have been selected for the first time, the software automatically configures the incoming call handling properties for that line to ring only the fax extension you specified on this page.

172.0 Configuring TalkSwitch

2.3.1.5 Local Extensions

Local Extensions are phones or devices connected to any of the extension jacks at the back of TalkSwitch. See sections 1.3 and 1.4 for more details on connectivity.

Select any of the extensions that you wish to configure.

Local Extensions are by default activated with the associated Voice mailbox. Voice mailboxes for each Local Extension can be de-activated in the Voicemail section in the System Information folder.

Last Name/First Name:

Enter the first and last name of the person associated to the extension. The last name is required if the person is to be included in the ‘Dial by Name’ directory listing used at the Auto Attendant level. The person using that extension must also record their name for the directory. Instructions for recording the name are listed in the interface. Whatever name is entered will appear on the Caller ID of another Local Extension during an intercom call.

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Direct Line Access:

Direct line access allows you to configure the extension to access a specific Hunt Group automatically for outbound calls when the extension goes off hook. For example, you may have a fax machine connected to this extension and don’t want to reprogram the speed dial phone numbers. In this case you would select ‘Direct line access’ and choose the appropriate Hunt Group. As soon as the fax goes off hook, TalkSwitch will hunt the specified lines for an available line. This feature is also useful if you want to avoid dialing any digits for accessing a line.

Warning: When using Direct Line Access, telephone company line dialtone is first available when picking up the handset. The following features are only available from TalkSwitch internal dialtone: Intercom Calling, Hold Retrieve, Line Hunt Groups, Voicemail Retrieval/Access, Call Pick Up, P.A. Access, Parked Call Retrieval, Do Not Disturb functions and entering Command Mode.

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Hunt Group Access:

This is used if you want to permit or restrict specific Hunt Group access to the extension. Click the button and simply organize the appropriate Line Hunt Groups that are permitted for this extension. (All extensions are defaulted to have no restrictions.)

2.3.1.6 Remote Extensions

With TalkSwitch’s Remote Extensions, you can have calls forwarded directly from your home/office to any phone number you choose. Your cell phone, pager or any out-of-office number becomes a ‘Remote Extension’ of your office system.

You can have calls forwarded directly or screen callers. If you are unavailable or choose not to accept calls, they can be transferred back to your office (e.g. to voicemail or another extension) or forwarded to another out-of-office telephone number (e.g. to a business partner’s cell phone) depending upon the Cascade configuration.

For details on how to use Remote Extensions, see section 3.3.

TalkSwitch assigns a Remote Extension number to each call forwarding telephone number. Calls can then be forwarded by the Auto Attendant or transferred by someone in your office simply by dialing the Remote Extension number. There are 8 Remote Extensions available per TalkSwitch unit.

192.0 Configuring TalkSwitch

Choose a Remote Extension to configure. After you have activated a Remote Extension, you must enter a phone number in order for the extension to be considered active and usable by the system.

Remote phone number:

Enter the phone number of the Remote Extension (note: no specific prefixes are required - put the number in just as though you were dialing it from a regular phone). You may use the following in the space provided: digits 0 – 9, space, comma, dash, #and *.

Last Name/First Name:

Connect using:

Select the Line Hunt Group that TalkSwitch will use to connect to that Remote Extension. For example if you have an inexpensive long distance carrier setup for the lines in Hunt Group 84, you may want to use this Hunt Group for your long distance Remote Extensions.

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Use Same Line Connect

Enabling this option allows incoming calls, when forwarded to the Remote Extension, to use the same line in which the originating call came in. Using this feature allows only one line to be used when forwarding incoming calls to a Remote Extension. This feature can only be used when the line that the originating call came in on has the 3-Way Calling/Conference or Transfer service (Centrex/Plexar). If the line does not have any of these services, the call will be forwarded using the Hunt Group chosen in the “Connect using:” section.

If you have a ‘Transfer and clear’ service on your line(s) and want to have TalkSwitch clear lines after forwarding calls to Remote Extensions, you will need to enable ‘Centrex/Plexar transfer’ on the Miscellaneous tab under ‘Options’. If your service requires the remote end to answer the call before the transfer can be made, then you should use ‘play accept/reject prompt’ or ‘play caller’s name first’ screening option set on the ‘Answered at ext.’ in the Remote Extension section under Call Handling.

Note: Remote Extensions do not have the ability to manually transfer calls when using ‘Same Line Connect’.

When using Same Line Connect, callers will hear silence while they are on hold since the callers are on hold at the Telephone Company and not at TalkSwitch. If you want callers to hear music while they are on hold for calls forwarded to Remote Extensions, do not use Same Line Connect. It’s best to experiment with different settings in order to decide what works best for your configuration.

2.3.1.7 Extension Ring Group

There are a total of 10 Extension Ring Groups available for your use. Ring Groups are extensions 300 to 309. By default, extension 300 is configured to ring all extensions.

Different uses for Extension Ring Groups:

Example 1: You are the president of a company and you don't want to handle

calls from the general public, yet you want to be alerted when your important colleagues try to contact you. Your regular Local Extension may be 111 for most people, but you can also configure a Ring Group such as extension Ring Group 300 to ring your extension with a different ring pattern. You then tell your colleagues to always choose extension 300 at the Auto Attendant or ask to be transferred to extension 300 when speaking to someone in the office. Now without being subscribed to Caller ID, you can tell just by how your phone rings if you consider the caller to be important or not.

212.0 Configuring TalkSwitch

Example 2: You have a company with several departments . You may want to configure Extension Ring Group 300 for the Sales Department, in which case it will ring extensions 111, 112, 113, and 114. You may want to also set up Ring Group 301 for Technical Support, in which case it will ring extensions 115 and 116.

First select an Extension Ring Group (300-309) that you would like to configure and activate it. If desired, name the extension in the ‘Ring Group name’ space.

Ring pattern:

Choose how you want the phone(s) to ring for the Ring Group.

Set Ring Group:

To configure, select each extension that you wish to add to that Ring Group. Ring Groups must have at least one extension checked in order to be accessible.

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2.3.1.8 On-hold/ Ringback

If you wish to have callers listen to music or advertising while they are on hold, you will need to enable Music-on-hold in this tab.

On-Hold Settings:

If you have a music source connected to the MUSIC jack, then you can select the ‘play music’ option. Otherwise leave the option set to play a ‘double beep’ when callers are placed on hold.

Transfer Settings:

Select the option that best suits your environment and system configuration.

Note: If you connect a music source to the Music jack and do not enable Music-onhold, the caller will hear both music and a beep sound when on hold. Also when the caller makes a selection at the Auto Attendant to go to an extension that has call screening enabled, they will hear both ringing and music.

232.0 Configuring TalkSwitch

2.3.2 Voicemail

This section deals with the internal voicemail system included with TalkSwitch. It allows you to activate Local, Remote and General mailboxes and change global settings to the voicemail system. For details on how to use voicemail, see section 3.4.

2.3.2.1 Local Extension Voicemail

By default, all Local Extensions are activated with the associated voice mailbox.

Play announcement only

If you want to use this mailbox for informational purposes only and prevent callers from recording messages, then check the 'Play announcement only' box.

If a caller presses ‘0’:

Select what action to take when a caller presses “0” during the different modes while in a voice mailbox:

go to voice mailbox: Callers will be transferred to the specified mailbox. go to local extension: Callers will be transferred to the specified local extension. go to remote extension: Callers will be transferred to the specified remote extension. go to ring groups: Callers will be transferred to the specified ring group.

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play announcements: Callers will be transferred to the specified announcement. go to auto attendant: Callers will be transferred to the Auto Attendant. perform no action: No action will be performed when ‘0’ is pressed.

Load Greeting:

You can load a pre-recorded voicemail greeting from your PC to TalkSwitch. The file must be an 8khz, 8-bit, mono µ-law .wav file.

Voicemail Notification Settings:

Set the manner in which you want to be notified when new messages arrive.

Remote Phone Notification:

If you want to be notified at another location when new messages arrive, you can use Remote Phone Notification. Simply enter the phone number of the cell phone or location where you want to be notified.

Notification Settings:

Detailed instructions are provided for how you may want TalkSwitch to handle notification calls being considered successful or requiring another attempt.

Pager Notification:

Use Pager Notification if you want to be notified by pager when new messages arrive. Simply activate the feature then enter the pager phone number and the numeric message to be displayed on the pager.

Message Waiting Light:

Click on this option to set a message waiting light to indicate when a message has been received for an extension. You can select on which local extensions in your system the light will be activated when a message is received. By default, the message waiting light will turn on at the extension associated with a local mailbox.

Configuration Notification Options:

Define how TalkSwitch will dial out of your office when notifying you of a voicemail. If the first connection is not successful, define how many times, and at what intervals TalkSwitch will continue to attempt to reconnect.

Under the conditions where you choose to be notified by both pager and remote phone, TalkSwitch makes sure that both locations have been contacted before finishing the notification process.

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