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Communications convergence is creating opportunities
for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) by
allowing traditionally high-priced, big business
technologies to be positioned within reach of smaller,
often newer companies, with fewer available resources.
Combining technologies such as a PBX, call center
capabilities, e-mail server, unified messaging,
auto-attendant, voice mail, and Web contact along with
other communications necessities into one system
allows these voice and data solutions to integrate
easily with any LAN/WAN environment. Factor in the
Internet, and today's SMBs are also relieved of the
constraints placed on a business by the architecture
of its premise wiring and hardware, through the use of
remote Internet access and Web-based GUIs. This sort
of conventional system melding affords SMBs the
ability to provide big business service to both
customers and employees.
AltiGen's PBX/communications server has been the
subject of three TMC Labs product reviews (including
this one). This is not because we like to test the
AltiGen product better than any other communications
solution, but because the company has been building
these solutions for quite some time. AltiGen is making
yet another contribution to this technology niche with
AltiServ, Open Edition (OE) 4.0 and its suite of
software add-ons that claims to be "a complete and
integrated IP-business telephone system." We
configured a server running AltiGen's AltiWare 4.0 in
our testing Lab to evaluate its level of usability,
ease-of-use, some new additions, and, of course, its
performance, from the perspective of both a user and
an administrator.
INSTALLATION
The software was installed on a Compaq machine running
Windows 2000 Server/Service Pack 1, and employing a
Pentium 500 processor, 196 MB of RAM, and about a 4 GB
hard disk. System requirements will vary based on an
individual company's communication needs and
configuration, but system platforms can be built using
a standard personal computer or server hardware with
the required number of ISA and PCI expansion slots.
Platforms run on a Windows 2000 server, or Windows NT
4.0 Server with Service Pack 6a or higher.
If Web service is a consideration, it is important
to note that the AltiWeb software requires a server
running IIS. But in the spirit of providing a minimum
guideline, AltiServ recommends running no less than a
333 Mhz CPU and 128 MB of RAM for support of 1-3
Quantum/Triton boards. It's not advisable for a
business with plans for expansion to run a server with
these minimum specifications. Conversely, there are
some system limitations as well (hardware permitting):
a total of 10 Triton T1/PRI, VoIP, and resource boards
can be installed on one system, with additional
limitations on the number of the "same" board types.
Check with your local reseller.
AltiGen also has partnerships with Compaq and
Flextel SpA, which can provide additional
alternatives. Our system arrived from AltiGen with
both the hardware and software already installed and
ready to interface with the LAN. Similarly, AltiGen
has partnered with trained, authorized dealers acting
as the customer's point of contact to both make the
sale and install the proprietary hardware and server
software. As a result, a customer shouldn't have to
tinker with the software, figure out what hardware to
buy, or try to determine if their current hardware
will "cut the mustard." A qualified, authorized
reseller provides consultation, installation, setup,
and tech support. Most AltiGen customers will handle
their own administration, calling the reseller only
when additional support is needed.
Agent machines used to run the AltiView client
software must be IBM/PC AT-compatible with a minimum
processor speed of 133 MHz. Windows 95 (with DCOM 95
installed), Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, or higher
operating systems can be used. A minimum of 32 MB of
RAM, and 32 KB of free disk space are also required.
DOCUMENTATION
We received quite a few books with the product,
including the following: CDR and CDR client manuals,
AltiWare OE 4.0 "Getting Started," TAPI Gateway, and a
manual for the IP phone capability. In addition, each
software CD was accompanied with a small manual
providing quick-start instructions for installation,
which later gave way to more comprehensive
(user-orientated) support once the software was
installed (online help). A quick look at the online
help for the AltiConsole client revealed that, in
general, it is targeted for the end user. It includes
topics such as transfer rules, call park, and overhead
paging setup. The application's online help is of
similar quality to the hardcopy print, in both
presentation and depth-of-information.
AltiGen's help files are decent. They provide the
standard Contents, Find, and Index tabs, although it
would have been nice if you could return to the
original help dialog box after selecting a topic. The
only other hampering issue we encountered with the
documentation was that we weren't always able to
facilitate reference due to the absence of an index in
some of the manuals.
FEATURES
Open system architecture allows additional databases
to be added for centralized CDR records on one server
using Microsoft's SQL 7 (or 2000) and the TriVium
reporting package, which is a new feature for 4.0.
This enables system-wide call detail reporting
information in multi-site implementations. The system
can be enhanced with AltiGen's signature voice and
system boards to accommodate an expanding company.
Targeting small to medium-sized enterprises and branch
offices of up to 200 people, AltiGen offers PBX
functionality including voice mail with up to 2,000
virtual extensions, auto-attendant with up to 255
menus available, and automatic call distribution (ACD)
with work group support.
AltiServ also provides more advanced functionality
such as an integrated VoIP gateway, "follow me," or
call forwarding features, client call control,
Internet integration, and unified messaging with
support of Microsoft Exchange. Support is also
provided for multi-vendor, standards-based IP
telephones as system extensions, and TAPI. AltiServ
systems allow a company to utilize traditional
telephones, IP telephones (LAN/WAN based telephones),
or combinations of the two. AltiGen also supports
T1/PRI and IP network trunking.
New additions to OE 4.0 include tenant service,
voice mail alert when hard disk is full, and hop off
calls over T1/PRI trunks (between two AlitGen
servers). New add-on software includes AltiConsole (a
desktop attendant console), AltiView/AltiView IP
Extensions (a desktop call control and window pop-up
application), AltiAgent (a workgroup user version of
AltiView with statistical and other additional
features), AltiSupervisor (provides all AltiAgent
features plus a suite of supervisorial monitoring
features), and CDR Search (provides administrators a
means to quickly find records that meet specific
criteria).
Other new features include:
- Out call routing configuration.
- Workgroup monitoring/silent monitoring.
- Workgroup call routing.
- Workgroup barge-in (allows supervisors to
intervene on agent/customers calls).
- Voice mail distribution list.
- DNIS routing tables.
OPERATIONAL TESTING
AltiGen's AltiWare OE 4.0 is a broad and multi-layered
application. Factor in some of the add-on software and
you'll simply become inundated with more functionality
and features than you'll probably ever need to know
about. This is a differentiating factor in itself. If
your company doesn't need a certain feature set (such
as AltiWeb e-customer service) then it is not a system
requirement. Therefore, a company isn't required to
purchase it. The same holds true for all other
software add-ons. The amount of functionality each
add-on affords is staggering, and we didn't have the
time to test every facet of this system. Trying to
adhere to the basics, while also examining the new
features, was paramount to us.
We set up the system and performed the necessary
configuration to assign extensions using the Nortel
Networks AltiTouch phones. We also
inspected the Siemens HiNet 5100 IP phone and its performance. The subsequent paragraphs will
also discuss ease-of-system configuration and how it's
related to the intuitiveness of the administrative
GUI. Additionally, the usability and intuitiveness of
the different agent interfaces will also be discussed.
Administrator
The system configuration is noticeably simple in
presentation, with everything to configure the system
basics built into the multi-tab dialog box. Once the
AltiGen product is put on the LAN and tied into
existing premise wiring (or whatever your premise
scenario happens to be), the system is configured
right from the admin GUI. Adding extensions, DNIS,
change or add log out reasons for agents, creating new
or removing tenants, and more can all be customized
within a few clicks. We assigned an IP address,
connected the amphenol cable, and connected three
phones to the analog ports, being sure to check the
admin GUI to verify port assignment. Then we just
connected the trunks. There is no need to use Telnet
or Hyperterminal to put the server on the LAN if you've
got a DHCP server.
After keying in a few passwords we looked at the
administrative GUI. The general tab on the extension
configuration dialog box defines personal information
such as names and passwords, extension type, and mail
forwarding options. The nice thing about the
definition and configuration of users, their
extensions, and privileges (or lack thereof), is the
availability to individually tailor each user. That
is, they don't have to be assigned to a class of
service (COS), which can be limiting in that it groups
functions together as a package. For example, 20 hours
of voice mail, restricted outbound calling, and no
dynamic IP addressing (preventing the use of logging
through the company's server to make free calls) could
comprise basic user functionality. An AltiGen
administrator can afford any user any combination of
features and functionality. All told, it took us a few
hours to get the system up and running, get the
extensions configured and users defined, and to
experiment with some of the VoIP functionality. We
also particularly liked the new feature for this
release called Out Call Routing Configuration, which
seemed best suited for use in conjunction with tenant
tables. Departments can be assigned specific trunks to
more easily define billing and departmental
communication overhead.
Client
AltiGen furnishes several variants to the client or
end user type of application which are available from
Center, an optional software package that runs with
AltiWare 4.0. Desktop User, Workgroup Agent, and
Workgroup Supervisor comprise the different
parts of Center. Logging in as a Desktop User gives
the user a more robust interface than simply using the
auto-attendant menus to configure phone options, as
with many standard phone systems. In addition to
allowing the user to choose various configuration
options such as call handling and message
notification, a call history is also available
denoting dates, times, extensions, and names of past
callers. Clicking on the extension in the call history
will dial the user. It is both an alternative and a
complement to the AltiTouch phone, which we understand
will be getting additional desktop functionality in
the form of future script upgrades.
Logging in as a Workgroup Agent allows a user to
monitor workgroup statistics and call pickup
information as well as member login activity from a
user's desktop. AltiAgent affords the workgroup agents
similar functionality to that of Desktop User, in that
they still have the capability to transfer,
conference, and route calls to the attendant if need
be. Additionally, as part of a workgroup, queue
statistics are displayed to aid agents in making
decisions about call handling and break times as well
as other workgroup statistics. Two new administrative
features that affect the Workgroup Agent are flexible
Wrap Up Times and InterCall Delays, which are used to
set delays, or blocks of time (say 45 seconds) between
an agent's incoming calls. This allows agents to
record notes or enter any new CRM information they may
have collected. Further, if more time is needed,
agents can click the wait button to go back into Wrap
Up mode, attaining some additional time to complete
certain tasks and not compromise a customer's
experience.
Supervising agents have access to all queues for
which they have passwords. The supervisorial GUI is
much more robust, statistically speaking, providing
supervising agents with all the information needed to
examine an individual agent's performance, and the
entire workgroup performance, including averaging
factors such as wait time, talk time, and how many
calls answered, abandoned, or transferred to voice
mail. Each view, separated by the tabs Agent State,
Agent Statistics, Group Statistics, and Queue, can be
exported to a comma separated values file (.csv). We
opened several exported files in Excel, and they
exported flawlessly.
Working Remotely
Users are able to receive calls made to their business
extensions at locations other than the office using
call forwarding and the PSTN, or VoIP via the IP
extension feature and NetMeeting. We focused our
efforts on testing one of the new, key features of
AltiWare OE 4.0: IP extensions. Once the
administration configures the gatekeeper, users can
log into the auto-attendant and enable their IP
extension from anywhere. We initially encountered a
small degree of trouble when trying to configure the
NetMeeting client with the server's gateway, but that
was our fault. In an attempt to utilize NetMeeting's
advanced calling features in conjunction with a
default gatekeeper setting, we assumed it was
necessary to enter the gatekeeper IP and an extension
and that would do the trick. This was not the case. In
our experience, while using NetMeeting in conjunction
with a gatekeeper, this is the typical procedure.
However, with AltiGen, all that's really necessary is
to know the server's IP address. Simply type in the IP
address and click the Place Call button. The pound key
will access the correct menus, allowing users to
enable their IP extensions. That's it. Once enabled,
all calls that attempt to reach the user's extension
will be packetized and sent to their NetMeeting IP
address. There are several administration features
that must be configured correctly to allow this to
happen, depending on the agent's work environment and
habits (namely, setting the IP preferences of each
user to static or dynamic).
If users are afforded the "telecommuting privilege,"
and have a dial-up at home, then they'll need the
administrator to enable the dynamic IP address option.
AltiGen identifies the incoming address, and if
passwords and menu options are chosen with accuracy,
then the IP address becomes the agent's extension if
they've got a physical extension assigned. All calls
made to that extension will ring the NetMeeting
client. We tested this feature often, and it worked
every time without a problem. The voice quality seemed
to be good as well.
The administrator's view indicates very clearly
whether the users are working from their extensions or
the location column of the Extension dialog box. When
the IP address is displayed, the agent is able to
receive and make calls (if permitted) from his or her
extension. Not to worry though, there is an entire tab
(aptly called "Restrictions") dedicated to outgoing
call restrictions, so losing sleep over employees
using the AltiGen as their personal toll-free gateway
shouldn't be a factor. The IP extension functionality
does not quite mirror an analog extension though.
Several features aren't supported: hands-free intercom
mode (answering calls without picking up a handset),
hands-free manual answer mode, and distinctive ring.
Siemens HiNet LP5100 IP Phone
AltiGen is also offering a hardware solution to the IP
extension, the HiNet LP5100 is a stand-alone device
that does not require a PC. Other IP solutions from
AltiGen include the Quicknet PhoneJack and PhoneCard
with InterenetSwitchBoard software, and of course the
previously discussed NetMeeting integration, which was
also tested in conjunction with the AltiView software
with favorable results.
It should also be mentioned that the AltiView
interface provides a much more robust interface than
NetMeeting alone. The stand-alone HiNet is offered as
an option with the AltiGen communication system, but
must be ordered from Ingram Micro and TechData --
local resellers will be able to provide additional
information. The phone can be configured to behave
like a traditional PSTN telephone, yet dually
possesses the ability to dial an IP address. The HiNet
is H.323-compatible and requires a 10 Base T Ethernet
connection. The phone can also be configured to accept
a DHCP address, though AltiGen recommends using a
static IP address for the phone, as dynamically
assigning addresses becomes confusing. If a user
forgets to log out of their IP extension and power to
the device or data connectivity is lost, then a DHCP
server could reassign that IP address to another user
requesting an address. As a result, calls can be
missed. Lastly, the IP address of the phone can be
typed into a browser and the phone's menu can be
accessed via a browser-based GUI (with the correct
password) to change settings remotely.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Although AltiGen is a veteran IP-PBX product designer,
and they claim to have acquired 40 percent of the SMB
market share, we found several things that we'd have
done a little differently, given the chance. There are
several different ways of viewing proprietary hardware
issues, namely system boards in AltiGen's case, when
looking at converged PBX solutions. Our view has
predominantly been the same on this issue, but there
are reasons why companies choose to design their own
hardware when engineering a product.
Still, the fact cannot be dismissed that with
proprietary hardware, if the company goes, eventually
the system must go. Getting parts to expand a system
or replace a defective/worn-out board when the
manufacturer is no longer in business isn't easy. And
much more likely, it isn't going to happen. This
scenario all but eliminates the chance that customers
will get a good return on their investment.
Hopefully that won't be the case in any situation,
but under these unpredictable economic times, it can
certainly be a reality. We're not implying this could
happen with AltiGen. Still, it would have given us a
greater level of comfort if AltiGen's system worked in
conjunction with other major telephony voice boards in
addition to their own.
By today's standards, ACDs and workgroups are
requirements in any customer service scenario. AltiGen's
feature set supports both. Calls can accumulate in
queues on a company, departmental, or individual
level, depending on how the system is configured. When
the calls accumulate in either queue, music on hold is
available to which the customer can remain idle and
listen, or choose to exit the queue and follow a
variety of other avenues defined by the administrator.
The problem is that callers aren't given any
information to help them decide whether they should
stay in queue or step out and try another course of
action. That is, the "on hold" or queue message can be
customized, but it doesn't keep track of the caller's
place in the queue or give an estimate of how long
they'll continue to hold for the next available, or a
particular, agent. Instead (if a customer holds long
enough), they'll hear the information and greeting
repeat with no way to determine how long until they'll
be accommodated. We'd like to see this feature in a
future release.
CONCLUSION
AltiGen provides a system that is easy to manage,
configure, and use. The administrator and user GUIs
are excellent, combining intuitiveness and usability
that made this system a pleasure to set up,
reconfigure, and test. The documentation supports the
product, and like the GUI's is presented in a manner
that's both logical and easily understandable. Using
the H.323 protocol and integration with NetMeeting
provide an economical resource for one of AltiGen's
flagship features in this release of AltiWare OE 4.0:
IP extensions. This affords SMBs the option of
examining the VoIP capability without purchasing
costly proprietary hardware. On that note though,
referencing the Room For Improvement section of this
article reveals that AltiGen does use proprietary
resource and voice boards. Nevertheless, the system's
seemingly endless amount of features, ease of use,
multiple types of end user interfaces, and offering of
cost-saving new IP extensions interoperable with
optional hardware make it an obvious recipient of an
Editors' Choice award.
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