Account Codes

Enables the tracking of calls made to outside of the group by prompting users for an account code.  This service does not validate the codes entered (see Authorization Codes), so calls are not blocked.  Account codes are managed by the group administrator and can be two to 14 digits long.  Note that groups cannot have this service and the Authorization Codes service enabled at the same time.

Account Codes can also be implemented on a per-call basis in which users have the option to enter an account code by dialing a feature access code before the call, or by flashing the switch-hook during a call and then dialing the feature access code (for example, to register an incoming call from a client).

Authorization Codes

Performs an authorization of calls made outside of the group by prompting users for an authorization code.  Calls are not connected unless a valid code is entered.  Authorization codes are managed by the group administrator and can be of two to 14 digits in length.  Note that groups cannot have this service and the Account Codes service enabled at the same time.

Auto Attendant

The Auto Attendant serves as an automated receptionist that answers the phone and provides a personalized message to callers with options for connecting to the operator, dialing by name or extension, or connecting to up to nine configurable extensions (for example, 1 = Marketing, 2 = Sales, and so on).  Configuration via the CommPilot group web interface also allows for hours of operation to be modified, with different options available for hours that the company is open or closed.  Group administrators use their voice portal to record auto attendant greetings.  For example, a message can be left remotely to indicate that the office has been closed due to inclement weather.  In addition, users have the ability to record their name for playback when a caller dials by name or extension.

A group can have multiple Auto Attendants configured, either individually (for example, customer service with separate business hours) or integrated into a multi-level Auto Attendant (for example, enterprise’s main Auto Attendant is configured to seamlessly route to the Auto Attendant of a particular department or location).

Auto Attendant Enhancements

The following enhancements have been added to the Auto Attendant service:

▪   Immediate Extension Dialing – enables callers to dial an extension through the first level of the Auto Attendant without having to first select the extension dialing option

▪   Dial by First Name – name dialing is enhanced to consider both the first and last name, instead of only the last name

▪   Holiday Schedule – enables administrators to set the after-hours menu for selected dates (for example, recurring holidays)

▪   Business Hours Support – enhancement enables administrator to set different business hours for different days of the week

Video Auto Attendant

Mconnect Auto Attendant can be configured to support uploading and playback of video greetings.  All other functions of Auto Attendant remain the same.

Busy Lamp Field Support for Attendant Console

Enables a user to receive the call state information on monitored users.  This information supports busy lamp field operation for IP attendant console phones and devices.  The list of monitored users is managed by the group administrator level and above.

Call Centers

Enables business groups to set up a basic Call Center with incoming calls received by a single phone number distributed among a group of users, or agents.  The following functionality is supported:

▪    Agent log in and log out

▪    Uniform distribution of incoming call to the available agents

▪    Queuing of the incoming calls that cannot be answered immediately

▪    Overflow to a given destination when the group is unable to accept calls

▪    No-answer policy to redirect call to the next agent if not answered in a specific number of rings by the previous agent

▪    Deflection to a given destination outside of business hours

▪    Music on hold

A variety of statistics are provided to monitor the performance of Call Centers, such as Average Number Agents Busy and Average Hold Time Before Call Loss.  Statistics are also provided to track individual agent performance, such as Average Time Agent Spends on Calls and Amount of Time Each Agent Logged On and Idle.  A statistics report is generated at the end of each day and sent to one or two e-mail addresses.

Call Center Enhancement

Option to append Caller ID prefix for calls distributed by Call Center service, thereby enabling Call Center agents to distinguish from direct incoming calls, for example, “Support – John Smith”.

Call Center Enhancement

Enables the Priority Alert/Ringing service (listed above) to be assigned to a Call Center, rather than assign the service to each agent individually.

Call Center Enhancement

The following new call distribution policy is available for Call Centers:

▪    Weighted Call Distribution – enables calls to be distributed to agents according to a pre-defined weighting.  Each agent is assigned a weight corresponding to the percentage of incoming calls they should receive.

Video Call Center

Mconnect Call Center can be configured support uploading and playback of video to be played for greeting and queued calls.  All the other functions of Call Center remain the same.

Call Intercept

Enables group administrators to intercept calls routed to a non-working internal line with informative announcements and alternate routing options.  The service can be assigned to an individual user’s phone number (for example, when they have left the company) or it can be assigned to all the members of the group.

Video Call Intercept

Mconnect Call Intercept (user and group) can be configured to support uploading and playback of video announcements.  All the other functions of Call Center remain the same.

Call Park

Enables a user to hold a call and to retrieve it from another station within the group.  To park a call, a user presses the flash hook and dials the call park feature access code.  The call is parked and the caller is held.  To retrieve the call, the user goes to any phone in the group and dials the call retrieve feature access code, followed by the user’s extension.  The call is retrieved and connected to the retrieving user.  Users can also execute call park via the CommPilot Call Manager.

Directed Call Park

Enables a user to hold a call against a specific extension and to retrieve it from another station within the group.  To park a call, a user presses the flash hook and dials the directed call park feature access code followed by the extension to park against.  The call is parked and the caller hears silence.  To retrieve the call, the user goes to any other phone in the group and dials the call retrieve feature access code, followed by the extension to which the call was parked.  The call is retrieved and connected to the retrieving user.

Call Pickup

Enables a user to answer any ringing line within their pick-up group.  A pick-up group is a group administrator-defined set of users within the group, to which the Call Pickup feature applies.  To pick up a ringing call, a user dials the Call Pickup feature access code.  The user is then connected to the caller.  If more than one line in the pick-up group is ringing, the call that has been ringing the longest is answered.  Users can also execute Call Pickup via a web interface.

Calling Group ID Delivery

Provides the name and number of the group (or company) for outgoing calls from users in the group, rather than providing the user’s own name and number.  The group number can be defined on a per-user basis, which is often appropriate for multi-location groups.

Calling Plan – Incoming

Enables administrators to block specified incoming calls to their company, department, and/or individual users.  For example, some users can be prevented from receiving calls from outside the company, or collect calls.  The Incoming Calling Plan is configured via the CommPilot group web interface.  In addition to being able to configure which types of calls each user is restricted from receiving (for example, intra-group), group administrators can regulate incoming calling by restricting specific digit patterns.  For example, users can be prevented from receiving calls from a competitor’s number or a particular area code or country code.  If a profile has not been configured for a particular user, the default set of incoming call privileges for the department or group is applied.

Calling Plan – Incoming Enhancements

Additional call types added to Incoming Calling Plan:

▪    Calls From Within Group – allows calls to be received from other users within the group

▪    Restricted Calls From Within Group – similar to Calls From Within Group call type, but does not allow another user from within the group to transfer or forward a call to the user

Calling Plan – Outgoing

Enables administrators to block users from making certain types of outgoing calls, such as long distance, toll, or premium.  The Outgoing Calling Plan is configured via the CommPilot group web interface.  In addition to being able to configure which types of calls each user is restricted from making, group administrators can regulate outgoing calling by restricting specific digit patterns.  For example, users can be prevented from calling a competitor’s number or a particular area code or country code.  If a profile has not been configured for a particular user, the default set of outgoing call privileges for the department or group is applied.

Calling Plan – Outgoing Enhancement

Additional call type is added to Outgoing Calling Plan:

▪    Restricted Group – allows calls to other users in group, but (unlike Group call type) does not allow a called user within the group to transfer or forward the user’s call

Calling Plan – Outgoing (EOCP)

Enhanced version of the basic Outgoing Calling Plan provides administrators with a greater degree of control over outgoing calls made from within their group.  In addition to “blocking” or “allowing” given call types and digit strings, administrators have the following options for configuring the outgoing calling profile of their group, department, and individual users:

▪    Authorization Codes – selected users can be prompted for an authorization code to allow specified call types or digit strings.  Administrators can pre-configure one or multiple authorization codes to be entered by users.  Use of this feature within the Enhanced Outgoing Calling Plan takes precedence over the standalone Authorization Code service.

▪    Sustained Authorization Codes – users have the option to enter a sustained authorization code to unlock calling from their phone.  When the feature is enabled, users cannot be prompted for an authorization code every time they make a call that requires an authorization code, as defined by the Enhanced Outgoing Calling Plan.  Separate feature access codes are used to turn this feature on and off.

▪    Call Transfer – specified outgoing call types and digit strings can be automatically transferred to one of up to three transfer destinations that administrators can pre-configure.  For example, international calls made from a conference room can be transferred to a company operator who validates the user’s identity and their purpose for making an international call.

Existing configurations are retained when Enhanced Outgoing Calling Plan is assigned to replace the basic version of the service.

Calling Plan – Forwarded/Transferred

Enables administrators to prevent specified users from forwarding or transferring calls to certain types of numbers, such as long distance, toll, or premium numbers.  This capability is especially useful for preventing fraudulent calling, such as company employees calling their office number at night or on the weekend to make personal calls to international destinations.  Calling plans are configured via the CommPilot group web interface.  If a profile has not been configured for a particular user, the default set of incoming call privileges for the department or group is applied.

CommPilot Group

Web portal that empowers a business group administrator to provision services to users and manage group-related activities.

Configurable Calling Line ID

Enables the group administrator to configure each of the displayed user names and calling numbers.  This information is visible to users in their profiles as read only.

Configurable Calling Line ID Enhancement

Option to select whether configurable calling line ID should be used for regular (non-emergency) calls, emergency calls, all calls, or no calls.

Configurable Extension Dialing

Provides the ability to map directory numbers (DNs) within a group to unique extensions.  The extensions can be of any length (two to six digits) as defined by the group administrator and dialed via a web interface or by phone.  All extensions within a group must be of the same length.

Configurable Feature Access Codes

Provides each group administrator with the option to specify the feature access codes (also known as star codes) associated with their services (for example, Last Number Redial, Call Return) via the CommPilot group web portal.  Users can see, but not edit, the feature access code associated with each service at any time by referencing their CommPilot personal web portal.

Group administrators have the option configure two different feature access codes for the same service.  For example, *69 and #81 could both be used to enable Call Return.

Configurable Feature Code Prefix

Enables each business group to define up to two different prefixes to precede their feature access codes.  Each prefix can include one to two characters, with the default being a single star (*).

Configurable Time Zones

A default time zone is specified for each business group.  The respective time zone is used for all services requiring date/time stamps, such as Voice Messaging, Auto Attendant, and Selective Call Forwarding.  Users have the option of individually changing their own effective time zone in cases where it differs from the group’s default.

Custom Ringback – Group

Enables a group to specify custom audio media files such as music or corporate greetings for ringback tones versus a standard system ring tone.  Administrators can specify multiple profiles where each profile is associated with a set of incoming call criteria (that is, phone numbers, time of day, and so on) and a custom media file.  If criteria are not met, then the system ringback is provided.

Customer Ringback Video – Group

Enables a group to specify custom audio and video media files for ringback tones versus a standard system ring tone.  Administrators can specify multiple profiles where each profile is associated with a set of incoming call criteria (that is, phone numbers, time of day, and so on) and a custom media (audio and video) file.  If criteria are not met, then the network/standard ringback tone file is provided.  If the caller does not have a video client or video phone, only the audio media file is played.

Department Support

Provides group administrators with the option of establishing an additional department layer of administration (for example, Sales, Engineering) to which users would be associated.  This capability is especially useful for larger enterprises that want to distribute responsibilities for day-to-day administration.  Group administrators have the option of establishing default calling plans (incoming, outgoing) for each department.  In addition, name dialing within an Auto Attendant can be restricted to the users within a department.

Department administrators can be created to manage the following tasks within their respective departments:

▪    Add, modify, and delete users within a department

▪    Assign, modify, and remove personal services for users within a department

▪    Configure the following group services, if they have been assigned to the department:  Call Centers, Hunt Groups, Account Codes, Authorization Codes, Series Completion, Call Pick-Up, and Attendant Console

Users can sort and search their group phone list in the CommPilot Call Manager by department.

Department Support Enhancement

Music On Hold audio source can be configured at the department level.  If an audio source has not been specified for the department, the group-defined audio source is used by default.

Device Inventory

Enables group administrators to inventory their integrated access devices (IAD), trunking gateways, and IP phones via their CommPilot group web interface.  Devices can be easily added, deleted, and modified.  In addition, group administrators can assign users directly to a device and/or a port on a device.  The location and default aliases for a user are automatically generated.

Group Resource Inventory Reporting

Enables group administrators to generate reports on the resources used in their group and, if applicable, in each of their departments.  Information includes phone numbers, devices, services, users, and departments.  The reports are generated on a web page in the
comma-separated value (CSV) format, so they can be easily imported into a spreadsheet for sorting and archiving.

Hunt Groups

Allows users within a group to be included in a specified sub-group to handle incoming calls received by an assigned Hunt Group’s phone number.  Group administrators can choose from any of the following “hunt” schemes, each of which rings the specified phones in a different manner:

▪    Circular – sends calls in a fixed order.  The call is sent to the first available person on the list, beginning where the last call left off

▪    Regular – sends calls to users in the order listed by an administrator.  Incoming calls go to the first available person on the list, always starting with the first person on the list

▪    Simultaneous – rings all of the users in the group simultaneously; the first user to pick up the ringing phone is connected

▪    Uniform – as a call is completed, the user moves to the bottom of the call queue in a shuffling fashion.  The next incoming call goes to the user who has been idle the longest.  If a user receives a call that was not directed to them through the Hunt Group, the call is not included in the receiving order for uniform calls

Group administrators can also establish a No Answer Policy to redirect calls to the next agent if not answered in a specific number of rings by the previous agent.  If all idle phones have been visited once without answer, there are two options for handling the call:  forward call to an external number, or give the call a Temporarily Unavailable treatment, which can trigger a service such as voice mail.

Hunt Groups Enhancements

Option to append caller ID prefix for calls distributed by the Hunt Group service, thereby enabling users to distinguish from direct incoming calls, for example, “Support – John Smith”.

The following services can be assigned to Hunt Groups:

▪    Priority Alert/Ringing – assign service to entire Hunt Group, rather than to each individual line

▪    SMDI Message Desk – send redirecting information for calls received by the Hunt Group to legacy voice mail system over an analog SMDI interface.  This information (calling number, called number, redirection information) can be used by the voice mail system to redirect the calling party to the user’s mailbox and provide the correct greeting

The following new call distribution policy is available for Hunt Groups:

▪    Weighted Call Distribution – enables calls to be distributed to agents according to a pre-defined weighting.  Each agent is assigned a weight corresponding to the percentage of incoming calls they should receive

Instant Group Call

Enables a user to call a number that provides a group of members with an instant conference bridge.  When the user dials the specific group call number, the system alerts all members in the group and, as the members answer, they are joined into a multi-way conference.  If the originating user uses the Push to Talk feature, then the attributes of the Push to Talk feature are used (one-way or two-way broadcast, auto-answer, access control list).  This use of Push to Talk added to Instant Group Call equates to “group intercom” functionality.  The Push to Talk or forced-off-hook functionality is engaged are when a member receives a Push to Talk group call.

An administrator defines a virtual group composed of a list of member users.  These members can be part of the same group or enterprise (specified by user name, extension or location code + extension) or can be external users (specified by a phone number or SIP URI).

Loudspeaker Paging

Enables users to access an intercom paging system by dialing an extension within the group.  The paging system is simply configured in Mconnect as a user and interconnected via a standard two-wire interface.

Multiple Call Arrangement

Enables a user to make and receive multiple calls simultaneously on their different shared call appearance (SCA) locations.  This feature provides improved support for the manager/administrative assistant scenario by presenting incoming calls to all locations, regardless of ongoing call activity.  Also, enables all end-point locations to originate a call even if another location is busy.  This feature overlays the Shared Call Appearance feature.

Music On Hold

Enables group administrators to upload an audio file (.wav file containing music, advertising, and so on) onto the system to be broadcast to held parties.  This service can be used in conjunction with the following services: Call Centers, Call Hold, and Call Park.

Music On Hold Enhancements

Music On Hold audio source can be configured at the department level.  If an audio source has not been specified for the department, the group-defined audio source is used by default.

Enables users to enable/disable Music On Hold on a per call or persistent basis by either using the respective feature access code or their web portal.  This service is especially useful for users are participating in a conference call.

Video On Hold

Enables uploading and playback of video for held and parked calls.  All the other functions remain same as for Music On Hold.

External Source for Music On Hold

Enables enterprises to play live audio to held parties directly from an external audio source that is controlled by the enterprise and is typically located on their premises.  The external audio source is comprised of a gateway with an analog audio line-in jack.  A radio, CD player, or any other audio device connects into the audio line-in jack.  Music from an external audio source can be used for calls that are put on hold by Call Waiting, Call Hold, or Call Park, but not calls waiting on a Call Center queue.

Series Completion

The Series Completion service can be assigned to a selected series of lines to forward calls on a busy condition.  It is a form of “hunting” in which the next line in the group is tried in a prearranged order, without any limit on the number of sequential forwards.

This service is used to support key system functionality.  Key systems typically ring all available lines in a specified order for incoming calls, regardless of the number dialed to reach the company.  For example, when calling a technical support hotline, the user dials 1-800-555-HELP.  That number attempts to ring line 1 of the company.  If line 1 is busy, it attempts to ring line 2.  If line 2 is busy … and so on.  If all lines are busy, the call can be sent to Voice Messaging or another assigned service of the group.  Similarly, if all lines or users of this company were assigned to a Series Completion group, Mconnect acts just like a key system.

Voice Portal

The Voice Portal provides an entry point for end users to access, use, and configure the following services via any phone interface:  Voice Messaging, Call Forwarding Remote Access, CommPilot Express, and Personalized Name Recording.  The Voice Portal can also be used to record Auto Attendant greetings remotely.  The Voice Portal can be reached from any phone.  Each party uses their own configurable passcode to access their respective menu of services.

Business groups also have the option of enabling a Voice Portal wizard to run the first time users log in to their Voice Portal.  The wizard guides users through the following steps:  change default passcode to a personalized passcode, and record personalized name.

Web Conferencing Enhancement

The following capability is added to the conferencing service:

▪    Out-Dialing – enables calling of participants to be added to a conference