Pre-Sales FAQ

VoIP and Hosted Phone Systems

VOIP

What is VoIP?

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

Hosted Phone Systems

Why should I choose a hosted PBX versus a standard PBX?

There are many factors to take into consideration when making this a decision. A traditional PBX generally costs thousands to purchase the necessary hardware, software and licensing. Because you are required to maintain a traditional PBX, 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 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 certified 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 VoIP PBX

Billing

How do you handle billing?

We accept Visa/MC, Discover Card and American Express. Your credit card is charged monthly (the charge day being the day you signed up). You can also pay via paypal or we can invoice you but this is generally only allowed on an annual payment schedule. 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?

We do not send invoices for monthly payments, but if you sign up for an annual payment schedule, we can invoice you.

General

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 that 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, 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 QoS-enabled environment from end-to-end, including a managed network infrastructure providing reliable, redundant route paths. Press8 stands behind this claim by offering a 99.9% uptime guarantee. We offer NO SETUP fees, we are privately owned, have been in business for over three years and you can depend on our superior US based customer service 24/7. Press8 a unique feature called 'auto-expanding lines' so that your customers NEVER get a busy signal. We are so sure that you will be jumping for joy once you start using our phone system that we offer a no questions asked 110% 30 day money back guarantee.

What is a codec?

A codec is used to define the formatting, and specifically the compression used when transmitting voice data. Press8 supports the traditional, uncompressed g711 codec as well as the bandwidth-friendly g729a codec.

How long has Press8 Telecom been in business?

Press8 Telecom was started in 2006.

Guarantees

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 number charges) and any phones or hardware you may have purchased plus 10%. VoIP phones are not refundable but we will purchase them back from you at a lower price should you decide you no longer need them.

Support

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 support. To fulfill self-support, 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.

Customer Location

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. You could, for example, be located in India, purchase a Press8 account with a US 48 direct and toll free number, transfer your toll free calls to your US 48 number and answer the calls using your VoIP phone, or Softphone. It has to be a US 48 number though. And we would have to disable your E911 feature if you are located in another country.

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. Additionally, we have 3 redundant failover locations to ensure your emergency call gets delivered.

We will help you setup your e911 after you have signed up. And, we will give you the ability to edit it 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.

If you are located out of the US, we will disable your e911 service.

Click here for more information on our e911 Policy.

Press8 Hosted Phone System Features

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. Check our plans and add-ons page for more information.

If you wish to use your traditional analog fax machines for outgoing/incoming faxes, Press8 can also provide your business with a piece of equipment called a T.38*. With a T.38* you can plug in up to 2 fax machines to receive and send faxes via your Press8 phone system. You need to be sure and set your baud rate on your fax machine(s) to 9600 for the best quality.

* The T.38 is an add-on.

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.

Can Press8 be integrated with Salesforce.com?

Yes. Essentially, a CTI adapter from Salesforce.com and a Flexor CTI from www.camrivox.com is loaded on the client. With these devices, Salesforce.com then opens a left side panel (in the browser) for all of your call activity which will dynamically be associated with existing accounts, leads and contacts, as best can be matched by caller id, for inbound or outbound calls. I there is no match, then these records can be manually matched.

This software does require a Polycom phone as the telephony device to pass all SIP information to Salesforce. This software also requires a Firefox browser plug in which is not currently available for IE. This product is available from Camrivox starting at $85/user/year ($75 for 5-9 users, etc.).

They also offer an Outlook integration product for click to call and for attaching emails to accounts or contacts. The reporting features are available right in salesforce.com for collating call activity according to campaign, agents and/or lead sources, which your sales manager is likely already doing.

Technical Requirements

What is required to use a Press8 hosted phone system?

The minimum requirement for enjoying our hosted PBX product is a broadband Internet connection. Our services are delivered over a world-class telecommunications/IP network with millions of POPs (points of presence), including advanced routing techniques providing redundancy and fail-over capabilities that are unheard of on the traditional PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). A major benefit of services provided over IP is to give you the ability to be completely mobile. You can manage your account and use your telephones anywhere in the world with a broadband (or equivalent) Internet connection!

A broadband Internet connection includes DSL and Cable connectivity, while other common data connections include T1, (fractional) T3, and Ethernet handoff. If in doubt, please contact Press8 Telecom and we'll work with you to determine your type of connectivity and available bandwidth for introducing VoIP into your network!

Although there are many software-based telephones available (many which are freely available), users may also wish to use hardware telephones. Generally this will consist of using an ATA (analog telephone adapter) or an IP-based telephone. An ATA is a conversion adapter allowing you to plug any standard, analog telephone into it while still making use of advanced IP telephony features. An IP phone is a physical telephone that can have the advantage of exclusive built-in features that analog telephones do not have the capability for.

Press8 Telecom provides a range of IP telephony products for your convenience. However, we do not require that you purchase hardware from us. Any SIP-compatible device will allow you to make use of our services. Please note, however, that when purchasing hardware from Press8 Telecom, we provide automatic provisioning to the telephone, removing the burden of having to configure it yourself. And, you can be assured that our technical support team provides complete support for devices purchased with Press8 Telecom.

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!

Voice Recordings

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. Windows comes with a free sound recording utility and there are others out there, even open source, that you can get. When you are finished making your recording, just login to your control panel and upload the audio file.

Phone Numbers

Acquiring New Phone Numbers

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.

Using Your Current Phone Number

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 24-48 hours for the number to be ported.

Phones

IP Phones

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: 1-888-677-3778 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 SNOM and Astra will work on our system. Please contact a representative for additional information and assistance.

Addons

Addon Features For Your Press8 Phone System

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's Business Control Center. Then you'll need to add one or more Skype for SIP channels in the business control center. Phone numbers can be assigned there as well if desired. Once you have added the necessary Skype for SIP channels, 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 Salesforce.com?

In order to begin integrating your phone system with Salesforce, you'll need the Camrivox Flexor software package licensed for each user who should have Salesforce integration. You will also need a compatible Polycom telephone. Supported models include SoundPoint IP 32x/33x, 450, 550, 560, 650, and 670. The Flexor software will discover your Polycom telephones on your network and configure them for you.

How do I get started with integrating PhoneTag?

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.