311
3-1-1 is a special telephone number in many communities in the United States and Canada that provides quick access to non-emergency municipal services. Note that an outbound dial digit is NOT required when dialing 311 from your Mitel or Cisco phone in the MiCloud or Sky phone system.
ACD Queue
An Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) Queue is a system that distributes incoming calls to a specific group of terminals that agents use. ACD Queues are part of a computer telephony integration system known as a call center, which is used for receiving and processing high-volume requests by phone.
ACD Seat
An Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) Seat is a user (agent or supervisor) in a computer telephony integration system known as a call center, which is used for receiving and processing high-volume requests by phone. An ACD Seat is part of an ACD Queue system that distributes incoming calls to a specific group of terminals.
Blocked Caller ID
Blocked Caller ID refers to the display of "Unknown" or "Anonymous" instead of a caller's phone number when receiving a call. When placing calls, your Outbound Caller ID can be blocked (or not blocked) for all calls via the Caller ID setting in the Phone Settings screen of the Cloud Portal. Additionally, "star" codes can be used to block or unblock your Caller ID on a per-call basis.
Circuit
A telecommunication circuit is any line, conductor, or other conduit by which information is transmitted. Within the MiCloud and Sky phone systems, a circuit often refers to a T1 Circuit but could be a DS3, Ethernet, POTS, or MPLS circuit.
Click-to-Dial
Click-to-dial functionality enables dialing phone numbers (and other features) via a click within a software application or web page.
CRM
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a set of processes, usually supported by software, designed to keep track of customer data that is useful and shareable throughout an organization. CRMs organize contact and phone system data to enhance relationships between businesses and customers. Integration with the Salesforce CRM is available for MiCloud and Sky customers.
CSR
A Customer Service Record (CSR) is a document provided by telecom service providers (carriers), that contains information about all of the telephone numbers and services that belong to a customer. A CSR is required when transferring phone numbers from one telecom service provider to another.
Dial-by-Extension
A dial-by-extension directory is an auto attendant menu option that enables callers to reach users by dialing the user's extension.
Dial-by-Name
A dial-by-name directory is an auto attendant menu option that enables callers to reach users by dialing the first three letters of a first and/or last name.
DTMF
Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) is the signaling technology used by the keypad on Mitel phones. When pressing keys on a standard telephone keypad, DTMF signals are sent to other telecommunications equipment, devices, or applications. The version of DTMF that is used by push-button phones for tone dialing is known as Touch-Tone.
Dual Physical Network
A Dual Physical Network (segregated network) is a type of LAN (Local Area Network) that separates voice and data on your network. There are separate switches, wires, and RJ-45 ports dedicated to each device, such as a phone or PC. For more information, see Local Area Network (LAN).
Firewall
A firewall is an information technology (IT) security device which is configured to permit, deny or proxy data connections set and configured by the organization's security policy. Firewalls can either be hardware and/or software-based. Customer firewalls are not supported, and we do not make recommendations on what firewalls to use.
Firewalls can be combination devices, and can include the following features: Stateful Inspection; NAT; DHCP server; AV Antivirus Enforcement; Spam filter; Intrusion Detection System (IDS); Virtual Private Network (VPN)
For troubleshooting off-net customers please reference the Network best practices articles Network Best Practices for MiCloud, Remote Phone for Sky
Jitter
The result of a change in latency or the tendency towards lack of synchronization caused by mechanical or electrical changes. Technically, jitter is the phase shift of digital pulses over a transmission medium.
The Jitter Buffer is a portion of memory specifically allocated to storing IP packets awaiting transmission, or to storing received IP packets. The buffer facilitates flow control by capturing IP packets and then transmitting packets as "playback" using speeds and rates of delay that the destination device can handle without causing packet loss through overloading.
RingCentral measures Jitter on IP phones when customers complain of bad-quality audio. The higher the measurement number, the worse the quality.
LAN
Local Area Network (LAN) is a computer network covering a small geographic area, such as a home, office, or group of buildings. For more information, see Local Area Network (LAN).
OBCID
Outbound Caller ID (OBCID) is a telephone service for residential and small business customers. Your Outbound Caller ID normally displays the mainline phone number of your organization or location but can be changed to display a different phone number.
Outbound Dial Digit
The outbound dial digit (trunk access code) is the number that must be dialed before dialing an external phone number from your MiCloud or Sky phone system. The outbound dial digit is usually set to 9 but is sometimes set to 8 or another value. Authorized Contacts can identify the outbound dial digit for their account from the Account Details screen of the Cloud Portal.
POTS
Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) is a voice-grade telephone service that employs analog signal transmission over copper loops. POTS phone lines deliver reliable audio and power to standard analog phones but provide limited functionality, low bandwidth, and no mobile capabilities.
PSTN
PSTN is the acronym for Public Switched Telephone Network, which is the system of public telephone networks that utilize circuit switching technology. This concept is similar to the system of public IP-based packet-switched networks that make up the Internet.
Originally a network of fixed-line analog telephone systems, the PSTN is now almost entirely digital and includes mobile and landline phones.
Smartjack
A smartjack serves as the demarcation point between a carrier's local loop and your on-premise wiring. In the MiCloud and Sky phone systems, smartjacks are required to do the following:
- Provide our partner carrier loopback. This allows testing of the line from the central office, without the need to have test equipment on-site.
- Give alarm indication signals. Your smartjack is fitted with a series of indicator lights that report trouble at one end of the line to the far end. This helps determine if trouble is present in the line, the smartjack, or our hardware. Indicator lights that show configuration, status, and alarms are also common.
Soft Keys
Soft keys are flexibly programmable buttons located on IP phones. Soft keys are identified by text labels that appear on-screen, above or next to, physical buttons on an IP phone. Each soft key button corresponds to a different function that changes according to the status of the phone. For example, options such as hold, transfer, and conference only appear when you are on an active call.
TAPI
The Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI) is a Microsoft Windows API, which enables PCs running Microsoft Windows to use telephone services. Different versions of TAPI are available on different versions of Windows.
TTY/TDD Devices
A Teletypewriter (TTY) or Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD) is a special device that enables people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired to use a telephone to communicate by typing messages back and forth instead of talking and listening. One of these devices is required at each end of a conversation in order for two people to communicate in this manner. Various names for these types of devices are TTY, TDD, textphone (common in Europe), and minicom (common in the United Kingdom).
NOTE: A TTY or TDD device requires a Grandstream HT503 ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) to connect to a MiCloud or Sky phone system.
VLAN
A Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) creates separate logical networks, allowing you to use one managed switch, one wire, and one RJ-45 port for both phones and PCs when utilizing the MiCloud or Sky phone system. Both voice and data travel on the same wire. For more information, see Local Area Network (LAN).
