A: The PBX telephone service is nearing the end of the current system, supportable life. The campus is upgrading to a network-based phone service also known as VoIP. Choosing this type of service provides TU with additional features not currently available on our PBX phone service and sets the stage for a future where voice communication, video communication, email and other messaging are all integrated.
Q 2: What new features will I see on my new phone?
A: Some of the new features that users will benefit from include:
Conference calling up to six callers (on or off campus).
Visually scroll through a list of your missed, received and placed calls.
Look up Towson phone book entries on phone display and initiate the call.
Phone number (and name if available) of incoming calls are displayed on screen while you are taking another call.
Switching between calls and even merging the calls into one conversation is made easy through options listed on the phone’s display.
Receive voice mail in your email in box.
Easy integration with headsets.
Easily set custom ringtones and TU provided display background images.
Setup speed dial and other user preferences more efficiently by using a web based account page.
Step by step help available for many phone features accessed easily by using the “?” help button on the face of the phone.
Q 3: How are 911 calls handled on the new phone system?
A: The location of the phone set on your desk is included in a record on the phone server, which is available to E-911 services on and off campus. It is critical that you do not move your phone to another room yourself. This will mislead emergency responders as they attempt to locate the emergency. Call OTS Telecom Help Desk and request that your phone be moved for you. The OTS team will reassign your phone to the new room number at the same time you are moving your phone set.
Q 4: How soon will my phone be upgraded? A: The desk phone rollout is currently underway and is expected to be complete before February 2012. After the desk phone rollout is completed, call centers that manage their calls queues using ACD call management software will be migrated. At the end of the project all phone sets and users on campus will be on the new service.
Q 5: Is this phone easy to use?
A: Making and receiving calls on the new phone set are as easy as they are on the current phones at TU. There are a few features for which you might need to keep a help sheet handy until you get used to them.
Q 6: Can I move my phone within the room or to another room?
A: The phone that will sit on your desk is directly associated with its current room number. It is critical that you call the OTS Telecom Help Desk when you need your phone moved to another room. E-911 records need to be updated by the Telecom engineers as the phone is moved.
Q 7: Can I change the cables currently connected to my new phone?
A: Please do not change the phone’s cord connections as upcoming features depend on the phones being connected to both the wall and your computer to use these new features. If you need longer cables, please contact the OTS Telecom Help Desk at 410-704-5151.
Q 8: Will my current saved voice mail messages, outgoing announcements and speed dial settings be moved to the new system?
A: No, you will need to make note of voice mails currently available in your account. During training you will learn about setting outgoing messages and personal speed dials on the new phone system.
Q 8: How will I receive voice mails with the new phone system?
A: The voice mail system is one of the more significant feature upgrades. The phone set will still light when you have a message and you will be able to check your voice mail from your phone set. In addition, your messages will appear in your TU email as an attached audio recording. Listen to the voice mail either on your phone or through your computer. The voice mail in your email and on the phone system will be synchronized, so deleting it in one location will automatically delete it from the other.
Q 9: Will the line behaviors be moved to the new phone?
A: OTS Telecom Help Desk will work with the installer to provide a description of the phone behaviors you have in place in your department. Your department head will meet with a member of the rollout team to talk through the phone’s current behaviors and review how they would look and work on the new phone sets. The goal is to transfer behaviors you need to the new phone sets, though the features may be supported in a different way in the new system.
Q 10: The phone screens are sometimes not lit, what does this mean?
A: This means that the phone display is asleep to conserve power and extend the life of the display. When your phone is in sleep mode you can touch the lit button on the face of the phone or pick up the handset to bring the display to life. The display will not go to sleep between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Q 11: Will my phone work if there is a network disruption?
A: The phone system is engineered to work during many types of campus network disruptions. Only a full network outage on campus or in your building, planned maintenance or long power outages will prevent the phones from working. The phones connect to traditional phone provider lines as calls exit campus so problems with the Internet outside Towson’s campus will not impact your ability to make phone calls.
Q 12: Will my phone work if there is a power outage in the building?
A: The phone system has been engineered to keep the phones operational for about 30 minutes after a blackout in your building. This is equivalent to the required time that we are allowed to remain in a building that does not have power. Some buildings are currently undergoing battery backup upgrades, so initial performance on this issue may vary.
Q 13: Do I have to upgrade or can I opt-out and keep my current phone?
A: This project is a full transition of all phone sets and back end support systems. All campus phones will be upgraded during the course of this project.
Q 14: How will this project affect our department fax machine, conference phones and other phone line connected technologies?
A: We will need to work with your department during the transition to find equivalent hardware or functionality that is possible with the new phone system.
Q 15: I want to buy a headset for the new phone. What do I need to know?
A: The following headsets and adapters are endorsed by OTS Telecommunications for use with the TU Cisco phone sets.
Over the head/binaural/noise cancelling
Supra Binaural NC
Model HW261N
Part # 64339-31
http://www.plantronics.com/us/product/supraplus-wideband?skuId=sku4780014
Q 16: When I call between two of the new phones on campus the call voice quality is much better than when I call older on-campus phones or off -campus phones. Why is this?
A: The new phones are able to create a higher voice quality phone conversation by using a newer voice protocol (G.755). Conversations with other phones may seem comparatively low in quality, but the calls will be no lower in quality then we see on our current PBX phone system.
Q 17: Who should I call for phone help after my new phone set is installed?
A: Please call the OTS Telecom Help Desk with your questions before, during and after this upgrade. Their number is 410-704-5151, menu option 1.
Q 18: I have a good question for this FAQ, where can I send it?
A: Send your suggestion for a new phone FAQ question to mwynd@towson.edu. Thanks!
Q18: How do I forward a caller directly to another extensions voice mail?
A: While on a call, press the Transfer softkey. Enter a * followed by the recipients extension (ex: *43768). Press the Transfer soft key again. The caller will then be forwarded directly to the extensions voice mail.
Q19: Does it matter which port on the back of the phone the network cable is plugged into?
A: Yes, the ports are specific to each connection. The photo of the back of a Cisco VoIP phone below includes a description of each port's purpose.
Q20: What will happen to the analog phone lines. We use the analog lines as a backup for our credit card processing. Will this be effected?
A: Analog lines will be migrated over to the new system as well. There will be a momentary disconnect as it moves from the old system to new, but other than that it should work just fine.
Q21: Will the new phones have the call FWD DNA feature? Currently, due to the nature of my job, I am not at my desk much of the day and my phone is forwarded to my cell.
A: The phones have "Call Forward" "Do not answer" in addition to several new features that were not available on the PBX phones.
Q22: Where can I get a longer cord that connects my handset to the phone's base?
A: If you would like a longer cord please take the one from your PBX phone before it is taken from your office. It is longer then the one delivered with your new phone.
Q23: On our old phones, if I called someone and their voice mail message began, I had the option of dialing ‘1’ and it would bypass the rest of their message and allow me to begin leaving my message. Is there an feature similar to this on the new phones?
A: Pressing the "#" key while listening to someone's outgoing announcement will skip the recording.
Q24: Is there a way to more securely hang-up the handset on the new phones? Mine sometimes gets bumped and I don't notice that it is off the hook.
A: Your handset can sit a little more securely in its cradle by flipping the handset clip to the wall mount (a.k.a. reverse) position. When the clip is in the wall mount position you will need to raise the handset slightly when removing it from the cradle.
Q24: How can I use my call history to return an off campus call? I get a "Your call cannot be completed as dialed" message when I hit the "Dial" soft button.
A: When using the missed call directory to dial an “off-campus” phone number:
Press the "directories" button on your phone.
Select the external phone number from your "Missed Calls" or
Received Calls" list.
Select the "EditDial" soft button
Press "9" to insert that number before listed phone number.
Press the "Dial" soft button.
Q25: How do I update my name or phone number if it appears incorrectly in the Directories>TU Phonebook listing on the phone set interface?
A: The "TU Phonebook" option available by hitting the "Directories" button on TU Cisco phones receives its information from the Web based TU phone book (found on the TU website). This information can be updated by the TU phone coordinator in your department.
Q26: I received my new phone a while ago but the old phone is still on my desk. What should I do with it?
A: Most PBX phones should be picked up within two weeks after your new phone is activiated. If your old PBX phone has not been picked up after that time please email jmonroe@towson.edu. Include your name, phone number, building, room number and the request to pickup your old phone.
8000 York Road | Towson, MD 21252 | 410-704-2000
