MadTECH Computers
Managed I.C.T Services Queensland

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Step by step guides and product/software reviews for our clients are here:

VOIP Phone system project

Another client was running an old Fortinet Talk switch VOIP phone system.  We had been supporting the old voip system for the client for the last 6 years, and had recommended a replacement phone system, but the recommendation wasn’t followed due to lack of funding.  We were constantly fixing issues with holiday scheduling (when the phone diverts to voicemail on designated holidays and out of office hours), and general communication between the phone system and the Netgear router.  Communication between the phone system and router was only fixed by restarting both the router and the talk switch remotely.

Now the Talkswitch finally stopped working all together so the client had no alternative but to upgrade the phone system.  MadTECH Computers Business IT Support had preempted this by earlier finding a cloud-based PBX supplier, and doing the due diligence on the different suppliers.

Now a cloud-based PBX account is more expensive than a normal VOIP account.  Edgetel, the cloud based PBX provider we chose, these are their cost estimates (excluding GST):

$55 port change per number

$8 per line per month

$8 per number per month

$4 per extension per month

$1 per voicemail mailbox

.15c per minute to mobile

.08c per minute to any Australian landline

With the per line charge, this means how many concurrent calls you expect.  Say if you are expecting 10 x staff to be on the phone at once, you will require 10 x lines.  If you go over your subscription, they will overflow the calls to extra lines for you at no extra charge.  Only if you regularly overflow will they suggest you add more lines to your subscription.

Edgetel provide intuitive browser based access to all of the phone system functions.  They also have excellent support available if you need help configuring any of the options.  We are using the existing handsets so there is no extra cost to the client in purchasing extra hardware.  We can upgrade the phones later as they require, if they want to upgrade or need extra functionality, including wireless headsets, or wireless phones (if there is a new desk with no data ports available).

The only problem we have run into so far is the amount of time it takes to port a number from one voip provider to another, especially if they have to apply to their upstream provider also. It can take anything from 5-10 business days for a port to go through.  It is one of those projects that requires constant checking on the provider to make sure they have processed the application and sent to their upstream provider, and that they have checked that their upstream provider has received the application and is processing it OK.

We will add further to this blog once the project is completed.

kel toyne