The term PC PBX has been defined as an all inclusive telephone system based solely on PC technology. Since the PC-PBX runs on a PC, it can take advantage of the Open Platform. You can add on H/W and S/W on to it from different vendors. The PC itself can be a Fault resilient, Fault Tolerant, or just ordinary PC. Hence, it is often convenient to call upon a PC-PBX to provide a wealth of additional functions integrated on one platform. PC-PBXs have been designed as low-cost, high feature replacements for the higher priced traditional PBX systems. People now prefer to use the term "Communication Server" to describe these telephony industry products because of their capabilities to provide far more features and services than those found in PBXs. The communication server can features applications such as ACD, Auto-attendant, Voice mail, Unified messaging, FAX, Call routing, Networking, etc. And, since it is based on the open, modular architecture of the PC, it is also highly scaleable.
With the expanding flexibility and easy-to-use interface, PC PBX shows you the real power of telephony.
TelePCX is a PC-based PBX that enables your system to grow from a PBX to a communication server, the core of a customer interaction center.
TelePCX runs on the most popular operating system -- Windows NT or
Windows' 95/98. It's based on TeleSynergy's 412 PBX board which supports 4
trunks, 12 extensions and 2 voice-processing ports. Through the internal
switch, the added two voice processing ports can connect any one of the 4
trunks and 12 extensions accordingly and enables your system the functions of
Auto Attendant and Voice Mail so that you won't need to buy another voice
board. When switch control boards (TS - 1384A) are added, a system can operate
multiple voice (TV-2242/2282), fax(TF-9142), and PBX boards (TX-412X)
simultaneously and support up to 48 trunks and 96 extensions, which can handle
the needs of most small and medium sized businesses.
Once you have TelePCX, you instantly have Auto Attendant, Voice Mail and enhanced PBX functions. Besides, TelePCX offers speaker, radio and other connection options and uses ordinary corded or cordless phone as your extension phone so as to minimize your equipment investment.
Being a PC-based architecture, TelePCX well integrate telephone and computer in one PC. With the built-in TeleSynergy's application generator, TeleAPG, it is easy to integrate many other advanced features that a conventional PBX can not easily achieve : such as Unified Messaging, Fax server, ACD, IVR, FOD, Caller ID integration, Screen Pop, Call Recording, and Out-bound Dialing into the same system.
This built in scalability design ensures TelePCX, as your phone system, to expand from a typical PBX to a function-full call center application.
The basic telephone system features including PBX and built-in Voice Mail and Automated Attendant are covered like those in high-end proprietary PBXs.
Here below list some typical features of PBX, Auto-Attendant and Voice Mail.
PBX System Features
Auto-Attendant Features
Voice Mail Features
TelePCX offers you the capability to flexibly set your incoming call handling way according to your need. To define/modify the setting can be simply done by double clicking the cell and choosing a parameter.
Here below describes the definition of each parameter:
This function allows you to setup different Auto Attendant greetings for different incoming trunks. For example, you can set T001 and T002 as group A and assign it to pick up A company/department's incoming calls; and then set T003 and T004 as group B to pick up incoming calls for B company/department. Thus, you can have two trunk groups to handle incoming calls differently or play different greetings within one single system - TelePCX.
When you receive incoming calls, a window pops up that displays the caller's name, address, and any other pertinent information stored in the database. "Caller ID" function improves your efficiency by helping you prepare for each call before you connect to callers. "Caller ID" function helps to identify the source of incoming calls. It lets you answer, transfer, put on hold or send calls to voice mail from your desktop.
When a customer calls in just for some general information, Auto-Attendant will prompt the caller to your IVR or FOD system to retrieve the information they need. IVR/FOD often provide the most significant productivity gains. It is common to find users with 70% to 80% of calls handled without operator/agent intervention.
TelePCX provides direct and fully integration of IVR/FOD, and offers you the options to program by line or transfer to IVR/FOD application through Auto Attendant.
TelePCX supports I-phone Gateway Connections to allow your offices in different locations communicate with each other efficiently and economically via internet rather than PSTN to save long-distance phone cost.
Except analog phones, TelePCX also provides other user interface tools, particularly designed for phone user, and operator to control their call management across the local area network anywhere anytime.
Operator Console makes all the call handling actions easy, simple, and clear. To answer/ hold/transfer calls is so simple that all you have to do is only one or double click on the icon with your mouse. The extension and trunk information display windows provides you with comprehensive overview about the station and trunk line activities.
Below shows the main page of Operator Console:
Features of Operator Console:
User Console is a desktop call control console to give you all of the telephone functions on your PC. It provides the flexibility to handle the calls either from station or desktop. With the User Console, you can make the outgoing calls by either using speed dial function or enter number from keypad, picks up the incoming calls, transfers calls to other extensions, parks/unparks calls, makes conference call, broadcasts message. Besides, you can transfer a caller to a voice mailbox to leave message, or to access voice mails directly.
Below shows the main page of User Console:
4. Optional Add-On Applications
TeleUMS, Telesynergy's Unified Message System, enables you to simply your mail management so as to enhance your office productivity and efficiency.
With TeleUMS, you can:
E-Mail: Your e-mail can be converter into Eduora and UNIX mail. It will send you mail return receipt confirmation for failed sent mails. You can reply e-mail to single or all recepient or forward it.
Fax: You can send or forward your faxes in format of Word, Excel, PowerPoint.... By selecting an address from the phone book and sending choosing them from the folder. Besides, priority setting and timed fax gain you flexibility to send document at off-peak hour and prioritize their delivery. To send a fax to an individual or a group is as easy as you do for an e-mail.
Voice Message: To record or listen to your voice mail can be done via your desktop telephone. You can remotely check your voice mail messages either from WebMail or from outside telephone. Voice Braodcasting (voice #) allows you to send your messages to a bunch of recipients. You can also set up your personal Message Notification to get noticed with pre-defined phone numbers or pager.
An optional simple ACD comes with TelePCX, letting you take the most of its PBX capability so as to enhance employees' productivity and customer satisfaction via efficient incoming call handling. Each ACD call will be routed to designated agent group according to the "First-in, First-out" and "Next-Available-First" routing rules.
Based on the number of extension line you have, the system provides you with the flexibility to set up as many agents groups as you need and you can easily trim them down or up to fit your practice strategies.
Here below list some key features of ACD:
5.What do you Benefit from TelePCX
There are many benefits to select TelePCX as your business phone system. Among them:
TelePCX works with ordinary analog phone sets. You will not be locked into the proprietary and super expensive digital phones. You can even use the wireless phone which allows you to carry around the office.
The high level menu-driven and Windows GUI configuration tools make it a piece of cake for you to set up the system. No more troublesome digit string command line programming as conventional PBX does.
In the past, like mainframe computers, PBX systems are typically installed , configured and maintained by factory authorized dealers and technicians. As a result, the telephone system is just a black box over which you have little control. Now, with the specially designed configuration tools, any computer literate can set system up or maintenance all by themselves with no or little outside help, which will save you bucks and a lot of trouble!
To bring TelePCX into your office, installation is just three
steps away: Setup the extension and voice mail box, setup the office hour and
the related greeting, and the way to handle incoming calls.
With PC based telephone systems, you can treat your new phone system just like another network server. In a few hours or days, you can learn the administrative software that ships with these systems, and quickly become adept at experimenting with new features, troubleshooting the system, etc. The well organized "Configure & Tools" make the setup a snap. This ability to go in experiment with the telephone system (without fear of crippling your business) encourages you to try new features and strategies for handling your phone calls.
Modular-designed application software enables your server to accommodate more features and systems that fit your need as your organization grows accordingly. As a PC PBX is easily upgraded to add additional features and connectivity options, usually without additional hardware, TelePCX is cost effective for small and mid-sized offices and can be upgraded incrementally as your company grows. In addition, the switch board (TS-1384A) and T1 connectivity help expand hardware capability from 4 trunk/12 station ports to 96 trunks or 128 extensions at maximum for your business's expansion.
The built-in support of CTI link permits you to manage and control your phone system in your personal computer or share the telephone resources such as PBX or telephony server through local area network or internet. TelePCX plays the role of build-in PC-PBX module inside SynergyCT server and handles call procedure and offers telephony functions. -- SynergyCT server is designed to converge media processing, call control, and packet communications within enterprise or public network system, providing a single platform for telecommunications switching, media processing, and other communication services. It provides an Application Program Interface which third party CTI software can connect to via TCP/IP. By doing so, we can separates the display/control interface from the telephone (for example, our "Operator Console" and "User Console"), which provides the capability to gain not only enhanced display quality and flexible call controls but also more information on your calls or phone system.
Using TeleAPG, a GUI-based application programming generator, as the Application Foundation, you can easily add on function modules to your telephone system, TelePCX, by your own.
TelePCX is the most competitively priced PC-based PBX. In the May issue of CTI Magazine, 1999 TMC Labs' comparison chart clearly shows that with a 24 trunks and 48 extensions configuration, TelePCX is thousands of dollars less and even offers more extensions.
6. Summary
"Communication servers let you regain control of your telephony and link it to the business process", John Jainschigg, Computer Telephony.
Productivity in many businesses is directly related to the way the telephone are handled. With TelePCX, you can reap enormous benefits from seemingly trivial adjustments to your phone system.
TeleSynergy has for a number of years provided a PC-based PBX and remains committed to "perfect-integrated, all in one" office communication server. Obviously, TelePCX, performs as a very high quality of PC PBX, strikes an excellent balance between advanced features and affordability.
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