Tag Archives: Technical Support

AT&T MS2085: A Big Disappointment In A Small Business Phone

Posted on by

AT&T MS2085 is a bad ideaAfter praising AT&T for developing the innovative and affordable SYN-J small business phone system (see article here), we’re turning around on the manufacturing arm of the telephony giant due to the puzzling MS2085 phone system.  We’re working with a law firm that just purchased the MS2085 phone system with 2015 desk phones. They just can’t figure out how to change the awful on hold music stuck in the system. The answer? You can’t.

Does Not Work With Music On Hold Devices
Confirming this on several sites, I located a customer who is returning the phone to the retailer for this reason.

“The main reason I needed to return it: I found out it DOESN’T WORK WITH ANY MUSIC-ON-HOLD machine. And besides, stupid music on hold that is built-in CAN_NOT_BE_TURNED_OFF or edited. Are you guys serious??? This is end of 2012, not 1980. You’re selling a business phone and this phone can’t be working with custom business messages, paid music-on-hold solutions, etc? …”

The Wierd Concept
The idea behind this phone is that there is one “base station” or “console” phone to which incoming phone lines (up to 4) are attached. So it looks like this phone system is using your old POTS lines (analog phone lines). Only the main console attaches to the phone lines. Easch deskset connects to your office network (via an Ethernet connection). Now you have a combination of phones that are on the office network (intranet) and using analog lines. This makes little sense when wireless technology would allow desksets to easily connect without wires to the console phone, as with the SynJ system.

Complaints Abound
There is no shortage of complains on the web about this system.

Another dissatisfied buyer writes:

“there are too may deal-breakers for me with this phone system:

1. Hold music can’t be changed or turned off. It’s terrible music and I would not want to subject any of my customers to this bad music.

2. Calls transferred by auto attendant don’t go to voicemail as another reviewer mentioned.

3. System does not recognize a hang-up call so it keeps recording voicemail.

4. When a voicemail is being recorded by one line and another line receives a call, the auto-attendant does not pickup, it just rings and rings.

5. There seems to be a delay in the time the voicemail finishes recording and the time the system “frees up” (see #4 above) and displays the message notification (my tests showed this took several minutes). You can use this phone system without the auto-attendant and the built-in answering system (thereby avoiding issues 2-5 above) by using service-provided voicemail boxes.

6. The speaker, both speakerphone and corded handset speaker, is fuzzy. It sounds like the paper membrane of the speaker is rattling slightly. I’m not sure if this affects the quality the person on the other end of the line hears (we tested with cell phones so it was hard to tell, seemed OK though). But recording the voicemail memos sounded fuzzy no matter what phone you listened to them on – although if you’re using the service-provided voicemail you could record it from another phone.

Ultimately though, the hold music was the biggest deal-breaker. I would not recommend this phone to anyone. ”

Documentation
For detailed information, you can look in the manual.

Professional Installation May Be Required
AT&T promotes this phone system as, “No professional assistance required.” This contradicts reports we have heard from our clients, who say they have needed to bring in expensive hourly network techs to get all of the stations to work properly.

Here’s a review posted at BestBuy.com: “Cons: Design, Performance, Expensive, Difficult to Use. This phone system is useless as a business phone. We have tried to get it to work for several days with no luck. this is the most confusing phone system I have ever worked with as a business owner for the last 30 years. These will be packaged back up and returned ASAP!”

There are better systems for similar money that would make your life at the office easier. Check out our aticles on: X-Blue, TierZero, and the AT&T SynJ. Note: the SynJ SB67158 is just the base console phone; The SB67138 is the base phone with one wireless handset. Also available are wireless desk sets.

Share

You Don’t Need To Be A Technician To Get On Hold Message On Your Business Phones

Posted on by

You’re not a telephone technician? Not an “I.T.” person or interconnect professional? Relax. If you’re a business person looking for on hold message company, you don’t have to know everything about your phone systems. There are some questions, however, that you can help your on hold message provider develop a phone on hold system that works well every day.

Of course, the goal of the phone on hold message is to talk to callers who are waiting on-hold, offering ideas, news, promotions, solutions and other helpful information. If the callers can’t hear the audio or the content is not deployed properly, you can have a wasted opportunity, and investment. Easy On Hold founder and Technical Lead Tim Brown talks about phone systems in a new video found at easyonhold.com.

“We aren’t going to train our on hold message customers to be phone technicians,” Brown says, “but we are going to ask a few questions that will help us design an on hold system that is effective for their business.” This may include equipment, such as an on hold message player, or it may mean producing audio in a specific format (such as .wav or .mp3) for clients to use.

“It used to be that there were only two types of phone systems,” Brown explains in the video. “The PBX or Key system is a box that is on the wall in your business, in your phone room and all phones are connected to it.” The other is known as “analog” or “ordinary”. “These are the phones from the office supply store.”

But there is a problem with the less expensive 2 to 4-line small business phones. “They don’t allow any place to plug in music on hold; there’s no way to activate the music. There is no event to tell the music to start or stop.” For this reason Easy On Hold offers additional equipment that can be added to ordinary phones. “This equipment will solve the problem and create an on hold experience for callers, making your 2 to 4-line phone sound as though you have a more expensive system.”

Today there are two types of VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) phone systems that are becoming more popular for small to medium sized businesses. In one configuration, a traditional PBX phone system is still present on site at your business, while the voice carries over the internet to the telephone service provider. In this scenario, Easy On Hold will recommend the use of an external player for messaging on hold.VOIP Systems Diagram From Music On Hold Experts Easy On Hold

In the recently-released video, Brown says you may have the type of VOIP phone system that does not actually reside in your office. “You have phones that connect directly to the internet and your actual phone system is in the cloud, is off site. That makes it impossible for us to get equipment directly attached to the phone system because it is being provided off-site by your VOIP provider.” In these cases, Easy On Hold provides a specific audio file that can be uploaded to the off-site VOIP phone system. These files can be in a variety of audio file formats, such as .wav, uLaw, aLaw, .mp3 and others.

“We have a way of working with each of the types of phone systems,” assures Brown, who explains, “This is why we ask you a little about your phone system.”

So it’s nice to know you don’t need to spend too much time studying technical reports. A phone call to a music on hold expert will save you time and get you a set up that makes your business sound great.

Share

Troubleshooting Guide For USB Type Music On Hold Message Player Device

Posted on by

USB-Pro MUSIC ON HOLD TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
The USB-Pro, like other .mp3 music on hold message player devices, delivers a constant stream of sound for phone systems that allow introduction of on-hold audio by an external on hold device. This guide will help troubleshoot for lack of audio and poor sound quality. You may download this guide as a pdf (click here to download usb message on hold player troubleshooting guide).

USB-Pro mp3 Music On Hold Player

USB-Pro mp3 Music On Hold Player

Problem: No Audio On Hold

  • CHECK SPEAKER FOR SOUND: Some on hold audio players come with a speaker button. Is the unit putting out sound?
  • CHECK VOLUME: Is volume control off or too low?
  • CHECK AUDIO OUTPUT FOR SOUND: Adapt a headphone (ear bud) to RCA jack using adapter (Radio Shack RCA 274-871) and check output from 600-Ohm and 8-Ohm audio outputs on back of unit.
  • CHECK MEDIA: The USB-Pro comes with an “internal” message on hold track. When the USB media (usb drive, thumb drive) is removed from the unit, the internal audio plays. Test by removing media or replacing media drive. Check drive content on a personal computer.

Problem: Audio Is Poor Quality

  • CHECK VOLUME: If the audio seems to get faint or fade in and out, try more volume. Some phone systems have an anti-noise filter that will try to turn off the hold music unless a certain volume threshold is reached. More volume will indicate to the phone system that intentional audio is present.
  • CHECK CONNECTIONS: If the audio is intermittent, check the connections at the player and the MOH input to be certain they are secure.
  • CHECK WIRING: All wiring must be insulated. Old audio cables may need to be replaced. Message on hold players purchased from Easy On Hold include one RCA-to-RCA cable and one RCA-to-3.5mm adapter plug for use with 3.5mm telephone system MOH input receptacles.
  • TEST USING LAND-LINE PHONE: Cell phone signals often distort or warp music on hold. Call in using a land-line for the clearest test signal.

More Tips:

  • Callers hear the music on hold message in progress, not from the start. The player repeats the audio production over and over.
  • There is no need to turn the music on hold player off. It is designed to play 24/7.

Watch Video Showing USB-Pro Music On Hold Player

Share

Installing Music On Hold On SAMSUNG iDCS Series Phone Systems

Posted on by

Do you have a SAMSUNG iDCS Series Phone System? Don’t want to hear “Old Folks At Home” music on hold? Here are some installation tips to help you install custom music on hold messaging, based on instructions published by Samsung. Download Samsung iDSC100 Phone Guide.

APPLIES TO: Connecting a professional music on hold player to an MOH input on a Samsung iDCS Series 100/500 Phone system.Samsung iDCS 100 capable of music on hold message audio installtion help easy on hold

AUDIO TRAVELS FROM MUSIC ON HOLD PLAYER INTO PHONE SYSTEM
For a PBX system like the iDCS, an external music on hold source must be used. The ideal solution is a professional-grade music on hold player such as the USB Pro from Easy On Hold (easyonhold.com/on-hold-systems).

MUSIC ON HOLD PLAYER RCA CONNECTOR: 8 OHMS OR 600 OHMS? WHY TWO OUTPUTS?
On the back of your music on hold player are two connections labeled AUDIO OUT. The 600-Ohm output is intended for telephone systems. (If your particular situation needs a louder signal, you may use the 8-Ohm output without harming your equipment.) The 8-ohm output is appropriate for sound amplification systems, such as public address systems used by museums and amusement parks.

Audio is played continuously from the music on hold player. The sound travels from the AUDIO OUTPUT over the audio CABLE.

INSTALL CONNECTION TO KSU MOTHERBOARD
Connect leads to the KSU Motherboard, pins 10 (Grey/Red) and 35 (Red/Grey), for audio source. Leads should terminate in an RCA-type phono plug (shown) for compatibility with music on hold player output.

Connect music on hold audio out 600 Ohms.

Pictured: the AUDIO OUT connectors on a professional music on hold player. These are RCA type connectors, and are used almost universally by manufacturers of Music On Hold equipment.

music on hold installation help from Samsung for PBX - KSU Connection

PROGRAM C.O. LINES
Each C.O. Line (trunk) can be programmed to receive a music source, system generated TONE or NO MUSIC when it is put on hold. See programming manual for instructions (MMC 408) (diagram to the left is based on Samsung Installation Manual for iDCS 100).

The default setting is TONE. MOH SOURCE: 371 connects to the MOH source connection detailed above. If no source is connected, phone will play INTERNAL CHIME (Old Folks At Home).

PROGRAM KEYSETS

Each keyset can receive a music source or NO MUSIC for background music. See programming manual for instructions (MMC 308, screenshot below).

iDCS Programming Guide

samsung dDCS 100 mmc 308 SCREENSHOT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TIPS & TRICKS

  • Some on hold audio players come with a speaker button. Is the unit putting out sound? If so, turn the volume to 50% and call in. Once on-hold you can adjust the volume.
  • If the audio seems to get faint or fade in and out, try more volume. Some phone systems have an anti-noise filter that will try to turn off the hold music unless a certain volume threshold is reached.
  • If the audio is intermittent, check the connections at the player and the MOH input to be certain they are secure.
  • All wiring must be insulated. Old audio cables may need to be replaced. Message on hold players purchased from Easy On Hold include one RCA-to-RCA cable and one RCA-to-3.5mm adapter plug for use with 3.5mm telephone system MOH input receptacles.
  • Cell phone signals often distort or warp music on hold. Call in using a land-line for the clearest test signal.
  • Callers hear the music on hold message in progress, not from the start. The player repeats the audio production over and over.
  • There is no need to turn the music on hold player off. It is designed to play 24/7.

Share

Video Shows Music On Hold Installation On AT&T SB67138 Syn-J Phone System

Posted on by

This tutorial demonstrates music on hold installation on the AT&T SB67138 Syn-J Telephone System.Link to Easy On Hold You Tube Channel, Music On Hold Videos

Components -
The SB67138 package includes the phone base station and the wireless extension phone with charger. The music on hold player is sold separately, at easyonhold.com/on-hold-systems/. The player  generates music and message on hold content for callers to hear while holding. In the video, we connected the music on hold device to the phone base using the audio cable included with the AT&T SB67138 phone system.

Connection –
The audio cable has a 3.5mm connector at one end, and a 2.5mm connector on the other. The music on hold player, however, has only RCA-type connections. We will need an adapter plug in order to make the proper connection. In the video, we show the use of an audio adapter to convert a 3.5mm plug to RCA. It is available at Radio Shack, item number RS 274-387. The adapter plug fits into the RCA audio output connector on the back of the music on hold player. (Note: you may use either the 8-Ohm or 600-Ohm outputs, but normally the 600-Ohm output is sufficient for music on hold use.) The 3.5mm (larger) end of the audio cable is inserted into the back of the adapter plug. The other end (2.5mm) is inserted into the telephone base, in the receptacle labelled Aux In/Headphone. That will complete the connection.

Special Note: Remember that since you are using the Aux/Headphone jack on the base station, it will no longer be available for use with a headset! You may use a headset on an extension phone, or by adding an additional wired extension, such as the SB67118.)

Programming -
We must now program the phone base to use the external audio coming in through the Aux/Headphone connection. To do this, touch the Menu/Enter button to discover a menu that includes Music On Hold. In the Music On Hold menu you may select M.O.H. Source as Aux In Device.

M.O.H. On Setting -
This video also demonstrates the important step of turning the Music On Hold function “on”. Again, using the Menu/Enter button, reveal the “M.O.H. On/Off” selection and save the “on” setting.

Review M.O.H. -
The final setup step shown here is to review the audio that is playing. This will confirm the presence of on hold music and messaging on the phone. Using the Menu/Enter button, we find the “Review M.O.H.” function and select “Aux In Device” to monitor the sound coming from the music on-hold player.

Volume Setting -
If necessary, the volume level must be adjusted on the music on hold player. The telephone base does not have a music on hold volume setting.

Conclusion -
On balance this setup is an inexpensive way to set up a 4-line phone system with extension phones, the ability to expand to additional extensions, automated attendant function and a world-class phone on hold music and message installation.

Helpful Links -

Easy On Hold Music On Hold Player

AT&T Phone With Music On Hold – Article From Easy On Hold

AT&T Product Page

Product Manual

Article On Syn-J Phones From PR Newswire

Share

Small Office Business Phone System With Auto Attendant, Music On Hold Input

Posted on by

When searching for a telephone system for a small business, there are a confusion array of options. How many lines and extensions? Analog or digital lines? Intercom, voice mail, automated attendant, music on hold? The goal is for the small business to sound solid, dependable and professional. The X-16 Analog Phone Line small business phone system is worth a look.

Size & Scale
For a business with up to 24 employees, looking for a professional phone system with options that rival the big PBX systems and cloud-based VOIP services, the XBlue X-16 is a problem-solver. The system supports up to 6 incoming phone lines and 16 extensions.

Wired Handsets
Each desk phone is a wired extension (handset) with big-office features, including caller id, speaker/hands-free operation, memory dial, backlit lcd display screen and the ability to record conversations. There’s also speed dial, a headset jack and a choice of snappy colors.

Setup
The main control box (they call it the “server” although it is not an I.P. device) takes standard telephone lines (POTS), in other words, those old dial tone lines that are just like the one you used to have at home (or may still have). This control box takes standard phone jacks (modular connections) to make it a do-it-yourself installation possible.

Auto Attendant
Too busy to take calls? The automated attendant will capture incoming calls with a greeting, then hold the call or pass it on to the desired extension. The voice mail system will store up to 2 hours of messages.

Music On Hold
The music on hold feature is perfect for business wishing to upgrade customer care to a professional message on hold program. The main control box accepts a 3.5mm plug from an  external music and message on hold device, such as the iProMOH or USB-Pro, sold by Easy On Hold.

VOIP Also Available
XBlue also makes VOIP phones, which require monthly line charges. Note that the VOIP phones require that you upload hold music files. The files must be under 5MB. I much prefer the use of an external player for ease of use, flexibility in changing messages and less hassle.

Price
XBlue sells their devices through Staples, Sam’s Club and other retailers. Here are some links to help you find the XBlue products at Staples:

 Do Your Research
I have not personally used the XBlue products and cannot provide any real-world test results. I do suggest looking into this promising small business telephone solution further. You will find some reviews of the XBlue X16 system on Amazon.
The XBlue corporate video is on YouTube. You will also find sellers and installers talking about this system. The X-16 carries a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty.
Easy On Hold does not sell phone systems, but we’re always on the lookout for solutions that allow continuous music and message on hold audio to create a more professional caller experience. Tip us off is you find something of interest!

Share