Available as part of CallPort, 8el’s IP-Centrex VoIP platform, Presence is the latest in a line of developments from 8el that are designed to give business users the functionality they are used to with PBXs and as in this case, often improve on what traditional phone systems offer.
Says 8el Managing Director Justin Hamilton-Martin, “Presence gives us another edge in the VoIP market, by giving our customers the sophisticated but easy-to-use call management tools that they need in today’s business world. We believe there is nothing as comprehensive as our Presence feature on the IP Centrex market today.”
The principle behind Presence is simple. Each user is assigned a status on the 8el CallPort platform with the information visible via the Operator Console, a Windows-based user interface. When an incoming call is received, the switchboard operator can view the call recipient’s status at a glance and deal with the request accordingly. To transfer the call, the switchboard operator simply has to ‘drag and drop’ the call – which appears as an icon on the screen – to the appropriate destination.
Each user status is continually available to view, ensuring the operator does not waste time trying to put the call through to an unavailable user and has the option instead to transfer directly through to a mobile or an available colleague, reducing caller waiting time or the inconvenience of calling back. Other benefits for customers include the ability to handle calls rapidly - an important issue not just in large organisations where there are lots of users, but also in smaller firms where there is not a dedicated switchboard operator and instead call handling is a shared task between different employees.