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Computer Telephony Integration, IVRS, VOIP
Why a Demo version of software is required before actual purchase?
What are the features in VOIP Not available in traditional PBXes?
To build one such solution from scratch, one needs to have PC, voice telephony card, and software. One such solution can be to Intel Dialogic CT media starter kits available from http://www.intel.com/network/CSP/resources/free/5702web.htm#get. Intel provides FREE software but the Dialogic card has to be bought.
The voice modem are generally voice/data/fax modem. Data/fax can be handled by any Modem, internal or external. But voice part may not work more in case of internal modems. The external modem voice part may also Not work sometimes , if the voice drivers are not loaded properly. One way to check that is to install the modem voice drivers first and then the sound card drivers. In short, Modems may NOT offer reliable commercial grade solution. The ideal condition will be to experiment the concept with modem and then graduate to a voice telephony card.
There are a number of companies which offer software for IVRS. Two companies whom I know are
a) http://www.sunny-beach.net/ offering the product named Active Call Center. They have got a very good user manual on their site. However, NO 30 days free trail Demo software is available. Knowledge of VB Script is required for customization.
b) http://www.katalina.com.au Here a Full working demo trial software is available.
c) http:// www.exceletel.com Here also a Full working version is available.
d) http://www.dialogic.com/products/parity/ctade/index.htm
Dialogic CT ADE v 8.2 download a free evaluation version.:
As the hardware make and specs varies i.e., of modem and telephony cards, the software performance may vary.
For example, in one of the system tested by me, the incoming and outgoing calls handling were working OK independently, but whenever a outbound call was fired at a time the software was also handling a incoming call , the system used to HANG. This really resulted in lack of deployment of the system for commercial use.
So, it is better to evaluate the demo version, before purchase of the actual software.
VOIP is the transmission of voice over the TCP/IP protocol.
Products, like Net2Phone, let us make cheap long-distance calls via a PC with an Internet connection. Instant messengers, like Yahoo and MSN Messenger, also have integrated voice capabilities that allow PC-to-PC voice conferencing over IP networks. But enterprise IP telephony is different; it needs to cater to business users and usage patterns. It needs to be as ubiquitous and reliable as a regular telephone while simultaneously reducing TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). This is where IP telephony is going today; you pick up the telephone on your office desk and dial the number or extension you wish to reach; it works just like a regular PBX telephone would, except that in the background, it’s a whole new ball game.
As opposed to traditional PBXes, an VOIP telephony solution can support a host of additional features and applications customized to specific users and groups. Working in the data domain, VOIP naturally lends itself to extension with value-added features.
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Unified messaging
Imagine having your voice messages, faxes and e-mail in a single mailbox. This
is unified messaging (UM). Voice is a key application in UM; and VOIP makes it
happen. Most VOIP vendors offer some form of integration with existing
e-mail/groupware systems to provide the voice-mail element of UM. Cisco’s
solution for instance, integrates with Microsoft Exchange. Others, like
Nortel’s CallPoint solution, integrate with many groupware systems. If UM is
in your future roadmap, the VOIP solution must be able to integrate with your
existing applications.
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Presence
The ability to determine whether an individual is in office or traveling, and
figure out the means of communications available to contact her/him, is another
added feature in a VOIP solution. Multiple means of communications can be
integrated into a VOIP system. These include e-mail, fax, voice mail, video
conferencing, SMS, instant messenger and so on. When a user is traveling or is
otherwise away, you could build a solution to forward a voice message to her/him
using text-to-speech technology. Since everything is in the data domain, it’s
all possible.
• Mobility
Mobility is the ability of a user to access her/his voice mail, e-mail and other communications from a desktop, laptop, PDA or other IP phone across LAN or WAN networks. This is typically a feature of the UM application. Traditional PBX extensions can be forwarded to other extensions. With IP phones, a user can carry his or her complete user profile to another location which can include voice mail, extension number, Web applications (if available) and so on. This is unlike simply “forwarding” calls to another extension. A user can actually “log in” on another phone and all services specific to the user will be available there.
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Caller preference
This is about the ability to handle calls depending on source. For example, a
call from the boss could have a distinctive ring assigned to it, specific
callers could directly be forwarded to a cell phone, and so on.
•
Web services
Depending on the capabilities of the IP phone set in use, Web-based information
services can be provided on-screen or through voice. The higher-end Cisco IP
phones, for example, have an LCD screen that can display XML-based content, like
stock quotes, e-mail and so on, sourced from appropriate application servers.
A major advantage of using VOIP across the enterprise is that you can use a common data cable to each desktop providing both network connectivity and voice. Typically, you’ll be able to connect your IP phone and computer to the same cable in serial. IP phones also need a power source. For this, you’ve the option of using an AC power source for each phone or using in-line power straight from the switch (802.3af power-over-Ethernet proposal). To use in-line power in this way, you’ll need switches that provide this capability. Think this over at the time of putting the data network in place lest you’ve additional hardware costs.
Like the vast majority, if you’re using 10Base-T or 100Base-T you’ve another choice: The unused pairs of wires in Cat3 and Cat5 cable. There are solutions—regardless of whether you use one or both the unused pairs—that will let you transmit power using a specially designed patch panel installed in the wiring cabinet along with your switches. This solution won’t work if you’re using Gigabit Ethernet or if your unused pairs aren’t wired at all.
Quality of Service
For acceptable VOIP performance, you need to have QoS features built into your
network hardware across the enterprise. Voice traffic is time sensitive and
needs to be transmitted in real time or as close as you can get to the ideal. There’s
no single sure-fire solution for VOIP QoS issues; it’s almost always a
tradeoff. For VOIP traffic, you’ve to consider your network’s latency,
congestion and jitter issues. Transmitting packetized voice over a VSAT link,
for example, will incur heavy pauses or echo because of the increased latency of
satellite links.
Cost benefits
VOIP can save you money in several ways, depending on whether you’re deploying
it from scratch or adding it onto a legacy PBX. The immediate benefit, as most
users may see is lower long-distance calling costs.
For an organization implementing VOIP from scratch, the benefits include fewer cabling issues and lower costs, easier transitions when moving locations and teams, and the additional features that VOIP provides (namely, mobility, presence, Web services and so on). Reduced cabling costs are real and tangible but are, to some extent, counterbalanced by the higher cost of QOS-enabled switching gear. This is however an incremental cost. Savings brought about by the value-added features of a VOIP system are subjective and specific to the organization that’s making use of them.
In the present scenario, VOIP makes the greatest amount of sense to those
deploying it from scratch—say, a new corporate campus. Deploying VOIP over an
existing PBX makes sense only if you can justify to yourself, and your company
management, the savings and benefits of having value-added features available.
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