Ok,
I have looked and looked and seen no documentation on how to do this, or if it is even possible with a Comdial FXII.
I would like to setup an Asterisk phone system with the primary responsibility being that of a voice mail server and call center/call queuing.
How would I begin this process? I have 3 PRI’s only 2 being used right now. So I have an extra PRI that I can sequester for this project.
Do I need a Digi T1 card if all I am trying to do is VM and queuing?
What do think my steps are going to be?
I know this sounds vague, I am trying to learn as I am going.
Assuming you can get asterisk and the Comdial to talk to each other over the T1, shouldn’t be difficult if you set it up correctly. I think the trick will be programming your comdial to send the calls over your free PRI to the asterisk box.
You might look at Freepbx - they have an easy system for call queuing and caller management.
You will need to program your Comdial to accept phone calls and to forward all calls into the asterisk box. You will also need extension(s) to be programmed for the voicemail.
At the asterisk box, the system will accept the phone calls based on the DID, extension coming in from the Comdial. Based on the extension/DID, the system will either queue it or pass it to the voicemail extension.
If it gets queued, it needs a way to get back to the PBX and the person it needs to ring.
Personally, you might want to look at replacing the whole system. You might be able to get it to work, but it all depends on the capabilities and programming of the Comdial and you might need an expert for that.
Brad
Brad,
This is the type of info I am looking for, I don’t know if what I am doing is possible, I can’t believe it’s not … I just need to get all the steps drawn out. Doing a total phone system with new phones upgrade isn’t going to happen at my company. I need a “migration path” where the cost is kept to a minimum initial investment until we prove the viability.
As you say it should be possible. Far weirder things have happened.
We had a Multitech VOIP attached to 4 analog lines on our Comdial a while ago for VOIP services between locations. So we had a chance to get our feet wet.
Essentially, I see all phone calls going into the Comdial, forwarding into the Asterisk box - have to be careful here as the port only has 23/24 channels available and each call can chew up 2 channels - one coming in and the other forwarding back to the desk they are calling. So effectively you could limit yourself to 12 incoming calls maxed…
Once in the asterisk box, you can choose to call back out to the comdial to reach an extension or just plug them into voicemail if the line does not answer.
There might be difficult with the users knowing if they have voicemail or not. Not sure how you would implement a light on the phone or an indicaition unless you used email as a solution.