Tips for everyone

• How to find a local telecommunications contractor.

• How to protect your cordless phone, answering machine or multi-line business phone system from electrical damage.

• How NOT to clean a phone.

• Where to get replacement paper and plastic lenses.

Multi-line business phone systems

• Basics of business telephone systems

• How to avoid the #1 business telephone nightmare.

• How to shop for a new multi-line phone system.

• How to save money by doing some troubleshooting on your own.

• How to get the most out of your phone system.

Cordless telephones

• Static: Is is my cordless handset or my base station?

Answering machines

• How to avoid the #1 source of answering machine heartache.

1. How to avoid the #1 business telephone nightmare

If you're responsible for your company's business phone system --- but you're not self reliant when it comes to maintenance --- be sure you have a local telecommunications contractor lined up now to help you if your system crashes.

Most business phone systems are well built and last a long time... and this actually creates a problem. Over the years, you lose track of the guy who sold it to you and installed it. Then, when your system starts to act up (if you're lucky enough to get fair warning) or it just dies (what usually happens) and you go to call him for help, there's a good chance you'll learn that he's out of business, or he sold his company to someone else who no longer handles your brand, or the new owner makes you uncomfortable, charges too much, etc.

You don't want to be shopping for a telephone contractor when your system is down! Be sure you have someone lined up TODAY. We can sell you whatever component you need, but you need a local pro to help you figure out what component you need, install it, and do the programming to bring your system back to life.

If you use a traditional multi-line phone system in your business and you maintain it yourself, we strongly recommend that you keep a "crash kit" on hand --- essential cards that you can replace if the ones in operation go bad.

If you use a cordless telephone system in your business, we strongly recommend that you have an extra base station on hand as a back up. If your current base station goes down, your phone system is dead in the water until you replace or repair it.  Back to top.

2. How to find a local telecommunications contractor

Look in your local yellow pages under "telephone installation", "telephone sales" or "telephone repair". You could also try "telecommunications".

If you own a multi-line business phone system, scan the ads looking for contractors who mention that they handle the brand/manufacturer of your phone system. As a rule, you do not need to hook up with an authorized dealer/distributor of your brand. The telecommunications industry is highly fragmented and there are many independent contractors who are qualified to assist you. Extra tips:

• Be sure you're looking for the name of the manufacturer, not just the name of the system. For example, you may have a Starplus phone system --- after all, that's what's emblazoned on your phones. But Starplus is made by Vodavi, so you'll want to keep your eyes peeled for the name Vodavi as well as Starplus. Some contractors may list Starplus but not Vodavi in their yellow page ads, others may list Vodavi but not Starplus
   

• AT&T also goes by the names Lucent and Avaya.
   

• Inter-tel --- if you're having trouble finding someone, check out guys who handle Executone or Premier.
   

• Nortel and Meridian are big brands of Northern Telecom.
   

• Prostar is a brand of Samsung.
   

• Teleco is actually a brand of Toshiba.
   

• TIE also goes by the name Nitsuko --- and if you're having trouble finding someone, check out guys who handle NEC.

Note: there is NO correlation between the size of the ad and the size/experience of the company.

After identifying some reasonable looking candidates, check out their websites, on-line reviews, Better Business Bureau, etc.

Finally, give them a call. See how they answer the phone, how they treat you, etc. Common sense stuff.  Back to top.

At the very least, be sure to use a surge protector to defend your equipment against electrical surges through the power lines, just like you should be doing for your computer. Plug the surge protector into the electrical wall outlet, and then plug your control unit or cordless phone or answering machine into the surge protector. This should take care of electrical spikes coming through the power lines.

Note that as control units get older, they also become susceptible to drops in electrical power as well as spikes. A surge protector won't take care of this problem, but a battery back up (BBU), also called a uninterruptible power source (UPS), will. Use it instead of, not in addition to, a surge protector. You can get one for well under $100.00. It will make sure the power going to your control unit is clean and steady.

There's one more source of unwanted power surges: lightning traveling through the telephone lines. Fortunately, most surge protectors include phone jacks for this kind of protection: plug a line cord between the phone wall outlet and the "incoming" phone jack on the surge protector. Then put another line cord from the "outgoing" phone jack on the surge protector to your cordless phone or answering machine. Unfortunately, this won't work for a multi-line business phone system with a control unit. For this, you'll need to have your contractor install a "co line" surge protector. While not fail safe, it's a good form of insurance against spikes. Back to top.

We get at least one phone call a week that goes like this: "I have a digital answering machine (or cordless telephone with answering system) and I lost all my messages (pushed the wrong button, had a thunderstorm, had a power outage). Please help me get them back!" Sadly, the messages usually have sentimental value... a spouse who has passed away, a grandchild who has grown up...

Unfortunately, digital messages on telephonic devices are stored on a micro-chip, and once they're gone, they're gone. It's not like a computer, where the data is can be retrieved from the hard drive.

If you have really valuable messages on your digital answering machine or cordless system, buy or borrow a tape recorder and back them up on a cassette tape. Back to top.

5. How to shop for a new multi-line phone system.

If you currently have a phone system in place, keep it maintained even if you intend to eventually buy a replacement system. Don't try to save money by not maintaining it --- otherwise you'll be up against the wall if it crashes and you'll have to make a hasty purchase decision.

Popularity varies by geographical area, but the heavy hitters we see nationally are: AT&T/Lucent/Avaya, Comdial, Executone, Mitel, NEC, Northern Telecom, Panasonic, Samsung and Vodavi.

However, in our opinion, most brands of business phones are good and reliable. So, when it comes to getting a new phone system, the two most important factors are (1) the quality of the phone contractor who is going to sell you and install your new system and, more important, (2) the popularity/market of the brand phone in your area. You don’t want to hook up with a terrific contractor who gives you a terrific deal on a brand that no one else handles in your area. If for some reason that contractor is no longer around in a few years and there’s no one in your area that handles your brand, you’ll be in a tough spot if you need help. If you get a killer offer on a brand that no one else lists in their yellow page ad, pass.

When you get quotes from contractors, ask for three packages from each of them: their good, better and best. And make sure they know your current system isn’t down (so you’re not desperate) and that you’re taking bids from other contractors… keeps them competitive.    Back to top

6. How to save money by doing some troubleshooting on your own.

If you have a medium to large system, you should keep a phone log/trouble sheet, noting complaints, malfunctions, dates and times. This will help you spot trends and it will allow you to provide accurate, complete observations about a defective piece of equipment when you decide to have it repaired.

However, before calling your telephone technician or sending your phone in for repair, you can possibly save money and downtime by doing your own preliminary troubleshooting. By doing a simple process of elimination, you can determine, for example, whether the culprit is a defective KSU or the phone or just a bad $1.50 line cord that needs to be replaced.

 Step #1      Make sure that the line cord and the handset cord are completely plugged in. With use they may get loose or pulled out just enough to loose contact. Logically, a bad cord could still be the problem, but at least you know that it’s properly seated in the jack.

Step #2      Now you need to determine whether or not the problem is with the phone itself (it could be the KSU or the line running from the KSU to the modular jack). Take a known good phone and line cord and plug it into the bad phone’s wall jack. If the known good phone works, then you know that the suspected bad phone is indeed bad; go to step #3. But if the known good phone doesn’t work, then you know the problem is with your KSU or the line; go to step #4. Warning: When doing this, be sure the handset is "hung up" when you disconnect and connect the phone to the wall jack/line cord.

Step #3      If you’ve determined that you have a bad phone on your hands, your job is to pinpoint whether it’s the main housing, the line cord, the handset cord or the handset. With the known good phone still plugged into the wall, simply swap out the cords and the handset one at a time on the known good phone and test the phone each time. If the known good phone still works after you’ve swapped the cords and the handset, then you know that something in the body of the bad phone id defective. Warning: When doing this, be sure the handset is "hung up" when you disconnect and connect the phone to the wall jack/line cord, and that the phone is unplugged from the line cord when you disconnect and connect the handset.

Step #4      If you’ve determined that the problem is with the line or the KSU, you will want to determine which it is. If you are familiar with your KSU, you can use the same “swap out” process. Simply swap a known good line card with the one suspected bad card. If the phone works, then you know that the line itself is not bad and that you have a defective line card. If, however, the phone still doesn’t work, then you know that it’s the line. Logically speaking, you could have a bad line and a bad line card simultaneously. This is unlikely, but if you want to make sure, just swap out the suspected card with a good one and see what happens.

In any case, remember that the cards and KSUs are static sensitive. The slightest bit of static electricity can ruin a chip. When handling a card, always hold it by its tabs or along the edges; do not touch the surface or allow it or you to come in contact with anything that might give off or create a static charge (carpet, plastic tables, plastic bags, etc.). When you do wrap a card for protection, make sure you use a sliver-gray “static bag” made specifically for cards or, if you’re using bubble wrap, use the pink or green static-free type… not the clear type!     Back to top.

Dirt is the most common reason that phones fail, but make sure your cleaning people and employees know how to properly clean a phone. DO NOT spray a phone with a cleaner directly; spay the cleaning rag and then wipe the phone down. Otherwise the liquid might damage the internal electronic parts.   Back to top.

If you have more than one handset and static is afflicting just one handset, then chances are it's the misbehaving handset or its battery. Take the battery from a good handset and put it in the misbehaving handset and see what happens.

If you have more than one handset and static is afflicting ALL the handsets --- then it could be either a bad base station OR interference. Let's start with eliminating interference as a cause:

Wi-fi: Turn off all wi-fi and see what happens. If you still have static...

Electrical signals: Unplug the base station and move it to a different outlet. If the interference persists, move it to another jack on an entirely different circuit.

If none of the above works, it's probably your base station

If you have only one handset, refer to the above steps to eliminate "wi-fi" and "electrical signals". If you're still getting static, then you still don't know if it's your base station or handset. Install a hi-quality, fully charged battery. If you still have static, you'll need to send the base and handset in for repair.   Back to top.

9. How to get the most out of your phone system.

1. Motivate your employees to take care of their phones. Spilled drinks are the #1 reason that a phone cannot be repaired; liquid damage can cause irreversible internal corrosion.

2. Encourage employees to not let their phones perch on the edge of their desks. A dropped phone can cause irreversible damage to the circuit board inside, plus a severely damaged housing. If you have an employee who must pace while he’s on the phone, provide with a 12’ handset cord or longer, instead if the standard 7’.

3. To motivate your employees to take care of their phones, make it clear that costs for repair or replacements will be charged to their department, not some general administration account. This can help cut down on avoidable abuse and misuse.

4. Light colored phones, such as ivory or ash, tend to darken or turn yellow if left in direct sunlight. This discoloring cannot be cleaned out; only a professional refurbishing can remove it. Keep your phones out of the sun!

5.  Make sure your control unit is installed in a well ventilated place, or at least an area that will not get hot. Heat will cause your system to shut down. If your KSU does shut down, check to make sure that its location has not gotten too hot.

6.  Make sure you use a high quality surge protector for your control unit; power surges and lightning strikes can irreversibly ruin your KSU. Use a surge protector that has a light indicating that the protection component is still good and functioning, not just alight that shows that the surge protector is switched on.     Back to top.

10. Basics of a business telephone system

Here's a brief description of how a business phone system is set up.

The phone company brings in one or more lines to a box --- called the D-MARK --- outside your building. At that point, you have a choice: you can have your lines connected to your own KSU (key service unit, or control unit) or directly to the phone company via a system called Centrex.

1.  YOUR OWN KSU  A KSU acts as the “brain” of a phone system. Sizes range from that of a breadbox to a refrigerator. Depending on the brand and options, it’s the KSU that allows you to transfer calls, put people on hold, etc. The KSU is kept in an out-of-view but well ventilated area in your facility.

After installing your KSU, your phone installer runs your lines from the KSU to each place you plan to have a phone, or station. He terminates each line at the wall with a modular jack. The cord that goes from the jack to the phone is called the line cord. The curly cord that connects the handset to your phone is the handset cord.

2.  CENTREX     With Centrex, your phone lines are tied directly to the phone company’s KSU, which offers many of the same functions needed by businesses (hold, transfer, etc.).

However, bear in mind that you must still buy phones and service for installation, and the features are limited in comparison to KSUs available on the market. Normally, we recommend Centrex where two or more separate companies or branches may be connected in a way that lowers frequent toll calls between these locations.     Back to top.

11. Where to get replacement paper and plastic lenses

Those pre-printed pieces of paper that you write or type speed dial numbers on are called "designation strips" or "designation paper" or "designation labels". The plastic covers are called "lenses" or just "plastic". You may buy them from Overtech Inc.     Back to top

  © 1998-2011 Barclay Enterprises, Inc.