Wednesday, January 31, 2007

National Do Not Call Registry: Guard Against Unwanted Telemarketing Calls To Your Cell Phone

The National Do Not Call Registry has been a smashing hit with most American consumers. Since its inception millions have flocked to register their home phone number to twart annoying telemarketing calls.Your cell phone may be at risk. Telemarketing companies are now being granted access to cell phone numbers.

Now you will have the benefit of buying new storm windows while taking your date out for dinner. Perhaps you might want to celebrate winning a trip to Mexico while you are attending Sunday service. Your telephone service provider may want to tell you about all the latest wonderful wireless promotions. Of course, you will be charged for inbound telemarketing calls to your cell phones.

The National Do Not Call Registry allows you to guard against unwanted solicitation. To register, call the following number from your cell phone:888-382-1222. Your cell phone number will be recorded and kept on file for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone that you wish to have blocked.Reputable marketing companies abide by the rules of the National Do Not Call Registry. Those that fail to respect your wishes to be opted from their promotional calling may be levied huge fines.

Small or Medium business telemarketing firms with Nortel BCM or Norstar are turning to Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI) to help ensure they do not call numbers in the registry.

To find out more, contact RSI and ask us about tools CTI Pack for the National Do Not Call Registry.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

How to Generate Revenue with Hotel Call Accounting Software

Communication services are essential to the majority of hospitality guests. Many business executives and travelers demand efficient facilities that can keep them in touch with home base. It is imperative for sophisticated hotel billing software to account for telephone charges, Internet usage, equipment fees, surcharges and taxes in real time.

Virtually every major hotel has some form of call tracking or call accounting software. The declining cost of telephone calls has seen a decline in revenue. Gone are the days when hotels could command huge margins for simply picking up the telephone. At one time, it was not uncommon for hotels to mark up telephone calls 80 to 100 percent. Sometimes your telephone charges could account for a larger cost than the room rate.

In the past, a decent hotel call accounting system would generally been left in the back room logging long distance call records from a PBX serial port. The system would apply exorbitant rates and post them to the property management system. Tariff updates from the manufacturer were usually ignored (since the updates usually contained lower billing plans).

Hotel telecom revenues are now declining at a steady rate of 3 to 6 per cent per year. Hotel general managers and comptrollers are forced to become more creative to meet bottom line objectives for communication. The traditional call accounting system cash cow now needs to be fined tuned to adapt to new technologies and market competition. The answer lies in the creative use of new call accounting modules or more appropriately a communication management system (CMS).

The proper utilization of a hotel call accounting system can still derive huge benefits. Guests that get busy signals will find alternate ways to make telephone calls. It is of utmost importance for properties to track the number of busy signals, overflow or blocked calls. This can be accomplished through the use of traffic reports that identify grade of service and peak calling hours. These reports often recommend the proper number of trunks or lines for the property to run smoothly.

Long distance calling has been declining for years. However local and toll free calls have been fairly steady. The use of billing thresholds can help increase revenue. Certainly a guest that talks for thirty minutes on a local call could be charged a small amount for facility usage. Some hotels have turned to adjusting room rates a fixed amount to compensate for lost telecom revenue.

The rise of internet usage has forced many hotels to provide free internet access. This has compounded the problem for the telecom department. Many guests and business travelers have found other convenient means of communication (IP services, instant messaging, email, cellular phones) that are not part of the infrastructure of the hotel property. The advent of flat rate VoIP providers has given the business traveler the ability to bypass toll charges. A modern communication management system should be capable of adding internet usage charges into guest folios.

Proactive hotel properties use call accounting reports to determine calling patterns that show where guests are calling. These statistics help the hotel target marketing and negotiate better tariff plans. Night auditors have always been asked to reconcile daily transactions. However most failed to reconcile the transactions against the actual telephone bill. Examining telephone company records versus the call accounting records helps to ensure that all calls are being recorded, billed and appropriately surcharged.

Many hotel call accounting systems are missing critical information. Often extensions are not identified correctly as guest rooms, conference rooms, VIP or administrative. This can result in inaccurate billing and lost revenue. Properties should ensure that their call accounting system is loaded and configured properly on a monthly basis. Most banner properties have a preset tariff table that is deployed among all properties. System administrators should ensure that all properties follow the same guidelines.

As more communication facilities are offered by the property, the communication management system will be required to account for hotel cell phones, calls made with authorization codes, internet service, hand held devices and other guest amenities.

Discover more about call accounting, internet usage, hotel billing and telephone reporting from Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI).


About Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI)
Founded in 1990, RSI is a developer and manufacturer of leading-edge communications management solutions. The company offers a wide range of other products including: call accounting, hotel/motel management, ACD reporting, CCR, Voice Mail and IVR reporting, carrier comparisons, and rebilling outsourcing services. RSI has distributors in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Caribbean and Middle East. Information about their products and services can be found at www.telecost.com/

Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI)
40 King Street West, Suite 300, Oshawa, Ontario. L1H 1A4
Phone: 905-576-4575 Fax: 905-576-4705 Email: rsi@telecost.com
Web: www.telecost.com

Career Opportunity: RSI Is Looking For You!

Sales Associate

Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI), a rapidly growing, internationally recognized communication management company is seeking qualified individuals to join our team. RSI is a leading provider of call accounting, hotel billing, computer-telephony integration, web browser call accounting, telephone reporting, internet usage, instant messaging, email tracking and telemanagement solutions around the globe.

We are currently expanding our sales force and are seeking sales executives to build relationships with channel partners and customers. Our dealer network includes major telephone companies, equipment vendors, hotel and motel management companies, alternate long distance providers and consultants.

We are seeking dynamic individuals to join our sales team. Successful candidates posesses a positive attitude, strong written and oral skills, a willingless to accept challanges, and can work independently or in a team environment.

The position entails promotion of RSI products and services, sales presentations, prepartion of quotations, liason with dealers and direct customer sales. Some travel may be required to attend trade shows, dealer events and customer presentations

Preference will be given to candidates with prior experience, formal education and knowledge of telecommunications. The ability to speak French and/or Spanish is a definite asset. The successful candidate must be willing to relocate, possess a drivers license, vehicle and a current passport.

To apply, email Sales Manager

Using Call Accounting for Security and Emergency

The telephone is the most vital communication tool and the lifeline of most organizations. Valuable time is often lost in trying to locate the individual that placed an emergency call. Seconds can make the difference in saving lives or apprehending harassing callers. In this era of heightened security concerns, many organizations are reevaluating emergency systems and procedures.

When we are in public places or at work we take for granted a high level of safety and security. However, many organizations are ill equipped to respond to 911 emergency. Would you know where to direct emergency personnel if they showed up at your reception desk after a 911 call? Most businesses would be unable to track down the extension that made the call without a complete office search. This precious time, even in a small office, could mean the difference between life and death.

Many educational institutions are vulnerable to students making prank telephone calls to emergency services. Often emergency response units are dispatched to false alarms. This results in countless hours of lost time, money and a diversion of valuable resources from actual emergencies.

The critical information that can pinpoint the source of an emergency call is generally available right from your telephone system logs. Many companies are now offering software that acts as a watchdog for your system. If a malicious or emergency 911 call is dialed, you can immediately broadcast network messages, dial a security phone or alert emergency response personnel. Information about the calling party (i.e. extension, date, time) can be sent directly to telephones, pagers, instant messagers, personal devices and computer desktops.

Homeland security concerns are causing many states to adopt emergency standards. Security measures are being implemented in educational institutions, government agencies, hotels, retail outlets and countless other organizations.

Places of business or gatherings are often the target of harassing or nuisance telephone calls. It is often difficult for law enforcement to prosecute the offender without a record of the communication. Call trace features are integral to many voice switching systems. In the event of a malicious call, the called party can activate the call trace by pressing a pre-programmed key on their set. A record of the call trace request, including date and time of the event will be recorded in a call detail log.

Many businesses are now employing call control features that were infrequently activated in the past. Most telephone systems can be configured for restricted dialing, set and line restrictions for maximum control of every telephone call. These features often reduce and control employee telephone costs, ensure accountability and provide a record of each call.

Configuring the options available in your telephone system combined with realtime monitoring tools can greatly increase emergency preparedness and security.

This ability has been available for years through applications known as call accounting using real time call detail recording (CDR). For the most part, call accounting applications have remained stagnant, locked down and single user for many years. New emergency and security awareness has given rise to a whole new generation of Communication Management Solutions (CMS).

There are a number of browser based call accounting systems that can now be monitored from around the corner or around the world.

Rito Salomone is the president of Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI). He has 17 years experience in the field of communication management solutions.

For more information you can review: http://www.telecost.com or contact the author at +1 905 576-4575.

Monday, January 29, 2007

Call Accounting Evolution

The ability to gather telephone call records, process and report them has been around since the early 1980s. Call management has been a basic staple of telecom managers, hotels and professional firms. With today's constantly evolving telecom innovations, customers are more than ever in need of metrics for all aspects of their communication networks.

Historically call accounting software has delivered on the promise of cost recovery with estimates ranging from 10-40% of a business telecom expenses. The software is an excellent watchdog of excessive equipment fees, billing irregularities, policy abuse and toll fraud. Most telecom managers traditionally relied on concrete historical call detail records (CDR) to optimize services, carrier comparisons and convergence planning. The cost of a telephone call has been steadily decreasing with the introduction of peer to peer free calling, flat rate plans and bundled services.

Customer service, employee productivity and workforce management have always been critical concerns of most businesses. Call accounting can examines the health of an organization by looking at calling patterns, frequency of calls, network traffic and facility performance. A good call accounting software package addresses the changing landscape of communications management with robust cost effective, comprehensive array of reporting and management tools.

Call accounting software packages that historically focused on telephone tracking and expense management have transformed themselves into comprehensive browser based communication management systems (CMS). These systems include extension, line, operator, auto attendant, ACD, IVR, voice mail and other facility traffic. The ability to track call duration, call distribution, ring time, hold time and call queues has allowed leading communication management systems to analyze, measure and increase productivity.

The analysis of communication facility logs can be important in optimizing and provisioning of IP PBXs, VoIP services, wireless equipment, multi-party conference and other call handling applications. Today call accounting can act as a means of consolidation with mergers, acquisitions, and new technologies creating non-uniform networks. The new call accounting remains a core weapon in the arsenal of all telecom and IT managers.

Rito Salomone is President of Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI). To contact the author, please email rsalomone@telecost.com

RSI is recognized as an industry leader in the field of communication management. The communication management product portfolio includes tailored integration to the most popular switching and network manufactures. RSI has been granted Nortel Developer Partner status with recognition for its core portfolio as Compatible Products. RSI is a Cisco Technology Partner, Siemens HiPath Ready Standard certified, Avaya DeveloperConnect Member, Mitel MiSN Member, Adtran Complementary Solutions Provider, NEC Univerge Partner and Alcatel Applications Partner.

For more information contact us at
rsi@telecost.com or visit http://www.telecost.com/!

Nortel CTO Launches New Blog

John Roese, CTO, Nortel Networks
Blog


Nortel Compatible Products
RSI

Nortel CS1000E Reliability Executive Overview

Introduction

IP Telephony has become an attractive offering available from various telecommunication manufacturers. As a modern technology that utilizes the inexpensive transport mechanism existent today called Voice running Over an IP infrastructure (VoIP), IP Telephony can now be a viable solution and cost savings mechanism in the Enterprise arena.

Nortel Networks Communication Server 1000E

The CS 1000E system is a modular solution manufactured by Nortel Networks. One of the significant features of this platform is VxWorks as the native operating system that runs on the hardware. From a system security vulnerability stand point, the CS 1000E is safer and less prone to external attacks inherent to other IP Telephony systems running a Windows based operating system. Numerous operating system exploits and open ports have been found on these Windows based systems.

Call Server

There are two Call Servers in a CS1000E system. One operates in active mode and the second in standby mode. The active Call Server is the heart of the call processing function that controls all IP Phone features and trunk interfaces operating in normal mode. It also performs the function of database server for synchronization of configuration information with the standby Call Server and with all Media Gateways.

The active Call Server performs call control, signaling and routing for all TDM and IP calls placed across the network. The Call Server is a rack mountable unit with a small footprint housing a hot swappable fan unit, and field replaceable power supply.

Signaling Server

The Signaling Server is an off-the-shelf Intel based single board computer that provides call control services such as registration of IP Phones and gateways, translation of call initiation and tear down sequences from IP to Call Server language, IP address translation services, and bandwidth control. The Signaling Server also runs VxWorks real-time operating system.

Software modules reside on this device: a Line Terminal Proxy Server (LTPS), a Signaling Gateway, and an H.323 Gatekeeper. The TPS module essentially is the IP Phone interface, providing registration, TFTP service, and bandwidth control and feature delivery to the IP Phones.

Nortel Signaling Servers can be deployed in a redundant, load-sharing configuration for increased scalability and reliability of the LTPS. Moreover, should both Signaling Servers become unavailable, phones will register with Succession Media Cards located in Succession Media Gateways. This provides tertiary redundancy for the Line Terminal Proxy Server.

Both signaling servers also include the Signaling Gateway software module which translates Nortel Networks IP Telephony protocols into H.323 to communicate with local H.323-compliant devices.

The H.323 Gatekeeper software module resolves addresses unknown to the local CS1000E Call Server. Typically, a primary gatekeeper is deployed on one Signaling Server while another is deployed in "hot standby" mode anywhere in the network. Additionally, other H.323 Gatekeepers are deployed in "failsafe" mode in the event a primary and secondary gatekeeper become unavailable, this provides three levels of redundancy for gatekeepers.

Nortel Media Gateways

Media gateways are the primary means to interface with all TDM lines and trunks. All Media Gateways contain an embedded form of the Call Server software and can be configured to be a Survivable Media Gateway.

Nortel Internet Phones

All Nortel Networks Internet Phones use by default the standard G.711 audio codec algorithm to convert analog voice signals into digital packets, though they could be configured to use any of a list of three other Codec types as well: G729a, G.729ab and G.723.1.

Configuration and Management

Nortel Networks CS 1000E system is delivered on individual units that are each rack mountable and configurable via direct connection into their console ports or via an IP-based terminal server expressly deployed for that purpose. Nortel Networks CS 1000E systems support a very effective and granular CLI on all of its system components. With CLI commands a systems administrator can entirely configure, deploy, modify, monitor and manage the system either directly connected into the system console port or via Telnet from a remote location.

For in depth system configuration and management including trunks, features, routes and gateways, Nortel CS1000E comes with a Management platform called Element Manager. Element Manager is a WEB based application that runs on any browser. Element Manager 4.0 is an integrated systems management platform to control all CS 1000E system components. It allows the system administrator to perform all the necessary system feature implementations, IP Phone settings, line and trunk configuration parameters, dial plan implementation and system monitoring and verification.

Nortel Networks CS1000E enterprise solution also includes various trunk configuration, alerting and monitoring control functions that enhance the overall system functionality. Features such as trunk barring, trunk traffic reporting, trunk failure monitor, trunk verification, and others allow the implementation of a robust, resilient and proactively monitored system.

Conclusions

In conclusion, The CS 1000E system is a secure, robust, extremely redundant and scalable IP-based platform when compared to Windows server based platforms from other manufacturers.

Enterprise organization in search of a reliable, resilient and scalable IP Telephony system to accommodate their needs, and make optimal use of their existent IP network and wiring infrastructure, should not wait any longer. Both of the systems analyzed in this paper offer much more than the bare standard features existent in PSTN environments, although Nortel Networks CS 1000E offers a collection of additional features that give it an overall edge.

The CS 1000E system offered by Nortel Networks is by far the most redundant, resilient and scalable with its component based architecture and its native operating systems that are much less vulnerable than other manufacturer solutions built on top of the Microsoft Windows software architecture. Windows based platforms have the largest list of vulnerability exploits and open services that are prone to external attacks. Numerous software patches and external means of network protection are needed to mitigate such systems vulnerability.

In terms of call volume that each of these systems can handle, Nortel Networks CS 1000E supports a greater load than other manufacturer platforms. The CS 1000E supports 300,000 Busy Hour Call Completions (BHCC) for digital TDM calls and 240,000 BHCC for IP Telephony calls.

CS 1000E operates reliably and call server switchover is seamless.

The CS 1000E use of the VxWorks operating system provides less vulnerable operation in terms of IP functionality and external source's attacks than other manufacturers application based on the Windows operating systems.

The Nortel CS 1000E multi unit solution allows system resilience and minimizes downtime due to built-in components redundancy.

CS 1000E and Internet Phone Functionality:

* Better IP Server security and less OS vulnerability
* More features overall, allowing greater customization by the end user
* More robust Call Server can handle more calls per hour (300K/240K)
* System ready to interface with external PBX or other IP systems
* Fully standards based system and components
* Up to third level of signaling server redundancy
* One built in auto-sensing 10/100baseT Ethernet switched port IEEE 802.3af compliant
* Second auto-sensing 10/100baseT Ethernet switched port for a workstation connection
* IEEE 802.3Q VLAN tagging and IEEE 802.3p priority settings standards compliant
* Multi language support with built-in user selectable options
* Keep alive signaling control with Call Server to facilitate accounting and billing functions
* Dial tone and signaling controlled at the Call Server and Signaling server
* Fast registration and recovery after power up or disconnect (The IP Terminal times taken to regain dial tone varied as follows: i2001, 23 seconds; i2002, 23 seconds and the i2204, 25 seconds on average)

About The Author

John Leonardelli, President, Gale Force Communications. John brings 20 years of voice, data and wireless telecommunications experience in various sales, management and operational roles. John is a Certified IP Telephony Expert where his expertise has been focused on IP Telephony, Contact Centre and complex technical solutions. John has a degree in Electronics Engineering, Telecommunications and Sales Management.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Scalable Call Accounting Software Options from RSI

The ability to gather telephone call records, process and report them has been around since the early 1980s. Call management has been a basic staple of telecom managers, hotels and professional firms. With today's constantly evolving telecom innovations, customers are more than ever in need of metrics for all aspects of their communication networks. Customer service, employee productivity, account or project billing, misuse and abuse have always been a focus of telecom managers.

With the growing number of IP phone systems and communication servers, customers need a solution that can keep up with the times. A robust call accounting system spans well beyond the traditional component of telephone expense management. Call accounting examines the health of an organization by looking at calling patterns, frequency of calls, network traffic and facility performance. A good call accounting software package addresses the changing landscape of communications management with robust cost effective, comprehensive array of reporting and management tools.

Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI) is a developer of scalable solutions for that communication managers demand. RSI is a leading provider of
call accounting, hotel billing, computer-telephony integration, web browser call accounting, telephone reporting, internet usage, instant messaging, email tracking and telemanagement solutions around the globe.

RSI provides robust interoperable solutions to customers of virtually any equipment provider -- analog or IP. Channel partners and customers have the option of selecting a call accounting system that has been lab tested in many popular environments. RSI offers true seamless integration for multi-vendor environments.

The call management portfolio spans a broad range of industry sectors including retail, government, education, tourism, brokerage, professional, hospitality and general business environments. In vertical markets, we provide unique integration to hotel property management systems and professional accounting packages.

Call accounting systems vary in price, performance and functionality. Some of the more elaborate systems integrate reporting for stations, lines, queues, mail boxes, carrier comparisons, grade of service calculations, switch management, equipment inventory and billing. Many systems boast robust SQL databases, browser based architecture, automated reporting and notification, enterprise reporting and manufacturer compliance. RSI offers a broad range of products that address every customer’s needs:

*
Call Accounting Software for Every Enterprise
*
Basic Telephone Reporting for Small Business
* Web Call Accounting Software for Small Business
* Hotel Call Accounting Software

(c) 2007, Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI)

Thursday, January 25, 2007

The Transformation of Call Accounting Software

Call accounting software is a system that records, translates and reports on telephone call activity. The software is used by most corporations to control expenses, allocate cost and increase productivity. Call accounting generally recieves Station Message Detail Records (SMDR) or Call Detail Records (CDR) from a telephone system through any of various protocls including serial, IP and file transfer.

SMDR is a feature that is available for most telephone systems and IP PBXs. The data is generally a system log of call traffic which includes call direction, date and time of the call, length of call, extension and trunk or line. There are various other pieces of information such as authorization code and account code that may be optionally available depending on the capability of the hardware. The raw or unprocessed SMDR output of the telephone system is often too volumous and difficult to read.

A call accounting software packages utilizes SMDR data and translate the information into a simplified database format for further analysis. The data is often presented in graphical, detailed or summary reports by extension, departments or other corporate levels.

The cost of a telephone call has been steadily decreasing with the introduction of peer to peer free calling, flat rate plans and bundled services. One dimensional call accounting software packages that historically focused on telephone tracking and expense management have transformed themselves into comprehensive browser based communication management systems (CMS). These systems include extension, line, operator, auto attendant, ACD, IVR, voice mail and other facility traffic.The ability to track call duration, call distribution, ring time, hold time and call queues has allowed leading communication management systems to analyze and measure productivity.

Toll fraud analysis remains a component of most major CMS systems. However, there now exist new threats in bandwidth hacking which can result in poor performance for VoIP traffic, security breach and network shutdown. New CMS systems pinpoint irregularities, bottlenecks and network overflows and suggest recommended corrective action.

Many organizations are taking steps in migrating their old analog equipment to modern day VoIP services. Call accounting software is a key component in wading through difficult implementation decisions by analyzing concrete historical data. Call accounting software will remain at the forefront for many years to come as adoption of VoIP facilities and services continues to explode(see The Legacy PBX).

According to Infonetics Research, annual revenue in the combined PBX market is forecast to grow to $11.4 billion in 2009, driven by strong IP PBX sales worldwide as more organizations move to voice over IP. Between 2005 and 2009, IP PBX revenue is forecast to jump 82% while TDM revenue plunges 88%.


Rito Salomone is President of Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI). To contact the author, please email rsalomone@telecost.com

RSI is recognized as an industry leader in the field of communication management. The communication management product portfolio includes tailored integration to the most popular switching and network manufactures. RSI has been granted Nortel Developer Partner status with recognition for its core portfolio as Compatible Products. RSI is a Cisco Technology Partner, Siemens HiPath Ready Standard certified, Avaya DeveloperConnect Member, Mitel MiSN Member, Adtran Complementary Solutions Provider, NEC Univerge Partner and Alcatel Applications Partner.

For more information contact us at rsi@telecost.com or visit http://www.telecost.com/!

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

RSI offers aggressive competitive upgrades for legacy competitor Call Accounting systems on Nortel platforms.

Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI) announced today it is offering incentives for customers that require forced/verified account codes and/or call accounting on Nortel Networks Norstar or BCM. Check out our complete line of call accounting, console and management solutions for Nortel platforms on our exclusive RSI Nortel Compatible Products website.

Special competitive upgrade discounts will be granted to channel partners and customers who currently own a legacy Cintech Solutions TeleSeries Call Accounting for Norstar*, Revolution Software and other legacy systems tailored for Nortel. We offer complete compliance with the latest Norstar 7.0 and BCM series.

Some of our core products include:

tools CTI Pack features include Forced/Verified Account Codes, Automated Wake-up calls, Set Locking/Unlocking and Text Messaging. These features have resulted in enhanced call handling in Professional Environments (Lawyers, Chartered Accountants, Engineers, etc) as well as Hospitality Environments. RSI also offers seamless integration to our call accounting suite of products.

Shadow Voice & Data Management CMS is a powerful system that facilitates communications management from various telephone systems and IP switches. Modules include call accounting, hotel billing, guest tracking, traffic analysis, ACD reporting and web call management. The system is completely scaleable from a small office to a global multi-site environment.

Revolution Web Call Accounting is a completely web-based call accounting package with an embedded web server, SQL database engine (SQLite, MySQL), built-in reporting engine and automated task scheduler. The software works with Norstar, BCM, M1 and CS1000 platforms

Click here for the RSI Nortel Compatible Products website

Information about RSI, its products and the company's maintenance program can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.telecost.com/

Contact RSI for competitive upgrade discounts on other platforms.

*Discounts may vary depending on implementation. This promotion may end without notice.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Skype to Charge for Some Calls

By Matt Richtel
The New York Times
12/14/06 7:48 AM PT

Skype began charging $30 a year for unlimited calls to landline and mobile phones within the United States and Canada beginning Jan. 1,2007. As a promotion, Skype began allowing its users to place free domestic "SkypeOut" calls from their computers to traditional and mobile phones last May. At the time, the company said the promotion would extend only through year's end.

Skype , the Internet calling service owned by eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) , has announced that as of Jan. 1 it will begin charging US$30 a year for unlimited calls to landline and mobile phones within the United States and Canada. Those calls had been free since last spring.

The new annual fee for unlimited calling announced Tuesday, while still nominal compared with other Internet calling plans, is part of a broader strategy by eBay to expand Skype's product offerings and revenue.

eBay, the online auction giant, paid $2.5 billion for Skype in October 2005, prompting criticism from some analysts that it had overpaid for a start-up company focused on a different market and technology.

eBay executives assert that Skype can help it by allowing low-cost voice and video communication between its buyers and sellers. In addition, eBay wants to capitalize on Skype's base of 136 million registered users.

As a promotion, Skype began allowing its users to place free domestic "SkypeOut" calls from their computers to traditional and mobile phones last May. At the time, the company said the promotion would extend only through year's end. The company is offering a half-price subscription to those who sign up before Jan. 31. Calls from one computer to another have been and will continue to be free.

"We see a willingness by consumers to make SkypeOut calls that are well priced," said Don Albert, Skype's general manager for North America. He noted that the cost was still a fraction of the typical $25 monthly fee that other Internet phone providers charge for unlimited calls. Albert declined to predict the adoption rate for the plan or the revenue it could bring in.

Despite the relatively low cost of the service, industry analysts said Skype was not considered to be serious competition in the telecommunications business. Skype, unlike Vonage, the cable companies and other competitors, generally requires people to download software and to make calls from the device on which it is installed.

"Skype requires a behavioral change. Consumers have grown quite comfortable using their telephones," said Jeffrey Halpern, a telecommunications services industry analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. "I don't view Skype as a real threat to the telephone companies or even Vonage or the cable companies."

Overall, the Internet calling business is booming. Halpern said that by the end of the third quarter, there were around 8 million subscribers to Internet calling plans in the United States, up from 6.5 million in the previous quarter. That figure did not include users of Skype.

The company has been developing and deploying technology that allows Skype to be used on other devices, including wireless phones and pocket computers.

Partnering With Search Giants
But potentially more significant innovations are planned for next year, when Skype will introduce services with Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) that will allow Web surfers to click a button and call a business they have found during a search.

Albert said the concept, known as "click to call," was an important example of combining eBay's expertise in online sales with Skype's capacity to allow people to make inexpensive calls.

Industry analysts have mixed opinions about how successful such a program can be and whether it can help justify the hefty price eBay paid for Skype.

Tim Boyd, an analyst with Caris & Co., said he saw click-to-call as a "tremendous opportunity" for eBay to generate revenue by charging businesses for the calls.

Brown said eBay had yet to demonstrate how it could integrate Skype into its business in a way that would justify the acquisition costs. In the third quarter, Brown noted, Skype generated $50 million in revenue, a mere 3 percent of eBay's $1.45 billion in total revenue.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Nortel and Microsoft Outline Their Cooperative Strategy for VoIP Communications

Ballmer, Zafirovski share joint road map for voice over Internet protocol and unified communications solutions

See Press Release

Friday, January 19, 2007

SMDR - Station Message Detail Recording

Station Message Detail Recording (SMDR) is a feature that is available for most telephone systems and IP PBXs. The data is generally a system log of call traffic which includes call direction, date and time of the call, length of call, extension and trunk or line. There are various other pieces of information such as authorization code and account code that may be optionally available depending on the capability of the hardware. The raw or unprocessed SMDR output of the telephone system is often too volumous and difficult to read. Call accounting software packages utilize SMDR data and translate the information into a simplified database format for further analysis. The data is often presented in graphical, detailed or summary reports by extension, departments or other corporate levels. Traffic statistics and ad hoc reports are all generated through seasoned call accounting systems.

Adtran and RSI to offer call accounting to NetVanta series customers

Portal: Adtran Complementary Solutions

This portal is dedicated to our tailored solutions for Adtran customers. As a proud Adtran Complementary Solutions Partner, RSI is committed to continuously evolve our applications and ensure their compliance with popular Adtran VoIP/IP telephony platforms including NetVanta series.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Screep Pop Solutions for Efficient Customer Care

Caller Identification is information delivered at the start of a telephone call about the calling party. This information generally consists of the calling number and the calling name. Caller identification is generally made available by your carrier for a small monthly fee. Many subscribers use the service in conjunction with caller identification enabled telephones to identify and block annoying callers and respond to missed calls.

Many software companies now offer creative solutions that incorporate caller identification into contact relationship management. Caller identification is utilized to retrieve files or information about callers prior to answering the call. These solutions are known as Screen Pop applications.

Business calls are usually linked with information that exists in your database software or contact management applications, such as Access, Outlook, Act!, Maximizer, Goldmine, TigerPaw CRM+ or even a unique in-house custom application. As an example, a travel agency with a proprietary customer database could use Screen Pop to retrieve data at every agent’s desktop and access the details of each customer’s travel plans.

Often call handling rules are created based on caller identification routing tables. Business communication servers (or telephone systems) can perform time consuming telephony functions (including answer, conference, hold, park and transfer) based on the caller identification information.

Caller identification software is not foolproof. Many businesses have many telephone lines. This is troublesome for caller identification software that must keep a library of all the lines in order to perform proper screen pops. Recently caller identification spoofing has started creeping into mainstream. Spoofing allows people to masquerade their caller identification as anyone else. Many cellular telephones and international callers are often reported as unknown. Even though caller identification cannot be 100% reliable in all circumstances, creative software solutions are increasing productivity in call center and customer service environments.

Rito Salomone is the president of Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI). He has 17 years experience in the field of communication management solutions.

For more information you can review: http://www.telecost.com/ or contact the author at rsalomone@telecost.com

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Avaya one-X Deskphone Edition: Voice Quality

Once you experience the superior sound quality of the new Avaya one-X Deskphone Edition IP phones, you’ll never look at office communications the same way. The one-X Deskphone makes voice conversations crystal clear, whether you’re calling across town or across continents. Plus, its intuitive interface makes everyday communications faster, simpler and more productive. Explore a whole new world of IP at avaya.com.

telephone, office phone, desk phone, phone set, audio, audio quality, hi fidelity, high fidelity, wideband, desktop telephone, 9600, 9620, 9630, IP Telephony, RSI, Revolution Web Call Accounting, Hotel Billing, Shadow CMS

AT&T ending Cingular name as wireless provider

As part of the strategy to unify its brand, AT&T (NYSE:T) has launched a new multimedia campaign to transition the Cingular brand.

For more information, visit AT&T

tools CTI Pack Offers Emergency 911 Notification

tools CTI Pack is a Nortel Compatible Product offering real-time Emergency Notification Messages to your BCM or Norstar telephone sets and desktop computers. Notification messages are delivered before the call is completed (i.e. after the last digit of the 911 call is dialed). The message presented identifies the extension number and name of the originator of the call. 



Additional Features include:
Internal SMDR
Force & Verified Account Codes
Call Trace
Inbound Call Routing
Do Not Call Lists
Fast Dial (Adds up to 10,000 speed dial numbers)
Time of Day Restrictions
Call Limits
Call Accounting Integration with Revolution Web Call Accounting, SHADOW CMS

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

RSI Visual Rapport Integrates With TigerPaw CRM+

Visual Rapport from Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI), the industry standard middleware solution for desktop productivity, has added TigerPaw CRM+ to its comprehensive list of compatible customer relationship management applications.

Visual Rapport is an intuitive integrated visual communication console that provides real time employee telephone status, instant messaging, email, screen pop, call logging and file transfer all under one roof. Visual Rapport boasts a very dynamic interface that puts your communication information right at your fingertips.

Tigerpaw CRM+ is a customer relationship management (CRM) and business process optimization system designed to build long-term, meaningful relationships with your customers.

TigerPaw CRM+ is a comprehensive group of tightly integrated software modules that support sales, marketing, contact management, customer service, service & repair management, and inventory control. CRM+ integrates with Microsoft Office and is designed to enhance productivity by tracking customers and prospects throughout an entire organization. CRM+ is comprised of four modules: Pursuit, for contact management and marketing; Quotes, for sales force automation and opportunity management; Service and Repair, for customer service call tracking, technician tracking and dispatching; and Parts, for inventory control and purchasing.

Monday, January 15, 2007

To VoIP or Not to VoIP

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. This technology takes analog audio signals and converts them into digital form for transmission. Transactions are much more efficient since analog lines remain connected even during periods of no communication. VoIP packets are sent and received whenever there is activity. The information packets are send over any open rather than a dedicated line making communication much more effective.

VoIP telephony has rapidly become a reliable cost saving alternative to traditional switched circuit communication offered by the major telephone companies. VoIP providers are attracting strong response for their services by major corporations and the small to medium business (SMB) community. There are some deficiencies and drawbacks that prospective customers should recognize prior to migrating their services.

Service Interruption

During a blackout a traditional phone is kept in service by the electrical current transmitted through the phone line. VoIP requires a broadband connection, routers and/or cable modems to connect to an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Your VoIP service is only as reliable as your broadband Internet connection. If a power loss occurs, the hardware would shut down as would your dial tone. Many VoIP providers offer call forwarding features that allow users to route calls to land lines or cell phones to minimize risk of loss of service. Battery backups and/or power generators are recommended for critical service environments.

Sound Quality

The quality of VoIP communication can be unreliable, uneven or choppy with echo depending on the traffic load on the network. Conversation can sometime be difficult when packets are dropped. Internet telephony phones are more expensive than analog phones due to the complexity of compression algorithms and processing power required for VoIP.

Emergency Services

The most serious disadvantage of VoIP centers around the inability to connect to local 911 emergency service. 911 and E911 emergency services were originally designed for traditional PSTN telephone networks. Traditional phone equipment can trace your location when a 911 call is placed. The Enhanced 911 (E911) feature allows emergency service operators to identify the source of the call even if the caller is unable to utter the address. Pure VoIP providers now offer a rudimentary method of emergency locating. The address reported to the operator by the provider is the one that is registered to your account.

Local White Pages

If you select a VoIP service that is not offered by your local telephone company, you will likely not be listed in your local telephone book white pages. Online directories may still list your telephone number.

Lower communication costs, improvements in standards, protocols and underlying hardware and software are motivating many to migrate to IP. Many major VoIP providers and hardware manufacturers are making great strides in increasing sound quality and lowering hardware cost.

Article courtesy of Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI).

Saturday, January 13, 2007

History of Internet Telephony

Internet Telephony has been around for awhile, but its use was very limited prior to 1995. It was mostly only used by people who liked to use the technology as a hobby. However in 1995, the first internet phone was released by a company called VocalTec.

When internet telephony first began, it was limited to PC to PC use. This required that both users had the software on their computers and that both computers were connected to the internet. Both computers also had to have sound cards, microphones and headphones. You could only to speak to someone who was using a computer. This was because internet phones utilized packet-switched networks and regular phone lines utilized circuit-switched networks. At the time, the technology to connect these two networks was not available, which made it impossible for a PC to call a regular telephone number.

PC to PC calls still were quite popular, especially as instant messaging programs became commonplace. Chat rooms with voice capabilities were added, and many people began using their computer to talk to their friends instead of utilizing a traditional telephone.

The problem was that although you could talk to anyone with a computer, you could not use your internet phone to speak to people who had a regular telephone line. You also had to utilize a headset and a microphone in order to talk to anyone, and many people found this cumbersome.

The solution came when VoIP phone service was introduced. This new technology allowed users to utilize a regular telephone to make phone calls. The telephone was connected a router which then used high speed internet connections to transfer the voice signals. Once your system was set up, there is virtually no difference between your internet phone service and a traditional phone line.

In fact, the only real difference comes from the price. Companies such as Vonage offer great packages which allow you to make cheap calls, even when do a lot of international calling. They usually offer call waiting, call forwarding and caller ID for free.

The popularity of these services continues to grow, and advancements are constantly being made. Work is being done to improve the ability for the phone lines to identify locations for 911 calls and to improve the quality of the voice transmissions. However, many people use these services now because they find they can actually save money over traditional phone services. Internet telephony has come a long way from its beginning and the technology will undoubtedly continue to improve.

Natalie Aranda writes about VoIP. The solution came when VoIP phone service was introduced. This new technology allowed users to utilize a regular telephone to make phone calls. The telephone was connected a router which then used high speed internet connections to transfer the voice signals. Once your system was set up, there is virtually no difference between your internet phone service and a traditional phone line. In fact, the only real difference comes from the price. Companies such as Vonage offer great packages which allow you to make cheap calls, even when do a lot of international calling. They usually offer call waiting, call forwarding and caller ID for free.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Natalie_Aranda

Friday, January 12, 2007

Who needs call accounting if the cost of telephone calls is peanuts?

The day of exorbitant long distance charges seems to be in the rear view mirror. Many competitors have jumped into the lucrative pool of communication delivery. There has been consolidation of the traditional telephone companies and a spawning of new VoIP service providers.

The cost of a telephone call has been steadily decreasing with the introduction of peer to peer free calling, flat rate plans and bundled services. The telecom department in many major enterprises has been transformed or merged into other areas of IT. The need for a telecom manager may have gone the way of the dinosaur, or has it?

Call accounting systems have risen to the challenge. Most traditional telephone expense management systems have been transformed into broader and more robust communication management systems (CMS).

Toll fraud or finding excessive cost calls is no longer a major priority. A robust call accounting system spans well beyond the traditional component of telephone expense management. Call accounting examines the health of an organization by looking at calling patterns, frequency of calls, network traffic and facility performance.

If Jimmy is making 100 calls a day but none of them are long distance, a traditional system that focuses on cost would fail to recognize Jimmy’s calling patterns. Non-business local calls, incoming calls and toll free calls can result in huge productivity losses for an organization. Frequently called numbers reports can shed a great deal of light on corporate calling patterns, marketing initiatives and telephone abuse. Conversely, Jimmy may be a rising start in the company if all his calls are for networking. Examining calling patterns is essential in fine-tuning and increasing productivity.

Today, there are many entry points into an organization. Auto attendant, voice mail, interactive voice response, email and live operator are some of the many facilities utilized by most average businesses. A strong communication management system will provide statistics that measure the performance of all these entry points. It is imperative that hackers, overflow or failures do not cause bottlenecks that hamper the communication flow of an organization. If a problem arises an effective communication management system should alert administrators in real time.

You cannot manage what you cannot measure! Call accounting will always remain a pillar in the evolution of communication management. Recent polls indicate that VoIP is fast becoming the dominant form of communication. There are countless businesses that may be caught with their pants down. Most companies do not even have a proper migration strategy. Communication management can help ease the transition by highlighting traffic volumes, peak hours, grade of service, abandoned calls, blocked calls, calls to reception and various other peg counts. These statistics will help determine the bandwidth needs and requirements for auto attendant, wireless, IVR and other services.

RSI is recognized as an industry leader in the field of communication management. The communication management product portfolio includes tailored integration to the most popular switching and network manufactures. RSI has been granted Nortel Developer Partner status with recognition for its core portfolio as Compatible Products. RSI is a Cisco Technology Partner, Siemens HiPath Ready Standard certified, Avaya DeveloperConnect Member, Mitel MiSN Member, Adtran Complementary Solutions Provider, NEC Univerge Partner and Alcatel Applications Partner.

For more information contact us at rsi@telecost.com or visit www.telecost.com!

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Visual Rapport Desktop Productivity Console

Visual Rapport is an intuitive integrated visual communication console that provides real time employee telephone status, instant messaging, email, screen pop, call logging and file transfer all under one roof. Visual Rapport boasts a very dynamic interface that puts your communication information right at your fingertips.



Features include:
Unified Messaging Console
Screen Pop into virtually any Application
Integrated Instant Messaging
Automated Call Handling
Email Integration
Instant File Transfer
Personalized Statuses
Call Logging
Connect to multiple telephone systems to view statuses remotely
Call Accounting Integration with
Revolution Web Call Accounting, SHADOW CMS
TAPI compliant for most major TSPs

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Is it my IPhone or Yours? Cisco Sues Apple

The day after the widely anticipated unveiling of the Apple Inc. new cell phone, Cisco system has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit. Cisco Systems Inc. has filed paperwork to support its claim that the iPhone is their trademark since the acquisition of Infogear in 2000. Infogear had owned the trademark since 1996.

Linksys, a division of Cisco, has been shipping its iPhone since last year and recently added VoIP technology to the line. Apple's new slogan for their iPhone is "we need to talk". Both sides had been talking until late Monday night but obviously talks broke off prior to the Apple showcase.

Apple Inc. has revitalized it business with an "i" line of products that include iMac, iPod, iTunes and now the iPhone. Apple spokeswoman Natelie Kerris dismissed Cisco's lawsuit as "silly". However there have been various negotiations for the legal transfer of the name over the years.

Cisco was shocked by the news that Apple CEO Steve Jobs went ahead with his announcement without a resolution between the two parties.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

What is Answer Supervision?

When Telephone Call Accounting systems first hit the Lodging industry in the early 80's, everyone knew they had to have one. AT&T was taking away your commissions for long distance calls. Part of Judge Green's deregulation decision allowed hoteliers to make a "profit" on the hotel's phones. The manual adding in the surcharges and posting these charges to the guest's folio was inefficient. Further, many hotels were giving away local calls, because there was no efficient way to record them. In the "early days" of deregulation, most of the Local Exchange Carriers did not charge for these calls. Most Local Exchange Carriers now charge for these calls. So the RIGHT decision was the Call Accounting System.

Most of these systems worked well for the properties, each one worked slightly, and in some cases, vastly different from each other. The poor systems very quickly disappeared. However, until the last few months, every system had the same problem, they could not detect when the called party answered their phone. All of the Call Accounting Systems had the same problem. The solution was the same for all the vendors, "Timing Parameters". What this meant was how soon would the CAS start billing the guest. Too long of a timing parameter meant lost revenue to the hotel via completed calls that were not charged to the guest, but charged to the hotel by the Long Distance Carrier, and not charging for enough talk time because of the timing delay. Too short of a timing parameter resulted in guest complaints about uncompleted calls. Right or wrong, your clerks took the charge off of the guest's folio.

The problem was severe enough that the telecommunications industry had to do something about this. The answer is called "ANSWER DETECTION".

There are long Distance carriers that have "ANSWER SUPERVISION" However, this signal DOES NOT pass through any existing PBX systems to your CAS. Since answer DETECTION is approximately 90% accurate, you have hard evidence of completed calls.

Enough of this back ground and on to how answer supervision operates. A pair of wires is connected to each trunk, these wires in turn are connected to a "line card" in groups of 8 or 16 trunks. These line cards then send their information to the systems processing unit. This unit in turn sends the completed call information to your CAS. You DO NOT HAVE TO BUY A NEW CAS, however, some vendors are selling an integrated system, which contains the answer detection and the CAS. These systems will usually operate just as well as having the answer detection module interfaced into your existing CAS. In other words, if you are satisfied with your current CAS, just add the answer detection.

The following questions should be asked of the answer detection vendor.

Does the product ONLY perform answer detection, or can it perform other functions?

Will the proposed system back up your existing CAS?

Does the system have a PMS/CAS interface monitor?

Are these "built In" or add on's?

What future enhancements are coming? Will the system you are looking at have the ability to accept the new features?

Can it work in an environment that has some trunks that already have answer supervision on them?

Ease of customer self service. Do you need special tools and knowledge to swap out parts, or do they just slide in place?

At what trunk size does the system max out? Will you have to buy another whole processing unit just for 4 or 5 trunks?

If you have several units which are "daisey chained", when one fails, will the failure cascade to the other modules?
The following are potential problem spots that should be looked at very carefully.

Be careful when buying from a distributor, they may drop the product for a different one.

Only purchase a system that will automatically allow your CAS to function, in the event that the answer detection fails.

If the answer detection fails, do you have to adjust your own CAS thresholds? Be careful here as this could prove to be costly.

How long has the manufacturer been in business? What does his financial future look like? Will they guarantee parts and service for the next five years?

How do you pay for the system? Besides a straight sale, can you lease it, or better yet, is a rental program available? In some instances it is better to rent the system for a few months in order to "test drive" it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Les Spielman is president of Hospitality Automation Consultants Ltd., an independent consulting firm. With more than 20 years of experience in the lodging business, he provides assistance with automation tasks on a personalized basis. Hospitality Automation Consultants Ltd. has successfully completed over 2,000 consulting projects throughout the world. He was just reelected to his third consecutive term to the Board of Directors of the Society of Telecommunications Consultants. His practice is global.




Sponsored Link:
Call Accounting Solution for Hospitality
Shadow CHS

What is VoIP and Why Do I Need It?

Watch a techie show, read a techie magazine or talk to any cyber dude and most will acknowledge that VoIP is one of the coolest advancements they've ever been blessed to experience.

On the other hand, for the vast majority who are not techie-nerds and who are looking for a non-techie to English translation of what VoIP has done to induce such high praises, then sit back, relax and read a bit more. In a nutshell, VoIP allows you to make phone calls over the internet, using your computer, to pretty much anywhere on the planet. The VoIP acronym is simply a fancy, smancy technical term for what could just as easily be called an Internet phone.

The miracle of VoIP can be explained in a simple process. The analog voice signals, which are the technical term for the exchange of hot air you have with friends and family while talking for hours on the phone... Sorry, I couldn't resist a bit of humor as I drifted back to days gone by and my youth. Ok, back to business.

VoIP converts the analog voice signals into digital data packets, which allows those packets of data to be transferred via cable lines (the internet) and then they are reconverted into analog voice signals at the other end so that once again, you can understand what is being said. Thanks to internet protocol, VoIP supports real time and two way transmission of conversations.

Sounds Good But How Do I Get Started With VoIP?

First, you have to know what type of internet service you have from your ISP (Internet Service Provider). The reason you need to know the type of service you have is because currently, VoIP works best with a cable or DSL internet connection because they are faster… as in they can download more bits of information (data packets) per second and this allows better sound quality on your internet calls.

Although VoIP services are available for other types of ISP connections like dial up, prepaid and satellite... the technology with VoIP has yet to progress to the point where you will consistently experience crystal clear sound over slower internet connections. However, if you currently live in an area that hasn't been wired for broadband, you shouldn't have to wait too long for the technology to progress to where you can enjoy a quality conversation over a slower internet type connection. However, for the time-being, quality is still a bit patchy without a high speed connection.

How Much is This Internet Telephony, VoIP Thingy Going to Cost Me?
Cost is one of best things about VoIP because VoIP services cost less than residential phone service and much, much less than most monthly cell phone plans. And if your DSL or broadband internet company just happens to be one of companies that currently offers VoIP services, then so much the better because that usually translates into even lower rates than if you used an independent or outside company for your VoIP phone service.

How Reliable Is VoIP?

Because transmission is being done over the Internet, the voice quality is largely dependent on your internet connection speed. And… at this moment in time, regardless of your ISP or connection speed the voice quality still hasn't reached that of normal land based or mobile phones. Plus, although rare, if your internet connection goes down you wouldn't be able to make or receive phone calls and VoIP is still more vulnerable to dropped calls due to a lack of signal strength.

Although VoIP still has a few drawbacks, once you try it you'll quickly realize that they aren't the type of problems that will stop you from wanting to use it… especially when you get your bill each month because with VoIP the savings can be dramatic if you spend a bunch of time on the phone.

How Secure Is VoIP?

Because transmission is in an environment where the dreaded "hacker" reigns supreme this concern is an obvious and legitimate one. Let's face it... although not perfectly secure it's no less secure than sending emails and billions and billions of those are sent each day. And frankly, if you're concerned about others listening in on your phone calls you should toss your cell phone because picking up those signals by the "unscrupulous" is much easier than sabotaging your VoIP phone calls.

If you are overly concerned with security due to the fact that VoIP is a relatively a new technology and that there still exists; although remote, a possibility that those cyber technicians will hijack your calls then you'll just have to wait until you feel these issues are solved before you give VoIP a test drive.

Can You Keep Your Number?

Yes and No! In most instances you will be able to keep your current phone number but just to be safe you should ask this question before signing up for VoIP service. And frankly, in some cases you may be required to change numbers. Oh well… nothings perfect.

About Author

Kevin Erickson is a contributing writer to: Medical Insurance (http://www.eyeonmedicalinsurance.com/), Long Term Care (http://www.eyeonlongtermcare.com/), Nursing(http://www.eyeonnursing.com/)

Sunday, January 7, 2007

VoIP Call Accounting for Every Enterprise

(PRLEAP.COM) OSHAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA - Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI) announced today that its call accounting portfolio has been enhanced to provide VoIP communication management solutions. These new offerings include support for Cisco Call Manager, Nortel BCM, Avaya IP Office, Asterisk, Talkswitch, Adtran and many other popular manufacturers. RSI announced concurrent general availability of their latest versions of Shadow CMS, Revolution Web Call Accounting and Visual Rapport.

RSI president Rito Salomone stated, "RSI strives to provide scalable solutions for every communications managers needs. We pride ourselves in providing dynamic cost-effective, user-friendly solutions that can be offered to all businesses. We provide robust interoperable solutions to customers of virtually any equipment provider — analog or IP. Channel partners and customers now have the option of selecting a system that has been lab tested in many popular environments. We offer true seamless integration for multi-vendor environments. Our call management portfolio spans a broad range of industry sectors including retail, government, professional, hospitality and general business environments. In vertical markets, we provide unique integration to hotel property management systems and professional accounting packages."

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. This technology takes analog audio signals and converts them into digital form for transmission. Transactions are much more efficient since analog lines remain connected even during periods of no communication. VoIP packets are sent and received whenever there is activity. The information packets are send over any open rather than a dedicated line making communication much more effective.

Most companies can recognize huge savings using this technology. The compression of the information and mode of delivery across multiple channels and routers makes packet switching more efficient, quicker and less expensive. The volume of simultaneous communication can be significantly increased using packet switching over circuit switching.

Call accounting software is a system that records, translates and reports on telephone call activity. The software is used by most corporations to control expenses, allocate cost and increase productivity. Hotels, hospitals and other hospitality environments utilize call accounting to resell telephone calls to their clientele.

RSI offers multiple flavors of call management for every industry sector including hospitality, general business and professional environments.

The advent of VoIP service providers has caused the cost of long distance calls to be dramatically reduced. Long distance metered charges being replaced by flat rate packages that give callers unlimited calling privileges. Does the cost of long distance really matter anymore? Why keep track? Does this render call accounting irrelevant?

The old adage rings true today “you cannot manage what you cannot measure”. Call accounting may no longer be the killer application of current times but it is certainly a necessary component. Leading edge communication management systems now collect system logs, Internet usage reports, router statistics, voice mail logs, CCR, hunt group information and various device-dependent logs as well as traditional call detail records (CDR).

Communication management is now a multi-pronged approach that combines statistics from various facilities to identify billing irregularities, misuse, bottlenecks, inactivity, productivity or workforce expense.

Billing reconciliation is often overlooked since carriers always bill based on contracted tariff plans, right? According to analysts at Gartner, "Organizations can routinely save more than 10% of their annual telecommunications expenses by systematically checking their carrier bills against equipment and services in use." But it is no longer effective to look exclusively at your traditional telephone invoices and compare them to the call accounting system in the back room.

Have you ever called your favorite electronics store to inquire about the latest digital cameras but got trapped in a series of never-ending prompts about store hours, hard drive specials and video games? Many companies are taking advantage of communication management systems (CMS) that study activity from automated attendant and custom call routing trees. These reports help pinpoint whether calls are being prematurely dropped, abandoned or misdirected. It is imperative that customers are quickly and efficiently routed to their desired destination. The customer experience with your communication facilities will dictate whether they return.

Cost allocation to various corporate levels has been a basic functionality of most robust call accounting system for years. The downward trend of long distance expenses due to falling carrier rates, bundled services and VoIP competition has lessened the importance of this feature. This has resulted in the misconception that call accounting is no longer relevant. However many companies forget that there are many hidden costs that can be highlighted through proper use of call accounting or communication management software.

If Jimmy in sales spends half his time talking on the phone, management might be thrilled at his dedication. However if Jimmy is spending half his time talking to his girlfriend, perhaps management should take a second look. Call Accounting can be a key indicator of misuse and employee productivity. Employee productivity recovery is one of the primary reasons to own a system today!

Often fraudulent calls may be routed through corporate facilities without the knowledge of the company. Hackers can find faults in improperly designed networks, infrequently used extensions, voice mail ports and tandem trunks. A call accounting watchdog should always be monitoring activity for irregular patterns. Modern call management systems utilize SMS, pager, email and web interfaces for instantaneous reporting.

It is true, traditional call accounting systems may no longer cut the mustard. You will need to have a comprehensive solution that integrates communication statistics under one umbrella. When researching call accounting software, you will need to focus on a vendor that provides an end-to-end communication management solution (CMS).

Communication management is imperative in providing the proper metrics for migrating to IP. Most companies do not even have a proper migration strategy. Call accounting can help ease the transition by highlighting traffic volumes, peak hours, grade of service, abandoned calls, blocked calls, calls to reception and various other peg counts. These statistics will help determine the bandwidth needs and requirements for auto attendant, wireless, IVR and other services.

RSI is recognized as an industry leader in the field of communication management. The call accounting product portfolio includes tailored integration to the most popular switching and network manufactures. RSI has been granted Nortel Developer Partner status with recognition for its core portfolio as Compatible Products. RSI is a Cisco Technology Partner, Siemens HiPath Ready Standard certified, Avaya DeveloperConnect Member, Mitel MiSN Member, Adtran Complementary Solutions Provider, NEC Univerge Partner and Alcatel Applications Partner.

For more information contact us at rsi@telecost.com or visit www.telecost.com!

Saturday, January 6, 2007

What is Call Accounting?

Call accounting software is a system that records, translates and reports on telephone call activity. The software is used by most corporations to control expenses, allocate cost and increase productivity. Hotels, hospitals and other hospitality environments utilize call accounting to resell telephone calls to their clientele.

VoIP Info Source

The following is a highly informative VoIP information wiki about the latest trends with Asterisk and various other IP PBX systems.http://www.voipinfo.org

Thursday, January 4, 2007

Did You Know?

More than 50% of large enterprises do not know how much they are spending on telecom related services.*

Source: The Aberdeen Group

The History of the Telephone

The invention of the telephone has a long intriguing and contested history. There exists great dispute over who deserves credit as the first inventor of the telephone.

According to dictionary.com the telephone is "An instrument that converts voice and other sound signals into a form that can be transmitted to remote locations and that receives and reconverts waves into sound signals." The word telephone originates from a combination of the Greek words "tele" meaning "afar, far off," and "phone" meaning ""sound, voice."

Some historians suggest Francis Bacon predicted the telephone in 1627 in his book New Utopia, where he described a long speaking tube. This might have been foreshadowing since not enough was known about the transmission of electricity to make the concept a reality in that era. It was not until 1854 that a French investigator Bourseul suggested that transmitting speech electrically over distance could be possible.

Antonio Santi Giuseppe Meucci is the earliest endorsed claim to the invention of a voice communication apparatus. Meucci constructed a form of telephone in 1857 as a way to connect his second-floor bedroom to his basement laboratory. In Italy, Meucci is recognized as the inventor of the telephone. The Enciclopedia Italiana di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti recognizes Meucci as the original founder of the telephone in 1860.

European physicists credit German inventor, Philip Reis, as the first to transmit a sentence by telephone in 1860. Reis demonstrated his device 16 years before Bell took out a patent for a similar device. In 1872, Prof Vanderwyde demonstrated Reis's device in New York where it was supposedly seen by Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell. On March 22, 1876, a New York Times editorial entitled "The Telephone," endorsed Philip Reis as the first inventor.

Bell evolved ideas from Reis's device in his subsequent development of the telephone. Bell enlisted Thomas Watson, an experienced machinist, to assist him in his research. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell patented the electro-magnetic transmission of vocal sound by undulatory electric current.

Elisha Gray was another inventor who had been working on the development of the telephone. Gray submitted a request to the patent office the same day but was beaten by a matter of hours. No one has ever determined why both patents were filed on the same day. Some have suggested that Bell was aware of Gray's intention and rushed to thwart his rival.

The paper trail of Bell's patent application show substantial evidence that his lawyers Pollock or Bailey did acquire the basic ideas of Elisha Gray's liquid transmitter. On March 7, 1876, Bell subsequently incorporated this technology successfully into his apparatus to transmit "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you".

The inventor of the telephone has been one of the most contested patents in United States history. Many lawsuits challenged the rightful owner of the patent but none were successful.

Today, there still exists great debate over the founder of the telephone. A 2002 a resolution by the U.S. House of Representatives, gave its endorsement of Antonio Santi Giuseppe Meucci as the originator of the telephone. HR 269 said Meucci "set up a rudimentary communication link in his Staten Island home that connected the basement with the first floor... he demonstrated his invention in 1860 and had a description of it published in New York 's Italian language newspaper.... and was unable to raise sufficient funds to pay his way through the patent application...".

The telephone is the most vital communication tool of our world. Telecom has become a giant industry that provides solutions far above what Meucci, Reis, Gray or Bell ever envisioned. If not for the efforts of these great inventors there would be no telephones, facsimile machines, personal devices, computers or the Internet. Today most people cannot phantom such a primitive existence. Communication is the link that allows our world to function at its torrid pace. The telephone is the single most significant invention in the modern era bringing the world closer together.

Contributed by: Rito Salomone, Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI), www.telecost.com

Keeping ahead of the curve

Join thousands of other INNUA (International Nortel Networks User Association) members for this conference and trade show.

Global Connect 2007
June 10-13, 2007
Tampa Convention Center
Tampa, FL

For more information visit: www.innua.org

Wednesday, January 3, 2007

The Future of VoIP

How VoIP Is Used
While there are a number of ways that VoIP is currently being used, most individual callers fall into one of three categories: ATA, IP Phones, and Computer-to-Computer.


ATA or Analog Telephone Adaptor, is the most common way of using VoIP. This adaptor actually allows you to hook up the phone, which is already in your house, to your computer, and then to your Internet connection. What the ATA does, is turn the analog signals your phone sends out into digital signals that can be sent over the Internet. Setting up this system is quite simple. It simply requires that you order an ATA, plug the cable from your phone (which would normally go into the wall socket) into the ATA, and then the ATA gets plugged into your computer, which is connected to the internet. Some ATAs include software that has to be installed on your computer before it is ready to be used, but basically it is quite a simple process.

The next type of VoIP usage utilizes IP Phones instead of your home phone. The IP Phone looks just like a normal phone, with all the same buttons and cradle. The only difference is that instead of having a normal wall jack connector, it has an Ethernet connector. So, instead of plugging in your IP phone to the wall jack (like you would with a regular analog phone), it is plugged directly into your router. This option allows you to circumvent your personal computer. It also means that you will not have to install any software because it is all built into the handset. In addition, with the availability of Wi-Fi IP phones, subscribing callers can make VoIP calls from any Wi-Fi hot spots. All these features make IP Phones an extremely exciting option.
Lastly, the simplest and cheapest way to use VoIP is through computer-to-computer calls. These calls are entirely free, meaning that there is no need for any calling plans. The only things you need are the software (which can be found for free on the internet), a good internet connection, a microphone, speakers and a sound card. Except for your monthly internet service fee, there is literally no cost for making these calls, no matter how many you make.


For large companies, VoIP also offers some very unique possibilities. Some larger companies are already utilizing the technology by conducting all intra-office calls through a VoIP network. Because the quality of sound is comparable to and in some cases surpasses that of analog service, some international companies are using VoIP to route international calls through the branch of their company, which is nearest the call’s destination and then completing it on an analog system. This allows them to pay local rates internationally and still utilize the same intra-office VoIP network, as if they are calling someone in the next cubicle.
Advantages of VoIP


While your current long-distance plan covers you for only one location, say calls made from your office, you can make a call from anywhere where you can get a broadband connection with VoIP. That is because all three methods mentioned above, unlike analog calls, send the call information via the Internet. Hence, you can make calls from home, on vacation, on business trips and almost anywhere else. With VoIP, you can bring your home phone along with you anywhere you go. In the same way, computer-to-computer connections imply that as long as you have your laptop and a broadband connection, you are ready to go.

There are also some nifty benefits to having your calls transmitted over the Internet. For example, some VoIP service providers allow you to check your voicemail via your e-mail, while others allow you to attach voice messages to your e-mails.

The Future of VoIP
While most analysts believe that it will take at least another decade before companies and telephone providers make the full switch to VoIP, the potential for VoIP technology’s use today is already quite astounding. A report by the Forrester Research Group predicts that by the end of 2006, nearly 5 million U.S. households will be using VoIP phone service. With the savings and flexibility that VoIP technology already offers, and new advances just ahead on the horizon, we can expect those numbers to escalate further in the future.


Article contributed by San Singhania who is a VoIP consultant at Lantone Communications. Led by a team of experienced IT developers, Lantone Communications is one of the leading VoIP Provider in Singapore.
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Tuesday, January 2, 2007

VoIP Info Source

The following is a highly informative VoIP information wiki about the latest trends with Asterisk and various other IP PBX systems.

http://www.voipinfo.org