Pre-Sales FAQ

 

VoIP and Hosted Phone Systems

What is VoIP?

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a general term used to describe voice traffic being transmitted via the Internet networks rather then the traditional circuit-switched or public switched telephone network.

Why should I choose a VoIP hosted PBX versus an on-site VoIP PBX?

There are many factors to take into consideration when making this a decision. An on-site VoIP PBX generally costs thousands to purchase the necessary hardware, software and licensing. Because you are required to maintain the system, you become responsible for keeping software up to date, supporting your users, troubleshooting any problems, purchasing additional hardware and software when you're ready to scale, and developing your own applications to name a few.

A VoIP hosted PBX model eliminates a great deal of your startup costs, and Press8 Telecom provides a virtually unlimited scalability path. We take on the overhead of maintaining the equipment and supporting your users with qualified and experienced support/telecom engineers. The only equipment you need are your IP phones. Plus, you can become completely mobile and use our services from around the world!

About Press8 telecom

How do you handle billing?

We accept Visa/MC, Discover Card and American Express. Your credit card is charged monthly on the 1st. You can also pay via paypal or we can invoice you subject to credit approval. If you are using a tolled service such as toll free, your credit card will be charged the amount used the prior month. You can view your monthly charges in your web based control panel at anytime.

Can I be invoiced for your services?

Yes, upon credit approval.

What can Press8 Telecom do for me and my business?

Press8 Telecom offers a feature-rich suite of telephony services that run over your existing high-speed Internet connection. We provide a hosted PBX product that is scalable and versatile providing you with a wide range of features many of which do not exist on a standard local telephone service.

Such features include:

• auto-attendants to give your callers a voice menu allowing the caller to choose specific departments or extensions to reach
• call queues that allow multiple callers to wait in a "holding area" with music-on-hold while waiting for an operator to accept their call
• hunt groups providing flexible call-routing dialing multiple extensions & telephone numbers either simultaneously or based on priority levels
• Dial by name directories,
• Voicemail to Email and much more.

With Press8 you can become completely mobile and use our services from around the world. Stay seamlessly connected to your business from anywhere you have access to a high-speed Internet connection.

To see a more comprehensive list of features that Press8 Telecom provides, please visit our Products and Services page.

How is Press 8 Telecom different from other VoIP-based service providers?

Press8 realizes the importance of reliably delivering voice calls, and invests a lot of resources in ensuring that all voice traffic is handled on a fully backed up and redundant environment, including a managed network infrastructure providing reliable, redundant route paths. Press8 stands behind this claim by offering a 99.9% uptime guarantee.

We are privately owned and have been in business since 2006 and you can depend on our superior US based customer service 24/7.

Press8 Telecom has a unique feature called 'auto-expanding lines' so that your customers or prospects NEVER get a busy signal when trying to reach you.

How long has Press8 Telecom been in business?

Press8 Telecom was started in 2006.

Do you offer any guarantees?

We are so sure you will just love our phone system we offer a 30 day no questions asked 110% money back guarantee. You will be provided a full refund of your monthly recurring cost with the exception of any actual usage charges (i.e. toll free inbound or international tolling charges) and any phones or hardware you may have purchased.  VoIP phones are not refundable but we will purchase them back from you at a market price should you decide you no longer need them.

What type of support do you offer?

Press8 Telecom provides 24/7 engineer-level support for you and your users. Support can be reached either by telephone or helpdesk/e-mail during business hours. We also offer emergency after hours phone support. In addition, a knowledge base is actively maintained with easy-to-follow instructions including screen shots of our control panel management interface, and we offer an online manuals and videos.

Do I have to be in the US 48 or Canada to sign up with Press8?

No- you do not have to be located in the US 48, but you have to use a US 48 number or Canadian number. You could, for example, be located in India, purchase a Press8 account with a US 48 direct and toll free number, and answer the calls using your VoIP phone, or Softphone from anywhere on the internet with a high speed connection. 

What is the setup process after I sign up?

* This is only a basic idea of our setup process and can vary depending on individual customer needs or cirumstances. Once you sign up, please wait for our instructions with particular setup process details. 

1. We  will email you a 'ROI' or 'Request for Information' in order to document information about your users, such as their names, desired extension numbers and email addresses.  In addition, this form is intended for you to state how you would like your inbound calls routed, both during work hours and after work hours.
2. We will setup your Press8 Control Panel login and Help Desk login and email that information to you. 
3. You will receive instructions on setting up your company greeting as well as each user's voicemail greetings. Company greetings may be completed self serve for free. In addition, we can create a greeting for you for $20/greeting or you can order a professional recorded greeting using our Audio Production Store.  Messaging on Hold may also be produced though the Audio Production Store.
4. We will order any new phones you have purchased and they should arrive at your office in about 7-10 business days. These phones will be plug and play ready, and each box will be labelled with the user's name for easy distribution.
5. If you already have phones and they have been approved by us, then we will step you through how to activate them.
6. If you will be porting numbers over to our system you will be assigned temporary numbers. Contact your current provider and ask them to forward your calls (simultaneous forwarding) to these new numbers. We will email you an LOA form to fill out that will officially state what numbers your want ported and the associated billing address assigned to those numbers.The porting processes can take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks depending on the losing carrier.
7. Once you have forwarded your current inbound numbers to the assigned temporary number, then the system will be live and inbound calls will be routed to your new phones according to the designed routing plan.
8. Once we tell you that your numbers have successfully ported, THEN you can cancel your previous provider. Do not cancel your previous provider until we tell you to or you could risk losing your phone number(s).

IMPORTANT: DO NOT cancel service with your previous provider until we have emailed you to let you know that your phone numbers have been successfully ported.  In addition, if there are any numbers with your current provider that will not be ported, it is important that the billing for those numbers be separated from the numbers that will be ported before we start the porting process.

911 Service

Is 911/e911 emergency calling supported?

Absolutely, emergency dialing is included with all telephone numbers/plans.

What is the difference between 911 & e911?

e911 refers to the ability to electronically provide the local emergency center with your physical address, saving important time in having to provide this to the operator when calling. e911 is implemented by your local rate center's emergency calling center, and so long as your region supports it, we will deliver this electronic address data. Otherwise, traditional 911 services will be used instead. Press8 understands the importance of reliable emergency services, and is fully FCC compliant with 911/e911 regulations. 

We will help you setup your e911 after you have signed up. And, we you have the ability to edit your location information when you move your VoIP phone to a different location. It is very important that you keep your e911 location information up to date so that emergency centers know your location when providing 911 emergency service.  e911 locations are assigned to your telephone numbers, so the emergency response address presented to the emergency responders depends on the caller ID number that is specified for your telephone.  This number may be set per telephone through the Press8 control panel.

If you are located out of the US,  your e911 service will be disabled.

Click here for more information on our e911 Policy.

Press8 VOIP Hosted PBX

Do you provide the capability for faxing?

Yes- Incoming faxes will be stored in your Press8 Control Panel for you to view online as a .pdf file, as well as being delivered via e-mail to your inbox. You can send faxes via the Press8 Control Panel.

Can Press8 route calls to land lines and cell phones?

Yes- Calls can be forwarded to any internal Press8 extension or numeric telephone number.

What happens if my internet connection goes down?

If your company's internet connection goes down, your calls will automatically be re-routed, by our system, to cell phones or other land lines that you specify in your system configuration.  Please consult with our support personnel to setup this backup routing.

What is required to use a Press8 hosted phone system?

The minimum requirement for enjoying our hosted PBX product is a broadband internet connection and a VoIP phone.

A broadband internet connection includes DSL, T-1, fiber and cable connectivity. (When in doubt, please contact Press8 Telecom and we'll work with you to determine your type of connectivity you have and if there is enough available bandwidth to run VoIP.)

Secondly, you will need a VoIP phone or computer based soft phone. There are many software-based telephones available (many which are freely available), however, business owners generally prefer a professional VoIP phone. There are a lot of features that come with VoIP phones that software phones do not have.

Press8 Telecom provides a range of VoIP telephony products for your convenience. However, we do not require that you purchase VoIP phones from us. Most SIP-enabled VoIP phones will work with our system. But, please contact us to confirm the brand and model number before purchasing.

Keep in mind that when purchasing VoIP phones from Press8 Telecom we will send you your VoIP phone pre-provisioned and so all you have to do is plug it into your broadband internet connection.  If you purchase your phone somewhere else, our engineers can walk you through the provisioning of you phone.

How much bandwidth is required to use Press8 Telecom's service?

Bandwidth consumption is based on two primary factors: The number of concurrent telephone calls and the format (codec) of the voice being transferred. Typically the bi-directional bandwidth required will range from 30Kbps (kilobits per second) to 95Kbps per telephone call. Generally speaking, most high-speed connections including cable and T1's will work fine for businesses up to 20 employees. Please contact a representative today for additional information and assistance in planning for success!

How can I get a professional voice recording?

You can get a professional recording for any of your voice prompts by going to our Audio Production Store. Choose the voice talent you would like to use, and input the text that you would like in the recording. Prices are very reasonable and you can usually get a main voice prompt for around $70. You can use the Audio Production Store for any of your voice prompts.

You will be emailed a .wav file that can easily be added right in your control panel.

Can I make my own voice recordings?

Yes- You can make your voice recordings yourself using your computer or your Press8 VoIP phone. On your computer just go to When you are finished making your recording, just login to your control panel and upload the audio file.

Can I acquire telephone numbers from you?

Yes- Press8 Telecom provides domestic telephone numbers available country-wide throughout the USA, as well as, toll free telephone numbers. Telephone numbers can be purchased from any city and state no matter where you are physically located, enabling you to create a greater presence in more geographical areas.

We generally have approximately 60,000 telephone numbers available. Availability changes on a daily basis.

Can I use my current phone number(s)?

Yes- We can port your phone numbers to our system which involves you filling out and signing a request for porting. It usually only takes 2 to 4 weeks for the number to be ported.  While waiting on the port, Press8 will provide you with a temporary number that can be the destination of a number forwarding order placed with your existing carrier.

Can I physically move my VoIP phone to a different city and state or even country?

Yes- So long as a high-speed (not dial up) Internet connection is readily available to you, usage is available world-wide. It is also beneficial to use a software-based telephone on your portable device. As long as you have a microphone and speakers (or a headset), you can carry your telephone extension anywhere you go!

What if I need help setting up my IP Phones?

All IP phones purchased from Press8 are delivered pre-configured and are fully supported by our staff. We also provide you with the correct configuration settings to use if you decide to configure your own device.

Do I have to purchase VoIP phones to use your phone system?

No- You don't have to buy an IP phone to use our services. You can transfer all of your calls to your cell phone or you can use our free softphone on your computer. But, we do suggest purchasing IP phones in order to benefit from the extensive feature set included in our phone sytem.

Can I lease my phones insted of buying them?

If your phone order is $2500 or more, you can lease the phones. Just contact us at: 1-800-349-VOIP(8647) and we can email you a lease pricing schedule and an application.

Can I use the IP phones I already have?

We cannot guarantee that your current IP phones will work. But, many brands such as Polycom, Yealink, SNOM, Grandstream, Cisco and Astra will work on our system. Please contact a representative for additional information and assistance.

How do I get started with integrating Skype?

Before users can call you via Skype, you must first have a valid Skype account registered with Skype Connect.  Press8 will complete the integration per your requirements, which also includes optionally routing outbound telephone calls for one or more extension through Skype's international calling network.

How do I get started with integrating PhoneTag for Voicemail to Text?

When you signup with PhoneTag, you are given a unique e-mail address for sending your voicemail messages to. The Press8 control panel already contains the necessary features to make use of this. Simply edit your mailbox properties in the Press8 control panel, and enter your PhoneTag address in the Notify backup email addresses field, being sure to set Attach file to backup email addresses to "yes".