September 2014 - AllworxInstalls

What’s the difference between the Allworx 9212 and 9212L IP Phones?

A common question we face from Allworx users is “What’s the difference between the Allworx 9212 and 9212L”. This is a great question since the two phones look very similar, so allow me to explain.

The volume control buttons are different…

If you were to look at both the 9212 and 9212L phones side by side, you would notice that the volume control buttons are a bit different. This is a quick and easy way to distinguish between the two phones without powering them on, or turning them over to look at the part number.

The two major differences…

The two major differences between the Allworx 9212 and 9212L phones are that the 9212L has a backlit display and requires a software version of 7.3 or higher. Other than that, both phones are virtually the same. They are both PoE and feature 12 program buttons, speakerphone, Ethernet switch, handset port, and the list goes on.

Overview…

The point of this post is to point out the differences, or lack thereof, and to clarify that the 9212 is still a quality phone. I will admit, the backlit display is a major selling point for me since reading the screen gets difficult in a dark office however it’s not a necessity. As for the software version, this will pretty much dictate which phone you buy for your office.

Adding a New User to Your Allworx Phone System

If you’re looking to add a new employee to your Allworx phone system, you might have many questions about how to do so. Before you pay hundreds of dollars to have a phone technician come out for a simple task, try following our guide to adding users to your system:

The method we will use for configuring Allworx users is through the Web GUI, the interactive webpage of your Allworx phone system. By default, the IP address of the admin login is: 192.168.2.254:8080. The default password for an Allworx phone system is admin. If either of these values have changed you’ll need to use your provided details.

Once you have logged in, you’ll want to use the navigation menu on the left to go to Business > Users. Once you are at the correct users page, you’ll want to select add new user. This is located just above the search bar on the page.

Identification and Phone Assignment

The most important parts, and only parts required to make your new phone operate, are the first two sections: Identification and Phone Assignment. Fill out the user’s information including desired login name and password. We generally recommend using the next available extension when selecting the primary extension. For phone assignment, you’ll want to match the MAC address of the phone you’re setting up with the drop-down list provided.

System Features

For System Features, the configuration becomes a bit trickier. If the user should have Voicemail, you’ll want to make sure this feature is enabled. The default settings for voicemail works fine unless your company has changed to use different settings. If using Call Assistant you’ll want to make sure recording calls is allowed.

Hot Desking

Hot Desking is enabling a user to log into a phone they do not normally use and make it behave as if it was theirs. The Caller ID Name and Number are what should appear when this user makes a call not from their normal Allworx IP phone.

Auto Attendant

If your company uses Auto Attendant, you’ll want to make sure the phone can be reached by a dial-by-name directory. This setting should be disabled for executives who do not wish to receive phone calls from the public.

These are all the basic settings to configure a new user. New users can easily be configured without costing your company time or money. To find out how to program the new user’s phone, please check out Programming Line Keys for an Allworx 9224.

Creating a Call Queue For an Allworx 24X

The Allworx 24X phone system is capable of supporting call queues for extensions that are busy. To use call queues with the Allworx system, you’ll need to have the Automatic Call Distribution feature key installed on your system. Contact your Allworx dealer for this feature.

Assuming you have installed the feature key, you can set up call queues by logging into your admin portal at 192.168.2.254:8080. Once logged in, go to Phone System > Call Queue in the navigation menu. You’ll want to select modify of the queue that you are editing.

If this is your first time editing a queue, select Queue 0 and click modify. You’ll end up on a Call Queue page. The page has several settings you can use to set up the queue.

The first setting you’ll want to change is the description of the queue. Give it a name that is descriptive and tells you what it is. In our example, we’ll call it ‘Tech Support.’ Next, choose the distribution mode of the calls and how they should go to the phones that are part of the queue. There are four options: all ring, fairness – longest idle, linear idle, and sequential round robin. Each is explained below.

Four Call Queue Ring Options

All Ring: All phones assigned to the queue will ring when the call comes in
Fairness – longest idle: The user whose phone has not been used in the longest time will receive the call.
Linear Priority: The phones will ring in a specified order of priority. The phones will ring in the same pattern every time.
Sequential Round Robin: The queue will rotate through the list of phones to ring, with a different phone ringing first each time.

Pick the distribution mode that best suits your company’s needs. You’ll want to skip relay status message if you’re new to Allworx. You can change the maximum wait time allowed, but 1800 is generally considered an acceptable number. For those with long wait times, consider changing this value to ‘0’ which is indefinite.

You can choose to have queue prompts play or just have a ring back tone played to the caller. Alarm systems are built into the phones that alert users to too many calls being in the queue. Users can specify the alarm to go off anywhere between 1 and 16 callers. Both an amber and red alarm can be configured in this way. Alarms can also be configured by wait time.

Those with music on hold (MOH) can select what source to play the music from, or simply play no music. Maximum rings sets how many times an agent’s phone should ring before being removed from the queue. The next settings should be left by new users first creating a call queue. Changing these defaults might result in a call being left in limbo by the phone system.

The last settings have to do with callers wishing to leave the queue. If you already have your default auto attendant set up, you can leave these as the default option 400. Alternatively, you can have a call transfer to an operator, a voicemail, extension, another call queue, or even hang the call up!

Following these instructions, you should now have a call queue set up on your Allworx phone system! As with other parts of Allworx configuration, the system is easy to understand and set up yourself.

How to Create Ring Groups and Linear Hunt Groups for Allworx Systems

Ring Groups and Linear Hunt Groups are two common methods phone system managers use to direct call traffic to the appropriate parties. These groups help to determine whom the caller should reach when a number is dialed.

Ring Groups

Ring Groups allow multiple phones to ring at the same time. This is useful when you have a sales staff that should all have access to a call or in a retail environment where assistants might be in different areas but need to take a call throughout the store.

To create a ring group, you’ll want to go to Phone System > Extensions. From there you’ll select Add new Extension located directly above the search function. You’ll see a menu allowing you to choose the extension number, a description, and the schedule. Choose the system extension you’ll want to have people dial into or select from an auto attendant prompt to reach the ring group. Write a description to help remind you of what the group is. In our example we selected ring group, but you might want to choose something more descriptive like Sales.

The Call Route section is where you’ll configure which phones ring and for how long. You’ll need to select add a connection attempt. Select the phone you wish to ring and for how long. To add more users to the ring group, select add a destination. This will open up a second dropdown menu where you can add a second user to ring. Once you’ve added all the users desired, you’ll want to select what to do in the event no one answers. You can hang up, transfer the call to an attendant, the operator, an outside line, or to voicemail.

Linear Hunt Groups

Linear Hunt Groups work by ringing one extension at a time until the call is answered. This is useful in cases where someone is ringing an executive, but they are not available. The call will next go to an assistant who can answer. Alternatively, it can be used to send customers to a general sales queue if a specific salesperson does not answer.

To create a linear hunt group, you’ll want to go to Phone System > Extensions. From there you’ll select Add new Extension located directly above the search function. You’ll see a menu allowing you to choose the extension number, a description, and the schedule. Choose the system extension you’ll want to have people dial into or select from an auto attendant prompt to reach the hunt group. Write a description to help remind you of what the group is. In our example we selected linear hunt, but you might want to choose something more descriptive like IT Admin.

The Call Route section is where you’ll configure which phones ring and for how long. You’ll need to select add a connection attempt. Select the phone you wish to ring and for how long. To add a users to dial next, select add another connection attempt. This will open up a second dropdown menu where you can add a second user to ring if the first does not answer. Once you’ve added all the connection attempts desired, you’ll want to select what to do in the event no one answers. You can hang up, transfer the call to an attendant, the operator, an outside line, or to voicemail.

Ring groups and linear hunt groups can also be combined together with Allworx Phone Systems. You could have a situation where a phone call would first ring a whole team (Engineering), and then forward it to an operator if there was no answer after a certain amount of time. That would be a common example of combining Hunt and Ring groups.