What is VoIP?
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) lets you make telephone calls over the Internet. With VoIP, phone calls go over your Internet connection instead of back and forth to the phone company.
Can I make conference calls?
Yes, every Tel-One Cloud PBX system includes at least one conference bridge. Each conference bridge supports up to eight simultaneous callers, and can be used for an unlimited amount of time. For larger conferences, we provide a different service at an additional cost. However, please note that you may run out of concurrent call capacity if you try to place more people on the conference call than you have in your plan. If this happens, you will not be able to have additional calls into or out of your phone system.
What calls don't use my Internet connection?
All calls will use your internet connection even if they are located in the same office.
What Additional Options Are Available With My Tel-One Cloud PBX Phone System?
There are many additional options available with your Tel-One Cloud PBX phone system, including:
- Additional simultaneous calls
- Additional telephones
- Toll Free Numbers
- Different kinds of telephones including cordless phones
- Limited Emergency Calling Services
- Fax lines or Internet Fax service
Can I have additional local numbers?
Yes, you can purchase additional local telephone numbers in most areas in the US. For example, you can have a local number for your business in New York and another local number in California.
Can I have remote telephones?
Yes, Tel-One supports multiple geographic locations. You can put a phone anywhere you have an Internet connection, even a different country, and Tel-One Cloud PBX will find and register the phone.
How fast should my Internet connection be?
Every line, every call, uses 80 Kbits/second of bandwidth to send audio out to the outbound caller while using 80 Kbits/second of bandwidth inbound to the Tel-One extension. This is effectively 156Kbits per second for each call.
You need enough bandwidth to support the number of simultaneous calls you need. If you want to make ten calls at the same time, you should have a 1.5Mbit Internet connection in both directions. If you have a connection with 1.5Mbit down and 768Kbit up, you can only make five simultaneous calls, because the uplink speed is the limiting factor.
You phone quality and bandwidth requirements will also vary if you have many computers using the same internet connection.
Can I keep my phone number if I leave Tel-One?
Yes. This is only limited by your ability to transfer a telephone number to a new provider. Tel-One does not place any restrictions on transferring your telephone number to a different provider.
Can people reach employee extensions directly?
An extension can always be reached by calling the main office number and transferring to the extension, but for additional monthly charges you can get a number that is directly accessible. This is known as a DID (Direct Inward Dial).
Can I have a toll-free (800) number?
You can purchase as many toll free numbers as you would like. Toll free numbers include prefixes like 800, 877, and 866. There are per minute charges for calls made to a toll-free number.
Who owns my phone number?
Telephone numbers are rented, not owned. You have to make a payment every month to keep any phone number you are using, regardless of your phone service provider.
What is Bandwidth?
Bandwidth is the rate of data transfer which your Internet service provider enables. In order to have a quality hosted VoIP call, you need to have an Internet connection which supports the data transfer. Some services offer a specialized connection to provide reassurance that the data will be transferred at an optimal rate. Other providers allow you the luxury of choosing your own Internet Service Provider. While there are pros and cons to either decision, when considering case of call quality, you must ensure that you choose an Internet service which supports the data transfer which your hosted VoIP PBX demands.
What is Jitter?
Jitter can be recognized by a delay in your speech and/or the speech of the person you are speaking to. Jitter occurs because the packets of voice data are received at the wrong time. Jitter can occur due to power surges, bandwidth congestion, or other irregularities in the system. If your hosted VoIP service provider has not perfected their system, there is a good chance you could be subject to jitter.
Why is VoIP on the market now?
VoIP was developed as an experimental system by Arpanet in the late 1970s. The constant advancement of the Internet, and improvements in computer technology, has improved the quality and reliability of VoIP telephone calls. They are now competitive with dedicated phone line systems.
Can I use my credit card machine?
It is not recommended that a customer use a VoIP service for handling Credit Card Transactions and we recommend our customers keep an analog line for this service.
Can other things I am doing on my network interfere with my telephone calls?
If your phones are located on the same network as your data connection, there is a high likelihood that when bandwidth intensive applications like streaming videos (i.e. YouTube), Pandora or Spotify have consumed your entire bandwidth capability, your call quality and phone functionality will be affected.
Can I have an Automated Attendant With a Professionally Recorded Greeting?
Yes. An automated attendant, also called a interactive voice response (IVR) system, is available with your Tel-One Cloud PBX telephone system. The IVR can say whatever you want, for example, “press one for sales, two for accounting, or three for a company directory.”
If you prefer a more polished presentation, Tel-One can have your greetings professionally recorded for you. There is a small charge for this service. There may be additional charges for IVR systems that are bigger or more complex.
Can I have a vanity number like 1-800-FLOWERS?
You can have a regular, toll-free, or international vanity number. These numbers are subject to availability. Contact sales for information about purchasing a vanity number.
Can I make emergency calls?
Tel-One provides support for emergency calling services. This is provided at a small additional charge. Users of this service must make sure the physical (street) address on record for that phone is correct, including changing the address if the phone is moved to a new location.
If your Internet connection is down, you won’t be able to make any outgoing calls, including emergency calls, with a Tel-One Cloud PBX system. We recommend you not rely on any VoIP service, including Tel-One, for emergency calling. You should keep a landline for calls for emergency services.
Can I keep my current number? Can I move my number to Tel-One?
You can almost always move your current phone number to your new Tel-One Cloud PBX telephone system. Check with your current provider to find out. We can help you with this, too. Rarely, you won’t be able to directly move (port) your telephone number. If you can’t move your number, or if you don’t want to move your number, you can still forward calls from your old number to your new Tel-One Cloud PBX telephone system. Your current telephone company should be able to provide call forwarding or remote call forwarding for your existing number. If you are going to forward calls from your old number, make sure your old system can forward enough calls. If you have more than one call coming in to the old number at the same time, you want them all forwarded. This is sometimes called “multiple paths.”
What kind of telephones do I need?
What kind of call uses my Internet connection?
Most calls use your Internet connection, for example your office calling to an outside line, or an outside line calling your office.
Can I send and receive fax documents?
Yes. Tel-One new fax over IP solutions provide the security and reliability of HTTPS while preserving the easy and familiar experience of the fax machine. With the Virtual Fax, customers can now send faxes to any location while saving money on long-distance and access charges for their existing solution.
Is the Tel-One Network reliable?
Yes. Tel-One Network was built to provide unparalleled reliability, for the long run. Our cloud architecture offers:.
- High Capacity – designed to handle 100% of call traffic during peak-load conditions.
- Redundant Databases – back-up copies files of your PBX configuration and call records is always ready.
- Local Diversity – Redundant servers and facilities are provisioned in each site to provide local protection against failure.
- Geographic Diversity – redundant servers are located in multiple U.S. locations, plus Europe.
- Carrier Diversity – multiple SIP trunk providers are used to connect our customers to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
What is Packet loss?
Packet Loss occurs when the maximum capacity of bandwidth is reached and an Internet connection becomes overloaded with data or traffic. Packet loss sounds like an echo when speaking on a VoIP phone. Your hosted VoIP PBX should not allow for more than 1 or 2% of packet loss, and obviously the less the better. If you are experiencing packet loss than you should consider cutting down on tasks which overload your VoIP service.
Can I call people who have regular telephones?
Yes, you can call any number with Tel-One Cloud PBX including landlines and mobile phones.
Does Tel-One provide Internet connections?
No, Tel-One doesn’t supply Internet connectivity. The Tel-One sales team can help you find a provider if you need advice.
How do I make sure calls get priority on my network?
Can I manage my own extension?
Each user can manage their own extension with the easy to use graphical user interface (GUI.) From the GUI you can see call records, customize your call forwarding settings or manage your voicemail or voicemail settings, for example.
Can I record calls?
You can choose to record calls for an additional fee. You can record some or all calls. Recorded calls are saved as .wav files
What counts as a call?
A call is:
- talking with someone from your telephone to a phone at their office.
- talking with someone from your telephone to a phone at their home.
- talking with someone from your telephone to their cell phone.
- talking from your cell phone to a telephone in your office.
- talking from your office telephone with someone on another telephone in your office.
- keeping a caller on hold.
- checking your voicemail from a telephone which is not a Tel-One extension.
- a caller listening to your company automated attendant.
- every caller from a non-Tel-One extension which calls in to participate in a conference call.
What do I do while my telephone numbers are being moved?
We will give you temporary telephone numbers while you are waiting for your telephone numbers to move to Tel-One. While you are waiting, you can forward calls from your old telephone numbers to your temporary numbers.
What telephones can I purchase from Tel-One?
Please see the list of phones that you can purchase from Tel-One on the following page:
What features does my Tel-One office system have?
A Tel-One Cloud PBX system supplies any feature you need. Here is a partial list of the features of your Cloud PBX:
- Online Account Management
- Review Payment History
- Review Call History by Extension
- Assign and Manage Extensions
- Conference Calling
- Assign Features by Extension
- IVR Configurable Menus and Personalized Messages
- Interactive Voicemail Configuration
- Forward Voicemail to Email
- Forward Text Email messages as Voicemail
- Personalized Name Announcement
- Personalized Greeting
- Three-Way Calling
- Speed Dial
- Call Forwarding and Following
- Simultaneous Ring
- Call Waiting
- Caller ID with Name
- Call Return (*69)
- Caller ID Block (*67)
- Anonymous Call Rejection (ACR)
- Do Not Disturb (*78)
- Last Number Redial
- Local Numbers
- International Local Numbers
- 800 Numbers
- Fax via VoIP
- ATAs and SIP Phones
- Soft-Phone Compatible
What kind of Internet connection do I need?
You must have a high quality, reliable Internet connection, with enough bandwidth to support the number of lines you need.
What is a PBX?
A Private Branch Exchange (PBX) is a telephone exchange supporting a particular network of phone systems. This is opposed to a common carrier supporting many companies or residents at the same time. In most cases, the PBX is an IP-based PBX, communicating with all endpoints over IP, but it may just as well be a traditional digital or analog PBX. The sole requirement is that it is an interface that allows for the routing of calls.
What is Latency?
Latency refers the routes call data must travel over the internet and through network connections to reach your hosted VoIP service provider. When you make a call using your hosted VoIP service, that data is broken up into little packets and dispersed through certain channels of the Internet. Latency is the time between the moment a voice packet is transmitted and the moment it reaches its destination.
