Call Manager – a PC Application
This powerful feature provides call control from your PC without ever picking up the telephone system – simply by using your mouse.
- Customize: Each user has the ability to customize their control buttons for quick dialing (i.e. – speed dial numbers, one-touch extensions keys).
- Outbound Calling: Copy and paste the telephone number from other programs into the Call Manager dial window. You can also include letters in the telephone number; Call Manager will automatically convert the letters to the matching numbers on the telephone keypad (i.e. 1-555-2-CALL-US).
- Drag and Drop Feature: Makes call transfer, speed dialing, and other functions faster and easier.
- Instant Messaging: The Chat feature allows text communication capabilities between users, broadcast message to multiple users, and simultaneous Chat sessions.
- Extension Keys: Dial other extensions with the touch of a button, and see user availability from your computer screen with lamp indication.
- Docking: Dock the Call Manager program to any edge of your computer screen to optimize your screen space. You can work in other programs without hiding the docked toolbar.
- Personal Settings: Can enable settings to receive automatic screen pops with caller information on incoming calls.
- Call History: A log of incoming and outgoing calls is automatically saved, and can be used to search, sort, print, or redial with just one click.
- Call Notes: Type notes during a phone conversation. The notes will remain with the call wherever it is transferred, so callers do not have to repeat themselves or re-answer questions.
- Voicemail: A flashing notification will appear on your computer screen when you have a new voice message.
The Severity of PBX Hacking – How to Protect Yourself
Modern day businesses believe in maintaining the latest communication systems for their enterprise communications. Not only does it help to maintain a seamless communication both within the company as well as outside, it also enhances the prospects of beating the cut-throat competition in the market. The latest communication systems like VoIP and cloud telephony are known to provide a huge boost to the productivity of an organization and at the same time enhance the profit figures.
Of late there has been a lot of talk about cloud telephony or VoIP and how they are better than on-premise IP-PBX systems. PBX systems have been around for more than three decades. The technology used has moved from analog to digital, but the basic idea remains the same. It has always been the safest bet for companies that wanted to have complete control over their enterprise communication. However, recently it has been revealed that PBX has accounted for huge loses as they were wrongfully used by miscreants or hackers. The affected organizations had to pay up $4.4 million in extra telephone bills in the year 2013 as their PBX systems were hacked.
Now, this is a serious crime and looking at the colossal figures, one can only wonder why no one is taking note of it and formulating strategies to secure their PBX systems. Companies are busy with managing their business and not every organization has a dedicated IT team to take care of the security needs of their communication system. In such a scenario, businesses often end up paying hefty phone bills even when they have not made expensive calls.
How do companies get a handle on their vulnerable communication systems and stop hackers?
Prior to learning about the ways to stop hackers, we need to first understand what PBX hacking is all about.
PBX hacking is an illegal practice whereby an unauthorized individual can access the system by using means that include the voicemail, maintenance port of the PBX system and the direct inward system access or DISA feature of PBX systems. Hackers can even impersonate an employee of an organization and gain access to the system.
Some of the common methods used by hackers is using the auto-diallers for scanning a system that has modems and even infiltrating the system when passwords are left unchanged by users. It is very important that every user changes their passwords at regular intervals. It is also recommended that users create complex passwords by using alphanumeric combinations. It has often been observed that owners and users keep their default passwords unchanged – this can make your PBX system a sitting duck for hackers.
Some useful tips that can help you to keep PBX fraud at bay:
- Monitor the calls made from your phone system and try to find out about the calls made after office hours. The majority of hackers prefer to hack and make calls after business hours as it helps them to operate without any worries.
- If the official mailbox of the system is left unused then you should get it blocked or deleted. Even the unallocated mailboxes can be used by the hackers, so change the default pins.
- Unused services should either be restricted or completely stopped as those can serve as easy entry points for hackers.
- Calls made to international numbers should have restricted access.
- You should ensure that all the default passwords for the system are changed after acquiring a system.
- Keep a tab on the calls that are made from the PBX system of your office.
- The physical location of your system should be secured.
About Universal ComOne
Universal ComOne offers award winning business telephone systems that are right for any business. We can design a solution to fit your needs.
Call 337-205-9364 for all your communication needs.
Toshiba Releases UCedge!
One of the hindrances of using a business phone system is the wide variety of end devices you may need to use. For example, you will use an IP or Digital phone to make a call. At the same time, if you want to access a data file, you may need to use a computer. But what if all these can be combined to a single end device, and at the same time, give you mobility and flexibility? That is exactly what UCedge does.
Designed to work with VIPedge, IPEdge, and Strata CIX, UCedge has an application that you can download and install on your Windows or Mac laptop, any tablet and your Apple or Android smartphone. Once the application is installed, UCedge can federate multiple networks and give you access to all the features on the server.
For more details on the product release, click here.
About Universal ComOne
Universal ComOne offers award winning business telephone systems that are right for any business. We can design a solution to fit your needs.
Call 337-205-9364 for all your communication needs.
Cloud Telephony: Do You Really Need It?
Everyone jumping onto the cloud telephony bandwagon does not imply that companies having dedicated IT departments are doing so without much deliberations. In fact, if you are a CTO or a business owner trying to determine whether to move to the cloud or not then you will certainly try to find out whether it is worth the time and money. You will need to analyze and understand various factors associated with cloud telephony prior to deciding on your move. Over the last few years, cloud telephony has gained immense popularity, both among the general users as well as the business leaders. Cloud computing has a huge presence in our lives and we are using a variety of cloud based applications and tools.
Even after all this, business organizations are still apprehensive about the cloud telephony concept because they do not want to lose business due to faulty communication services. Does this imply that cloud telephony, as predicted by all technical experts, is really not going to take off with the enterprises? Well, it would be too early to predict the future of communication services that use the cloud.
In this article we are in fact going to understand the advantages of cloud telephony and find out why you really need it. The biggest advantages of cloud telephony are:
- Efficient and effective call routing – Call routing in cloud telephony system is really easy and you will be able to route the incoming calls according to your business preferences. The customers will be able to call a single number as you will be able to set one number for your departments or company executives. Effectively every customer’s call can he handled by an efficient IVR. The best thing about call routing is that the agents or executives attending a customer’s call can be located anywhere across the world.
- Customizing the calls – Incoming calls can be customized and routed accordingly. The call data of all the customers are analyzed and then automated call routing system in the cloud telephony application can be set to handle or route the calls accordingly. The calling history of each caller is a goldmine of information that can be used to analyze calling and buying pattern of the customers.
- ERP integration – The cloud telephony system at your office can be integrated with the existing ERP system. Thus, real time data sharing will make it easier for the agents or executives while providing solutions or making sales pitches to the callers. With just a click of the mouse, you will be able to gain access to buying patterns and various other data related to the caller. Promotional calls can be scheduled accordingly and even your marketing campaigns can be tuned to meet the customer expectations.
- Complete support to the marketing campaigns as well as surveys – The cloud telephony comes with the advanced calling software that makes it easier to schedule marketing campaigns and surveys. Contests and market surveys too can be carried out with the help of this advanced calling software. Conversations can be recorded and this can help to complete the polls and surveys quickly.
It might be a little too early to predict the future of cloud telephony but as of now it seems to have an edge over the other communication systems. Numerous companies are migrating to cloud telephony and it seems pretty logical because of the advantages being offered by the technology. It can be safely said that cloud telephony is here to stay!
About Universal ComOne
Universal ComOne offers award winning business telephone systems that are right for any business. We can design a solution to fit your needs.
Call 337-205-9364 for all your communication n
Is VoIP Right For Your Business?
Why Should Businesses Adopt VoIP Phone Systems?
In order to grow, businesses have to tap into new markets to increase their customer base. It is imperative to maintain an impeccable communication system. An efficient communication system allows a business to not only maintain seamless connectivity with customers and employees, it also lowers their telephone bills. VoIP is a new technology that businesses across the world are banking upon to solve all their communication woes and, at the same time, bring down their monthly telephone expenses.
Small businesses in particular should consider the latest communication systems like a Hosted VoIP business phone system in order to stay ahead of competition. The Voice over Internet Protocol is perfect for small, medium and large businesses. Not only is it easy to subscribe to VoIP services, it is also easy to scale the packages up or down depending on your usage. VoIP uses the Internet to transmit voice signals in the form of data packets over a secured network. It is not only a secure form of communication for the companies but also a very reliable and efficient solution.
Let us understand why VoIP suits businesses and adopting VoIP phone systems is the logical way to building a robust communication system:
• VoIP helps to serve customers better:
Pleasing customers is vital for all businesses and is even more important for small businesses that want to survive stiff competition in the market. It not only helps businesses acquire new clients but also retain the old ones by providing better services. VoIP has several features like automated call routing, call holding, IVR etc., which helps companies attend to all customer calls and queries on a priority basis. No customer calls are missed and customers get a feeling that the company cares for them, so they are more likely to return with more business.
• VoIP helps to make business processes efficient:
Businesses have started to realize the importance of staying connected to customers as well as employees – this is easily achieved by implementing VoIP. VoIP lets the users log in from anywhere; even when they are not sitting at their desk. Thus important voicemails, messages and other communications are never missed. Important issues can be easily solved by getting in touch with the respective department or executive. All this eventually helps in better decision making.
• Bringing down costs:
This is probably the biggest advantage that businesses enjoy by migrating to VoIP. The telephone bills footed by many companies run up to thousands of dollars a month when they are using the old PSTN telephones. This is never the case with VoIP. The only costs that the customer bears is the charge for the Internet connection within a stipulated FUP. Since VoIP communications can be initiated with just an Internet connection and some basic hardware, the high installation costs are avoided too. Companies do not have to pay any upfront bills for installation and maintenance, so this translates into heavy savings.
Companies that need to make overseas calls on a frequent basis can take advantage of VoIP. If the other party is also on a digital circuit, there are no additional costs for international calls. If the other party is on mobile or land lines, you can use SIP trunking with fixed rates to call anyone, anywhere.
Thus, we get to see that VoIP is the most practical option available to business owners if they truly want to establish a seamless communication service for their company.
About Universal ComOne
Universal ComOne offers award winning business telephone systems that are right for any business. We can design a solution to fit your needs.
Call 337-205-9364 for all your communication needs.