Configuring SIP extensions has become one of the most requested support questions we receive. Asterisk, CISCO and ShoreTel all support SIP extensions. Candidly, SIP is an excellent protocol and one that most IT professionals are already familiar with. This is an application level protocol and looks an awful lot like HTTP etc. Ever go to a webpage and get a 404 error, “page not available”? Well SIP error messages are very similar. If you get a 404 SIP error message, it means phone not available. Though H323 and MGCP are certainly more mature protocols, they are most useful for “call processing”. SIP has the added dimension of being useful for presence information. Setting up SIP extensions on ShoreTel is a breeze and we have setup up everything from CISCO through Polycom desk phones and a handful of wireless handsets as well. ( I am working on getting my iphone connected to ShoreTel using a wireless SIP phone and I am breathlessly awaiting the release of 3.0). X-Lite makes a great SIP softphone on ShoreTel and I have included a soundless SIP configuration video for those of you familiar with ShoreTel administration. This configuration is built using cally the same in 8.1 so enjoy!Version 9 of ShoreTel, but it is basically the same in 8.1 so enjoy!
Category: Shoretel Support and Service
ShoreTel compatible audio conference server?
SIP trunks can be used for a wide variety of call processing solutions, some of which are very cost effective as in Free! We have used SIP tunks to interconnect ShoreTel systems over the Internet, complete with four digit dialing between systems! Most recently, we have been able to create a ShoreTel compatible audio conference server at a fraction of the cost normally associated with these servers. The most costly part of this conference solution was the ShoreTel SIP Trunk Licenses at $50 per port and the Server Hardware. SIP is a wonderful solution and enables you to interconnect a variety of exciting options to your VoIP solution that are vendor specific yet provide the highest level of interoperability. We now provide an audio conference server, (you provide the server) free to all of our ShoreTel annual support subscribers. We will send you a link to download the server, just for letting us quote your support contract renewal!
ShoreTel CRM Integration
Every business desktop seems to have some type of customer or ticket management software solution. Outlook and Notes are very common personal contact managers, but other popular solutions include Salesforce, Goldmine, ACT, Microsoft CRM, Time Slips and the list goes on and on. Having a “record” pop up on your desktop based on Caller ID is the most common integration request we see. How about doing a reverse look up on an incoming phone call, to learn the identify of the caller. Google can do this, but how do you feed the Caller Id to the web application? Basically, there are three strategies for doing an integration of this type: DDE, Triggers and XML. Two of these methods (DDE and Triggers) are relatively straigh forward and within the ability of a competent system administrator. XML generally requires a product development commitment and software development resources. Fortunately we have been able to get ShoreTel to pass a wide range of system parameters to an external application using both DDE and Triggers. This makes everything an “Easy Pop”!
ShoreTel Contact Center C2G Interaction Reports
Prior to release of ShoreTel Contact Center Version 5.0, reporting was essentially statistical analysis. The Contact Center had very useful report generation capabilities that included the ability to add and delete columns to existing pre-defined reports. The reports, however, were generated largely as summary reports based on accumulated totals of events. For example, you could generate an Agent Performance report that could report the total number of calls presented; total call answered; average call holding time; average talk time over a specified interval. Though very useful for tracking aggregate call volume, the reports could not track individual agents events. The Shoretel Contact Center had no equivalent of the Call Detail Reporting that you might find in the ShoreTel IPBX database. What information was available, was derived by arithmetic manipulation of totals or the equivalent of “peg counters”. Each agent had a bucket for total calls, but the details of each call were not archived in the database. This led to reports that indicated total calls for the period were 19.2 as calls were averaged over an interval.
ShoreTel Contact Center 5.0 takes a major step forward in the area of reporting. A new feature named variously “interaction reporting” or “cradle to grave” reporting has made a major positive contribution to the contact centers already strong feature set. The database has also migrated from Sybase to MySQL, which completes the database migration strategy that ShoreTel began with version 7 of the IPBX. In the ECC database contains a table structure that can be generally summarized as a configuration database. A second database, named C2G has been created and does not appear in contact centers before version 5. This database contains about 22 tables of which four are effectively the equivalent of “CDR” records. A table named events, tracks all the incoming event detail and includes a GUID that can be used to link back to the CDR record in the IPBX. This database makes it possible to create very detailed reports. For example, assume you needed a report that listed each call handled by a specific agent over an specified interval. Additionally, you want the agent detail to include a call disposition status or wrap code. Prior to the C2G database, this type of report would have been impossible. With the new C2G database, you can generate the report very easily using any MySQL administration tool, like SQLyog. Interaction reporting is a major step forward for ShoreTel Contact Center and one that the market will be very excited to receive. Look for a video update in our online library for a “hands on” look at how to setup configure and make use of Interaction reporting!
Effective ShoreTel Support for all of your VoIP Solution Needs
ShoreTel Support
ShoreTel gives business owners everything they need to have the peace at mind of knowing they have access to support when they need it. This includes services directly by ShoreTel support as well as through authorized service partners. These are the reasons that so many different people have been opting for ShoreTel communication systems for all of their VoIP solution needs.
Every business that has tried to implement the right VoIP communication system into their operations has experienced the frustration that comes from dealing with many other providers. However, with the effective ShoreTel support this is no longer something that businesses have to be concerned with. One of the best options that are available for small businesses when it comes to ShoreTel support is the incredible post-implementation support package that is available. The complete package will allow business professionals access to web based administrator training, telephone technical support, software updates, hardware replacement options, and online support tools. These ShoreTel support services will allow you to get the absolute most out of your VoIP communications system.
Another great option for support that is available for business owners is the partner support from your ShoreTel Channel Partner. This is the reason that ShoreTel has been able to maintain the high standard of customer satisfaction that is associated with all of their communications systems and services. This achieved by providing small businesses with the local hands on support that is so crucial in so many fast paced and demanding business environments.