AIS VoIP Detailed Deployment Planning

12 minute read

• By using existing analog lines and analog-to-digital conversion hardware
• Opt to have no connections to analog lines for voice traffic and instead use a VoIP all-digital connection to an external phone service called a VoIP-termination service (note that fax lines and any emergency voice call lines generally need to continue to be analog-based) – see “Digital Incoming Lines” below digital connections depend on the site’s Internet connection to the VoIP-termination servers working and having adequate bandwidth for voice traffic available at all times
• Or, use a mix of the two approaches More information is below on each approach.

• Fax machines
• Security monitoring service or security alarm
• Postage meter machines which dial in to add funds
• Credit card/debit card payment processing devices that are calling out over an analog phone line
• Elevator emergency phone
• Any emergency-use analog phones If so, identify each device, where it is located and what external phone number should connect to it. Telephone wiring will need to exist or be installed between the phone system computer and each analog telephone device.

• If you would like a different greeting based on the time of day (e.g. after-hours greeting), please specify the text of this greeting and what times it should be in effect.
• This should include the normal days and hours the office is open and closed
• If you would like a different greeting based on the time of day (e.g. after-hours greeting or a statutory holiday greeting), please specify the text of this greeting and what times it should be in effect.
• This should include a list of days the office is closed for vacation so that a vacation schedule can be created
• If you would like a different greeting based special events such as the office being closed for a company meeting, please specify the text of this greeting and what times it should be in effect.
• This should include the schedule for special events so that a special events schedule can be created
• What should happen after the system greeting is played? E.g. go to the main menu, go to a particular extension, etc.

• During and after the initial system greeting, callers can press touch-tone keys to select from menu options. Please specify what this menu should be. Indicate the keys to be pressed and the action the system should take in response. These numbers should match up with the instructions given in the initial system greeting.
• If different system greetings are used based on time-of-day settings, the IVR should also change to match. If this kind of configuration is desired, please decide what the IVR settings will be during these times.
• What should happen if callers do not press any keys at all (a timeout)?
• What do you want to have happen if a caller presses 0?
• Would you like (internal) extension numbers to be directly dial-able by outside callers when they are hearing the initial system greeting? If so, no interactive menu choice should be the same as an extension number.
• Note that the choices in the main menu can connect to any extension. If you want, pressing 1 at the main menu can connect to extension 650 or any other extension number. Or you may desire the simplicity of having both inside and outside callers dialing the same extension numbers.

• Do you want to have the phone directory available to callers? By default, this is enabled and accessible using the # key when listening to the initial greeting.
• Do you want the directory to be searched by last name, first name or both?
• When the caller has selected a person from the directory, do you want the phone system to announce the selected extension number before automatically connecting the caller? This can help callers know the extension number to dial directly in the future. Note that this only really makes sense if callers can dial extension numbers directly from the initial system menu.

• How many phone handsets are being set up?
• If different models of phones are being ordered, please indicate which people get which models of phone.
• Is electrical power being provided by the network switch through Power-over-Ethernet or through a phone power adaptor?

• The phone have customizable buttons that can be set to features your staff uses regularly. Please let your assigned AIS Project Manager know which phone features are expected to be most used so these can be assigned to specific buttons for ease of access.

• All extensions that start with 1 will conflict – this is because long distance numbers also start with a 1.
• All extensions that start with digits that are the same as local area codes when using 10-digit dialing will conflict
• For example, if 226 and 519 are both valid local area codes, extensions 2, 22, or 226 and 5, 51 or 519 (depending on the length of extensions) will conflict
• As a recommendation, if you are able to choose a new extension design, use a three-digit extension pattern starting with a digit different than 0 or 1 or the first digit of all local area codes (if ten-digit dialing is required)

• Indicate which phone is to be assigned to which extension number.
• Indicate any special extension/phone arrangements such as one extension ringing multiple phones or more than one extension ringing a single phone.
• Indicate where phones are to be physically located. A marked floor plan is helpful.
• Every phone location needs access to a nearby Ethernet network jack.
• If electrical power is not supplied through the Ethernet jack (“Power-Over-Ethernet”), each phone will also need to have an electrical socket available for power. We recommend power-over-Ethernet, as poor wiring, grounding or electrical noise in the general electrical wiring system can cause crackles in the phone if the phone is plugged into a wall socket.

• What is the initial voice mail numeric password? (Users can then change their password at any time after logging into the system.)
• What is the number of seconds of ring time before the system redirects calls to voice mail? (This can be set for all users or set individually per extension.) The default is 15 seconds.
• Should the system play back caller ID information before playing the recorded message? The default is no.
• Should the system play back the date and time the message was left before playing the recorded message? The default is no.
• After the voice message is saved in the user’s telephone message new message folder, the telephone system can send an e-mail page or a full e-mail an alert that a voice message has been left for a person, and optionally attach the actual recording to the e-mail message. For each voice mailbox, indicate if these features are desired. If selecting to get e-mail copies of voice mail audio files, please provide a destination e-mail address. Note that e-mail sending of voice mails does not delete the voice message from the user’s phone account new voice mails are still stored and accessible by phone as usual.

• Normally the system will play a short system message after the user’s custom voicemail greeting stating, “Please leave your message after the tone. When done, hang up, or press the pound key.” This system message can be disabled if desired.
• What is the maximum length for voice messages in seconds? Messages will be stopped at this length. The default is 180 seconds.
• What is the minimum length for voice messages in seconds? Below this length, messages will not be saved. The default is 3 seconds.
• What is the maximum number of seconds of silence allowed before the voice message is considered finished? This should be long enough to allow callers to look up numbers or do other silent things and still continue their message. The default is 10 seconds.
• What is the maximum number of messages that should be allowed? By default, the limit is 100 messages in each voice mail folder – e.g. 100 unheard messages in the inbox, 100 heard messages in the Old (saved) message folder. The limit can be increased to a maximum of 9,999 messages per voice mail folder.

• Indicate if you wish to have users dial 9 (or any other special code) to get an outside line or if outside numbers should be dialed directly without a special code. Please note the considerations around extension number selection described above if not using an outside line code.

• Please indicate how 1-… long distance calls should be handled.
• Please indicate how 011-… international calls should be handled.
• Please indicate how (900) area code number calls should be handled.

• Please indicate which N11 service codes you would like enabled.
• Note that, by default, 411 is a phone system service code to enable internal users to access the company directory. External 411 calls often incur a phone company charge.

• By default, users dialing 0 will reach the internal destination for 0 unless different behavior is desired. Please indicate which internal extension should ring with callers dial 0.

• AIS Managed VoIP supports call parking, which allows a call to be “parked” in a waiting area, and then picked up by anyone else. This is an alternative to simply doing a direct transfer to another extension. Some organizations use call parking to park a call, make an intercom announcement and then let the recipient pick up the call themselves, rather than having the call be transferred by the company operator. Indicate if you wish the call parking feature enabled.

• Some phones support an intercom/paging feature. This lets people announce things over the speaker of a group of phones. It also allows for all-way vice chat/ad hoc conferencing. Indicate if you wish intercom/paging functionality enabled.
• If so, indicate what phones should be placed into an intercom/paging group? Commonly, all phones are placed into one group, but individual areas of the building can have their own paging codes if desired.
• Each intercom/paging group should be assigned its own extension-style number.

• AIS Managed VoIP can play custom music for callers on hold. Please provide this music if desired. Note that the music needs to be licensed for commercial use.

• The phone system supports telephone conferencing rooms. These allow a group of inside or outside callers (up to the limit of the number of outside lines) to meet in teleconference. Indicate if you wish the teleconferencing feature enabled. If so, what extension-style number should the conference room have?

• A custom extension can be created that will distribute a message left for it to a group of other mailboxes – this is a way of leaving the same message for a group of people in one step. Please indicate if you would like any of these voice mail blast extensions set up (indicate the desired extension number and what extensions should receive a copy of the message).

• Indicate if you wish on-site training to staff, and when this should be scheduled