Receiving Voicemail Messages

Messages as Email Attachments

Many people have commented about the new feature that allows you to receive all of your voicemail messages as an email attachment.  If this was not turned on for you and you would like the feature, call the help desk and we can fix it for you.  Similarly, if you find the feature annoying and don't want copies of your messages filling up your email inbox, let us know and we can turn it off for you.

You may also just want the email notification, but not receive that bulky WAV attachment.  We can configure your line to notify you with an email only, no attachment.  You can then still check messages on your phone after getting a notification.

Keep in mind that WAV files can take up a fair amount of space.  I recommend you delete these emails after listening to them unless there is a specific reason you need to save it.  Otherwise, you may find your Gmail inbox filling up at an alarming rate.

If you try to open the attachment in Gmail, you will get an error that it cannot be played.  You would need to download the file to your computer and listen to it in Windows Media Player, or whatever preferred audio player program you may use.

You should be able to download the files on your phone, however, you may find it takes longer to download that it would be simply to call your phone and check messages.

Checking Messages Remotely

That brings me to my next topic, accessing messages remotely.  To do this, simply call your office phone number on an outside line and press * once your voicemail message begins.  You will then be prompted for your password and can then listen to your messages.

Messages Waiting

If you have unread messages on your phone, you will have a red blinking light at the top of the phone informing you of this (although we can turn that off if you prefer).  Check messages by pressing the message button (the envelope button to the left of your number pad) and connect.  Then follow the prompts.

The default configuration is that your messages are saved both on the phone and sent to you as an email.  If you listened to your WAV file attachment, that does not affect the read status of your messages on your phone. If you prefer to receive messages only as emails and never saved to your phone, we can configure that for you, or as mentioned previously, save messages only on your phone and just receive notifications via email, or the third option of no email notifications at all.

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iTimeKeep v.2

Bellefield has recently published a new version of iTimeKeep, which is a great way to enter and manage your time in Elite.

What is iTimeKeep?

For those not using iTimeKeep, it is a time entry system licensed supported by the firm.  I would say it is alternative to Webview, but I actually recommend it over Webview.  Rest assured we will be supporting both methods for the foreseeable future.  I think iTimeKeep is superior in many ways.

For starters, you are not limited to using certain versions of Internet Explorer.  iTimeKeep supports virtually any modern web browser.  There are also free apps for your Android or IOS (iPhone & iPad) devices.

If you have not yet tried iTimeKeep, now is a great time to see if this makes your time entry easier.   You are free to go back and forth between iTimeKeep and Webview.  Using one does not prevent you from using the other.  Your iTimeKeep user name and password should be the same as you use for Gmail.

Another good reason to use iTimeKeep is that, especially for the satellite offices, it works much faster than Webview in most circumstances.

What's New with iTimeKeep v.2?

If you are already an iTimeKeep user, you may have notice some significant changes in the last couple of weeks.

The biggest change for timekeepers is that everything is much more tightly integrated with Elite. Under the old system, iTimeKeep would not let you edit, or even view, time entries made in Webview.  Now, any time entered in any way is visible in iTimeKeep and can be edited.

No more batch submissions: with iTimeKeep v.2, when you enter or edit time, it immediately updates in Elite. You don't need to go through a separate step to submit your time.  There is no longer an need to save entries as drafts, since you can continue to edit your entries even after they have been submitted.

Timers are now synchronized.  If you start a timer on your phone, you will also see it running when you view iTimeKeep on your computer.  You can seamlessly move back and forth between devices as you enter and track your time.

Real time validation of Time Entry.  If you violate a rule for a time entry, such as omitting a task code when mandatory, you will be informed immediately so you can correct the error right away.  This feature will not work until we update the back end, however.  More on that below.

Any abbreviations set up in Elite will also work on iTimeKeep.  Alas this is not true for Shortkeys, which is not available for phones or tablets.  Of course, Shortkeys on your computer will still work if entering time via iTimeKeep on that computer.

You can also track your monthly progress.  iTimeKeep will show you your month-to-date hours so you can track your progress toward monthly targets.

For those so inclined, the new iTimeKeep also support Apple Watch.

Upgrading to v.2

Your browser connection should show you the new v.2 interface already.  If you have an App on your phone or tablet, you will need to update your App.  Many of you may have this set to happen automatically, in which case you should be fine.  If you have updates set to manual, you must update your iTimeKeep App to the latest version.

Once you are upgraded, you will have most of the functionality of the new version.   There are a few features that required the IT Department to make changes to the back end.  We will be making these changes shortly. We want to give everyone time to upgrade their Apps first.  Because while the new App works fine with our existing back end, once we upgrade the back end, the older versions of the Apps will no longer function at all.

Calling Your Favorite Numbers

On the main LCD screen of your new phone, you should see  your name and extension next to the first button. If you press the button, you can get a dial tone.

You may see a few other names on your screen if you cover calls for other people.  Most likely though, you don't have names next to all 12 buttons. For empty spaces, you have the ability to add people in your group to this list for making quick one button calls to that person.

If you press and hold a button for about two seconds, you will bring up the "Add Contact" menu. Enter a person's name and phone number (number goes under "contact") and press Save.  That name will show up on your screen all the time.  Just press the number next to that name to call that person.

You also have the ability to change the ring type for calls from certain people.  This can alert you immediately from the sound of the ring when a particular person calls.

There is also an option to auto-reject or auto-divert calls from a certain number.  However, if you are using that feature, you probably are not calling that person all the time either.  There are better ways to do block a person without having that number appear on your screen.  If you need help doing that, the Help Desk can assist you.

Favorite numbers are different from call coverage numbers in that your phone will not ring for the other person's calls, and you cannot pick up their line.  A favorite is simply an easy shortcut way to call someone you call regularly.  If you need call coverage, please contact the help desk.

There is also an option to add a "busy lamp" button to your phone which will allow you to add a name to your screen, but will also show you when that person is on the line.  A "busy lamp" will only work for numbers within the firm.  They can be added through the cloud portal.  If you are not comfortable with that, the help desk can add a "busy lamp" contact to your screen for you.

Do Not Disturb: Be careful!

The new phones come equipped with a Do Not Disturb button, labelled DND.  There is also a DND button on your home screen which does the same thing.  If you enable this feature, all of your calls will go directly to voicemail.  If you have a staff member covering your calls, turning on DND will prevent the calls from ringing at that phone too.

If you don't want to be bothered by incoming ringing, but still want your secretary to answer your calls, just use the -/+ key at the bottom of your phone to turn the ringer all the way down.  This will prevent you from hearing the ring until you turn it up again.

Some people have turned on this feature inadvertently, so be careful not to do this by accident.

If you see a red "do not enter" symbol next to your name on the LCD screen, you have DND turned on. To turn it off, simply press the DND button again and the symbol next to your name because a green circle with a check mark.

Easier Ways to Call

Our new phones make it much easier to find a phone number for someone in the office, or someone we regularly call.

Calling Someone in Your Office

Say you want to call someone in your office, but don't remember their extension.  To access the office directory, click on Home (the button that looks like a house).  Then use the arrow keys to highlight "directories" and select that.  Select "Contact Directory" to see a list of all phones in your office.  Highlight the person you want to call, press "select" and you are calling them.

Calling Someone in Another Office

Only, phones in your office show up in the Contact Directory.  You may, however, search for names in other offices by using the Broadsoft Directory.  Type in a few letters of a person's first or last name, then hit "submit" to find all phones that match the name, or portion of a name, that you typed. Once you find the person you want on the list, highlight and select to call.

At present, we seem to have an issue with the Broadsoft Directory that is causing it to search only first names.  Until we get this fixed, you can click on the AdvFind button to search the last name field.

We did  have a few other glitches getting the search feature to work at all on some phones.  If you get an error about "server unavailable", please email Mike Troy so that we can get it fixed for you.

Outside Lines

Outside numbers are not in the directory, but you can view lists of all recent of missed calls, received calls, placed calls, or all calls calls by clicking on the down arrow from the main screen (just press "type" to change what type of list you are viewing).  Again, just select the number you want to call them.

The New Age of Fax

In a past blog post I discussed why I thought we needed to update our fax technology.  We are now implementing this update.

As part of our move to Vonage, we have contracted with our new phone vendor to take care of our fax needs as well.  We will be retiring all of the fax machines in all of our offices.  We simply can no longer justify the cost of maintaining the machines and the analog phone lines to support them when there are better ways to accomplish the same things.

Sending Faxes

Sending faxes can be accomplished by going to the fax2mail.com fax web site.  If your document is already in electronic format, you can probably just upload that file.  If you have paper, you will need to scan it into a PDF or one of the other acceptable formats.  Once you have your file, go to:

https://fax2mail.easylink.com/welcome.do

A copy of this link has been added to the Research Home Page.

Next, log in using the name of your office's fax account:

Philadelphia-Fax@margolisedelstein.com
Mt_Laurel-Fax@margolisedelstein.com
Pittsburgh-Fax@margolisedelstein.com
Scranton-Fax@margolisedelstein.com
Harrisburg-Fax@margolisedelstein.com
Berkeley_Heights-Fax@margolisedelstein.com
Wilmington-Fax@margolisedelstein.com
Hollidaysburg-Fax@margolisedelstein.com
Beaver-Fax@margolisedelstein.com

Contact the help desk for the password for your office.

Once logged in, click on the "Send Fax" option on the left side of the screen.  You will then be asked to fill out fields that ask for:

1. Name of the recipient
2. Company
3. Fax Address (this will almost always be the fax phone number of the recipient)
4. Subject

All of this will appear on a cover sheet if you include one.  Click on ADD to save the information in the box to the right. If you have multiple recipients, you may repeat this process as many times as necessary

Next, upload your document.  The site will accept a variety of formats, with the notable exception of WordPerfect.  I recommend using PDF.  You may also type in your name and comments below this, which will appear on the cover sheet.

When ready, click on "review and send" in the top right, then hit "ok" when prompted.  Your fax will be sent to the designated fax machines.  If there is an error or problem with delivery, you will receive a notice to that effect.

Receiving Faxes

Under the new system, any incoming faxes will be sent to you as an email attachment.  The fax numbers in all nine of our offices are being moved to Vonage's fax enterprise service, hosted by fax2mail.com.  When a fax is sent to one of the firm's fax numbers, fax2mail will convert it to a PDF file and send it as an email to a designated person or group of people for that office.  The designated office contact will receive the message in Gmail and can forward it to the correct party in that office.

Also, if you want to check on an email and the designated receipient is not available, or if you want to look up an old email, you may go to the fax2mail.com web site and look in the inbox.  Once you have found and selected your fax, you can click on "view" which will generate a PDF on your computer and allow you to download it directly to your computer.

Conclusion

This new system will allow you to more easily save faxes in your email account, or download easily to the MDIR.  It will also allow us to keep a record of faxes sent and received, as well as allow sending and receiving faxes without leaving your desk.

Setting Up And Using Your New Voicemail

When you get your new phone, one of the first things you will want to do is set up your voicemail.

To set up your voicemail, do the following:

1. Press "messages" button.  This is the button with an envelope on it to the left of your number pad..
2. The main menu screen showing the number of any messages pending.  Press the button below "connect" to continue.
3. You will first be asked to enter a password.  The default password is 5252.  
4. Next, you will be asked to change your password.  Enter your new password as instructed (twice).
5. You must then record your name, which will be used by the voice mail system.  Record your name and press # to save.  Be sure to record and save your name.  Failure to do so may result in an error message when you try to change other settings.

That's it! Voicemail is set up and ready to go.

It is also recommended that you record a full greeting message. You may choose to record one greeting while away or another for when you are busy.  You are not required to record both these, but the option is available if you wish.  If you just record the away greeting, it will be used for both instances of away and busy.

To record a new greeting, do the following:

1. Press "messages" button.  
2. Press the button below "connect" to continue.
3. Enter your password and press #
4. Per the instructions, press 1 to listen to voicemail.
5. Press "2" to record a greeting to be played when you are on the phone (a busy greeting) or press "3" to record a call when you are away from your desk.  In other words, you can have two messages, one for when you are on a call and another for when the phone just rings several times when no on can pick up.  Again, you don't have to have separate greetings, but you have the option.
6. Once you have recorded your greeting, press #.  You have the option to listen to your greeting, re-record it, or simply be finished.

When someone leaves you a voicemail, you should see a red blinking light on the top right of your phone.  This indicates you have a new unread voicemail waiting.

To access voicemail, do the following:

1. Press "messages" button.  
2. Press the button below "connect" to continue.
3. Enter your password and press #
4. Per the instructions, press 1 to listen to voicemail.
5. Per the instructions, press 1 again to listen to your messages.
6. You may save the message by pressing pound or delete by pressing 7.

There are a few advanced voicemail features that I will cover in my next blog post, including ways to be notified of voicemail messages while away from the office.  Stay tuned for more soon!

Introducing Your New VoIP Phones

New VoIP Phones

The firm is in the process of upgrading our phone system after decades of use from our existing PBX. We have decided to move to a Voice over IP (VoIP) phone system.  Essentially, that means instead of using traditional phone lines and equipment, your phones operate on the same Ethernet cable used by your computer.  Calls can go out using either the Internet or a private computer network that connects back to Vonage (formerly iCore) where it connects to the other party using whatever phone system is being used on the other end.

VoIP has been around for many years and is now the norm for most businesses.  It is more efficient, can provide better sound quality, and provides you with many more features than traditional phones. Many businesses delayed moving to VoIP because of call quality issues.  When making a call on the Internet, delays of even a fraction of a second can greatly hurt call quality.  For this reason, we have installed an internal private line to most of our offices that will ensure call quality of service back to the phone vendor's main connection.

Everyone who currently has a direct dial number will keep that number.  None of that will change. Some people within the firm do not have direct dials at present.  Under the new system, they will. Because of this, some 4 digit extensions may change to make them consistent with the direct dial numbers that we get for those people.  We will also maintain everyone's existing extension as a alternate extension.  So if you have someone's extension memorized, you will still be able to reach them using that old extension, as well as the new one.

The new phone system comes with a wide variety of features that I will address in upcoming posts over the next few weeks.  Today's post will focus on the phone itself.

All existing landline phones in the firm will be replaced by a new Polycom VVX 410 Business Media phone.  It works much like your current phone, but there will be a few changes.

Vonage has provided this Quick Start Guide, which you may fine helpful.

Making a Call:

Currently, in most offices, you must press an outside line button or dial "9" to get an outside line. That is going away.  With the new system, you dial the area code and number.  No need to dial a "1" either.  You must dial an area code, even for local calls.  Dial 10 digits, and the phone should start ringing.  If you dial a four digit extension, you must then hit the "dial" button to complete the call.

You also have the ability to assign speed dials to up to 11 numbers.  These will show up on the LCD screen on the phone.  Once configured, just press the button next to the person you wish to call and it starts ringing.

The Firm's directory is also available on the main screen.  If you do not know a number, just scroll until you find it and select that number.

Receiving a call:

No real changes  here: You can simply pick up the receiver and start talking, or press the speaker button and talk through the speaker.  There is also a button for a headset usage.  We don't expect many people to use this, but if interested, let me know.  Personally, I find the speaker works just as well as a headset.

Transferring a call:

There are three ways to transfer.

1. Consultative Transfer.  This is where you want to speak with the recipient before transferring.
1. Press the "transfer" button (button with two hand sets to the left of your number pad)
2. Dial the recipient's extension and wait for them to answer.  You may announce who is calling and ask if they want to speak to the caller.
3. If yes, just press "transfer" again and hang up.  If no, you should see a "cancel" option on your screen.  Press the button under cancel and you are speaking with the original caller again.
2. Blind Transfer: This simply transfers the call straight to the recipient without any discussion.
1. Press the transfer button
2. Press the button under "blind" on your screen.
3. Dial the recipient's extension.
4. Press transfer and hang up.
3. Transfer to Voicemail
1. Press Transfer
2. Dial *55
3. Dial the recipient's extension
4. Press # and hang up.

We have a Transfer Quick Tips Sheet, which basically spells out what I said above, that you can also review or save for future reference.

Three way calling:

When speaking with one party, you should see an option for "Confrnc" on your screen (if not, press the button under "more").  Press the button under confrnc and call the third party.  You can then speak with that party alone, then press confrnc again to join all three of you on a single call.  You cannot have more the three parties (including yourself) on a call unless you are using one of the conference room speaker phones.  However, if there are two or more people in our office on the call, each of then can conference in one other party and have everyone speak together.

Getting Help:

For a more detailed presentation of the phone's features, you may also find this PowerPoint presentation helpful.

Of course the Help Desk is always available to provide assistance.  Please keep in mind that we are still learning some of this as well, so please be patient with use. Our main focus right now is just getting everyone set up with the basics.

The other option for help is the iCore Help Desk.  Dial 611 on your new phone and you will be connected to them.  They should be able to answer your questions or help you make any changes you need.

Stay tuned for more:

I will be posting several more blog posts over the next few days that will help you with additional information on some of the other things you can do with your new phones.