Staple Design – Gwilym GJ …think, design, build, enjoy, think, evolve…..

VOIP system for small business install…in progress..

Wanaka Wastebusters has a second hand Samsung analogue PABX that was installed a few years ago. It is relatively reliable (apart from dropping a few calls … hmmm) but the interface to make changes to the settings has prevented any economical evolution to bring it up to a usable solution for the business. This alone makes it worth replacing.

I have been slightly obsessed with VOIP for a while, mucked around with Asterisk on and off and have used World Exchanges VFX service at home for a year or two. I’m not sure why I have this obsession – I suspect because it is such an attractive disruption – voice, and all its features, becoming as cheap and easy as email.

I managed Cactus to start using VFX for it’s main calling line a while back, and now hardware QOS has improved and DSL speed settled down (you can finally get full speed both ways relatively cheaply) it is time to try on a larger scale. The benefits are too big to ignore.

• Hosted PBX – no hardware investment…and features+ like the below…
• Web interface to control the PBX as opposed to semi-blind phone keypad inline programming
• Voicemail to email – email seems to be THE collation point for business communication
• Softphones like X-Lite, point and click phone action! Address books!
• Cheaper calling
• Movable phones – take your latop to the other side of the world and you are still on the same system

I have been working on the implementation plan and have agreement from Wastebusters, I’ll write it up here as it happens.