My office has an FX-II PBX, with a PC running the Interchange voicemail / automated attendant software. (I believe the version is ISC-Lite)

I have a remote user who has an in-office extension forwarded to her home phone using CFOS. It seems with CFOS the call will just ring and ring until the other end picks up. I would like to have unanswered calls to her extension go to the local voicemail system as I have voicemails being copied to email and my users really like this feature.

Is there a way to do this?

Thanks,

-Jason

Nope. CFOS throws the call over the fence.

So is there an alternate way to give an outside number an inside extension? The remote user is never at the main office, her phone lives in the telephone room.

I just did some looking on the voicemail system, and I think it can do what I want with the transfer settings. It is able to pick up and dial an external number, and there is a setting for # of rings before it sends the call to the mailbox.

However it doesn't work properly. As I watch the system it goes through the step "Cancel Xfr" and looks like it tries to send the call to the mailbox, however what it ends up doing is just transferring the calling phone to the outside number.

Any suggestions on fixing the cancel transfer function? If that was working this would do exactly what I want.

-J

Any suggestions on how to get Interchange to cancel the transfer properly?

-J

I was only able to do what you are trying to do at one location. Had to have CO lines with 3 way calling, had to replace the Voice Mail with an analog integration using Dialogic boards only...never could get it to work with Rhetorex analog boards.

You'd be better off seeing if you have VoIP licenses on your CPU. No licenses- replace the CPU with one that does. Install a VoIP board and an IPrimo set at the employees house.

It ain't going to be cheap which ever way you go.

Why not just put an answering machine or Telco answer call on the end users line?

Because the remote user isn't always at home. An IP set would be ideal... how do I check my licensing?

For now I've set the CFOS to go to her cell phone instead of landline, which is working better and will probably be the "solution".

-J

So I'm still rolling ideas around in my head. Comcast has been trying hard to get me to buy their service, but I like the T1's speed and flexibility so I'm in no hurry to dump it. But that did get me thinking about VoIP...

It looks like the IP cards for the FXII can operate in a trunking mode, or in a station server mode, but not both a the same time. Is that correct? IE, if I wanted to give the user an IP set and go with an IP trunk connection I would need to add 2 IP cards to the KSU?

Thanks,

-J

IP trunks only work between 2 or more networked Comdial systems..not trunks from a carrier.

IP telephony will also only work with the appropriate CPU licenses allowing either IP sets or IP networking.

How do I see what my current licensing is? Can you still get upgrade licenses?

-J

You should be able to view licensing information in VMMI. I don't believe licensing upgrades are available any longer for that product. Your best bet would be to find an existing CPU and magic number with the licensing that you desire.

Justin

You can get the licensing from Hoosiers. They have all the old Comdial license software

On the voice mail couldn't you change the transfer to destination for that user's extension to their external phone? Set the transfer type from blind to wait for ring, and set the ring count. It should try that extension, hold the call in a conf call keeping that port active until the ring count expires and then pull the caller back into the voice mailbox. Never tried this but was thinking this should work.

That's what I tried, but it isn't able to cancel the transfer properly. I can see the voicemail software trying, but instead it fails and connects the call anyway.

I saw a setting in the PBX integration for transfer cancel, but I didn't want to try messing with it. It's hooked up to the PBX's serial port for communications.

-J

Which is why that those of us who have been around these systems for 20 plus years tell you it can't be done. Many many dealers fought with this...looks like it should work but doesn't. The only way several of us could make it work was with Dialogic cards only and 3 way calling on the CO lines.

Well, after some more fiddling and testing I believe I have this working properly!

First I tested with by butt set on one of the Voicemail analog lines to see if cancelling the transfer was possible, like the IST phone guy suggested. It was.

The only thing that needed to be changed was the sequence to return the call from busy for external calls: from @,! to just a hookflash !

Very happy about this!!!

The only problem I've found so far is that the caller ID info is lost so the message is just from "Outside Caller".

-J

If the end user is happy without CID then you're good to go. On everyone we installed the customer was not happy not knowing who was calling. Never had anyone accept that but your customer may be more tolerant.

The caller ID info was lost anyway IIRC, or it just gave the number of the office instead of the caller's number.

A small update:

I had to fiddle with the transfer sequence a little bit more. Here is what I ended up with:



On the mailbox I configured it to "Wait for Answer", "Get Caller's Name", and to give up after 3 rings. Note that it actually will ring the remote phone 4 or 5 times before sending the call to the voicemail box. I have the remote user's answering machine set to pick up after 6 rings.



I also found that our old phone installer's statement that it would be impossible to forward a call outside the system without installing another set and using CFOS was incorrect. I changed the user's mailbox & extension number, then set up a virtual extension on her original number. I set up a routing box in the voicemail system using the virtual extension number which always forwards calls to her new extension number.

So when someone internal dials her old extension it is sent right to the voicemail system, and like when someone outside calls the VM collects their name, puts them on hold, calls her, announces the call, and connects. She is very happy with this setup, as am I. One note: The voicemail waits for some audio on the line before announcing the call, so if the remote person never says "hello" it will not connect the call.

Incidentally if she doesn't answer and the call is returned to voicemail it does get the correct caller ID info on the message

Rather Be Fishing: When you say DialLogic card what do you mean? I believe our Voicemail PC's line car is made by DialLogic.

Thanks,

-Jason

The line cards in the voice mail will either be analog Dialogic boards (either older ISA or new er PCI) or Rhetorex/Brooktrout. Rhetorex can be either digital or analog. Probably 90% of the boards sold were digital as they took a digital port without an expensive analog board add on. Later on they became less available as they were ISA only and the motherboards dried up. Then Dialogic D/4 PCI cards were used exclusively for 4-12 port applications.

Ah ok. Our system has a PCI card that takes analog interfaces... hooked up to an 8 port card on the PBX w/ message waiting and caller ID.

Thanks,

-J