A transition process has been developed to move groups of staff from the old phone system to the new CSU VoIP system. The transition process focuses on supporting the change from the old to the new CSU VoIP phone system, whilst allowing staff to make the most of the new features in their own time.

Please view the Transition Process site for more information as you move onto the new CSU VoIP phone system.

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The timeline for the implementation of the new telephony system has been extended beyond what was originally planned as a result of delays in implementing the technology. The following high level timeline gives a general indication of milestones within the project and will be updated during the project. Further details of the general staff rollout will be updated as work continues in developing the rollout process for the new telephony system.

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VoIP (Voice over IP) - is transmission of voice data over CSU's computer network using the Internet Protocol (IP). This is also known as IP Telephony or Internet telephony. Instead of using separate cabling to run the phone system, VoIP uses the computer network to transmit phone calls.

Blackout
If your CSU VoIP phone is powered down (or re-booted), or its data cable is un-plugged from the wall port, your computer will also lose its network connection. If there is a power outage in your building your CSU VoIP phone will no longer work. Each building will have at least one emergency CSU VoIP phone that will operate in the event of a power outage.

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System features

There are a number of advantages for CSU in implementing a state of the art VoIP telephony system:

• Cabling: new buildings at CSU will not need every room to be wired with both network cabling and phone cabling. As the new system uses the computer network, the phone will plug into the network outlet in a room, minimising the cost of installing and then maintaining a separate phone cable system.
• Moves and changes: With the new phone system, moving phones from one location to another will simply involve plugging a phone into the network outlet in the new room. The expense and time involved in having a contractor patch your phone from one location to another will not be required.
• Cross campus features: The new phone system will increase the ability to implement telephony features regardless of campus location. For instance, it will be possible to operate call queues and hunt groups across multiple campuses. For staff members that travel between campuses, it will be possible to ‘log into’ a phone on another campus and have your regular phone number active and receiving calls at that location.
• Unified Communications: The new phone system will integrate with the email environment allowing features such as the delivery of voicemail to your email account and dialling from your Outlook contact list. There will also be phone integration capability with Microsoft Office Communicator (OCS) software allowing dialling to be initiated from your OCS client.
• Presence: It will be possible for staff to elect to have their current presence information available for other staff to see, (for example: busy, do-not-disturb, away, or available). This means that if you use your computer to manage calls, it is possible to see when a person you are intending to call is already “on the phone”, or otherwise unavailable. These features are options that individuals can choose to use as they become familiar with the new system and decide on how to use it.
• Mobility: advanced mobility features of VoIP Telephony will be developed to allow authorised staff to route calls to various destinations, such as their mobile phone, computer or home phone when working from home. It will also be possible to have your work phone number ‘follow you’ to another campus when you travel.

More features: more detailed call feature information.
(Please note: Not all the features described in this linked reference may be available to all phone users at CSU):

Interaction Client .Net Edition Features Overview
Interaction Client Web Edition Features Overview

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• Getting Started Guide
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Interaction Client Web Based Training
• Interaction Supervisor Web Based Training
• Quick Reference for Voice, Fax and Email
• User Guide for Voice, Fax and Email
• Interaction Client .NET Edition Quick Reference Card
• User Guide for Interaction Client at CSU
• Book in for Training

Advanced Interaction Client User Guides

The new standard CSU telephone is the Polycom IP330

• Watch a video of how the CSU VoIP IP330 phone works
• Quick Guide for Polycom IP330 Telephone
• User Guide for Polycom IP330 Telephone

Suitable for most CSU staff.

High level Features:

• High quality Speaker Phone
• Headset Port
• Graphical display for showing things such as caller line ID, date, time etc

The new enhanced CSU telephone is the Polycom IP560

• Watch a video of how the CSU VoIP IP560 phone works
• Quick Guide for Polycom IP560 Telephone
• User Guide for Polycom IP560 Telephone

Suitable for users with high call volumes or the need for advanced button configurations.
 e.g. school secretaries/Admin assistants

High level Features:

• High quality Speaker Phone
• Headset Port
• Large back lit graphical display for showing things such as caller line ID, date, time etc
• Additional programmable line buttons
• Ability to add additional button panels to the phone
• Gigabit Ethernet network connectivity (where available)

Headsets
As part of implementing the new phone system, all existing phone handsets will be replaced with a new IP330 or IP560. It is expected that existing Plantronics Headsets will function on the new phones with an adapter that will be supplied at installation.

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Office Communicator

As part of the transition to the new VoIP telephone system, Office communicator will be installed on staff computers. Office Communicator integrates with your new phone to be able to provide staff with the following features:

• Presence information and call control functionality from your PC;
• Create buddy lists of your work colleagues or staff for quick lookup and dialing;
• Send instant text messages;
• Click on a name to dial the phone;
• Put calls on hold and transfer calls controlled from your PC.

Sections and staff of the university will determine the degree to which they use these features.

IC Client

IC Client provides the functionality to manage electronic communications including phone calls and provides a GUI to manage phone calls, call queues and directories.

Features include Call History Management, Unified Messaging, Interaction Fax and Soft phone capabilities, ACD (Automatic Call Distributor – for call queue functionality, speed dial directories and conference calls. The Interaction Client offers a range of (presence management functions) eg allows the end-users to always see the current status (on the phone or in a meeting etc) of other users in the same company or workgroup.

IC Client Web Edition

This is offered standard as a standalone PC Client install. It is also available on web version for Mac and Linux users or PC’s not capable of running full client and thin client users providing call features only.

IC Client Licence

Running the advanced IC Client software incurs an additional licensing cost. The project has provided funding for 1 in 6 users of the phone system to receive the IC Client license free of charge. If any additional IC Client licenses are required, the charge will be approximately $100 for each additional license.

More Information:
Interaction Client Web Based Training
Interaction Supervisor Web Based Training

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Your CSU VoIP phone will no longer require a dedicated phone line, but will instead connect to the CSU Data Network. This will mean that a standard installation will only require one data outlet for both your CSU VoIP phone and computer.

Your CSU VoIP phone will connect to the data outlet in your office and then your computer will connect to your CSU VoIP phone to get network access as shown below.

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There will be no additional costs to you associated with replacing your phones and transitioning your section to the new CSU VoIP phone system as standard users. The standard $24 per month phone rental will remain unchanged. A limited number of advanced user licenses will be provided to your section free of charge as part of the project, with the cost to you of additional advanced user licensing being subsidised by the project if you require more.

The costs for rental and usage of the phone system will not increase.

In the future any additional CSU VoIP phones you may require for new staff will be supplied at no charge on top of the standard monthly rental and call costs, a significant saving compared to the old phone system where the full costs of additional phones where passed on to budget centre managers.

More Information:
Detailed Costs

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