Even in today’s connected enterprise environments, branch offices, call centers, and home-based workers frequently utilize telecom networks inferior and separate from the central headquarters location.
Remote Islands of Limited Features and Applications
Branch offices and call centers often operate stand-alone PBX or KTS (Key Telephone Systems), with disparate phone company relationships. Complex dialing plans are used to manage long distance, toll-free, and intra-company calling. Managing, maintaining, and configuring employee stations as well as moves, adds, and changes is resource-intensive and time-consuming.
Home based employees often have DSL or cable connections for data network access, but traditional phone lines or mobile devices for voice communications. Costs can quickly spiral out of control, and IT staff lack control of voice circuits if Citel employees move or leave.
Distribute Central PBX Features and Applications
Citel’s EXTender™ and PBXgateway™ product suite enables enterprises to distribute the features and applications of a central PBX to branch offices, call centers, and home-based employees, all over an existing IP or other managed data circuit.
Now, high-end applications, such as IVR (Interactive Voice Response), ACD (Automatic Call Distribution), four-digit dialing, voicemail, central dialing plans, and other mission critical services can be provided by a single, central PBX. All locations are seamlessly connected, increasing productivity and customer and employee satisfaction, and reducing operational costs.
Fast Deployment and Configuration
Deployment and configuration is straightforward. Citel’s PBXgateways are installed at the central PBX location, and EXTenders are deployed at branch offices, call centers, or at home offices over managed IP connections, DSL, cable, or analog circuits. Compatible digital PBX handsets are connected to the EXTenders over existing wiring infrastructure. Once configured, employees access central PBX features and applications just as if they were located at the headquarters location.
Scalable to the Unique Needs of Your Business
Citel supports most leading PBX platforms and more than 100 handset types. For complex deployments, most EXTender models can utilize local T1 or FXO circuits to support local dial tone for local-presence and survivability.
EXTenders are available in several configurations ranging from one to 24 ports and are stackable, supporting single remote workers, large branch offices, and everything in between.
A Smart Step Toward VoIP Migration for Distributed Enterprises
Enterprises with substantial PBX hardware and application investments are savvy to the groundswell of IP PBX and Hosted IP telephony options in the market. But they are not willing to accelerate depreciation of existing hardware without a solid business case. With Citel’s PBXgateway and EXTender solutions, enterprises can take a managed first step in migrating to IP telephony.