Historically I have recommended that the ShoreTel server not be a computer in your domain.   To many times, an Active Directory administrator will create a new Group Policy and forget about the ShoreTel user account.  The end result is a down ShoreTel server and a call to TAC support!  I still feel strongly about this, but you can still integrate Active Directory authentication for your ShoreTel users. Generally, ShoreTel users do not actually log in and log out of [...]

Quality of Service or QOS remains an interesting and challenging configuration for most engineers deploying VoIP solutions.   Generally you are concerned about QOS on both your Local Area network (LAN) and your Wide Area Network (WAN).     Though the principles and configuration for COS and DSCP markings are easily discoverable by anyone who takes the time to research these concepts, their application on various network components can be bit more challenging.    Generally, QOS on a LAN makes use of COS bits [...]

So there I am, on the my desk phone, talking to some very important client and I now have 45 minutes to make an appoint that is 1 hour away by car! The client is important and we have been trying to link up for days! I also have to be at this next appointment on time! This is where a new ShoreTel 11 feature called “twinning” comes in. While talking to my very important client, I hit a button [...]

If you have ever installed a ShoreTel solution in an environment with other than Windows desktops, you know you lose some of the Sizzle! The Personal Call Manager could not be installed on Mac computers for example! Well known to those who know it well, however, was the fact that there was a functional web interface to the ShoreTel system. This web interface made it possible for Users who did not have a Windows desktop, to make use of many [...]

Is a phone, an Extension Number (e.g. DN) and a User the same entity?   Does the User define the Extension number?  Does the User define the Phone?   What is the difference and why would you care?   You care when you have to separate the concept of a “function” from the concept of a “Person”.    Is there a function named “Receptionist”?    Or do we have a  User who is the Receptionist?   Does the Person who is the Receptionist get a personal [...]

Assuming there is more than one Agent available to service an inbound contact center call, a “skill” level can be applied to route the call to the most suitable agent.   It is important to note that the system will only use this criteria if there is more than one Agent to choose from.  If there is only one Agent available to service the call, the call is routed to that Agent regardless of Skill Set.   Skills are defined in the [...]

One of the great attributes of a Personal Call Manager, is the multiple call appearance functionality.   When you have an active phone call  you  can actually see a new call ring in, on your screen.  I like to think of this as “priority call management”.  Given that I know the value of the call I am on, when I see the Caller ID of the new call, I can make a real time decision about putting my current call on [...]

Mobility and Office Extensibility continue to be “must have” feature sets for success in todays hyper competitve market place.   Nobody seems to care if it is after business hours in your time zone.  When a client wants you, they want you now and if you can’t be found, they will find someone else!  ShoreTel has had a range of features to address this requirement since the early on releases.  Features like “Office Anywhere” and “External Assignment” have been the [...]

The Sheevaplug computer is an amazing appliance!  Think of the applications you could create on this 3 watt PC often confused as a wall transformer  by the uninitiated.   In fact I have a bunch of “wall warts” under foot  for a variety of electronic devices on my desk that need stepped down AC power and the Sheevaplug server is smaller than any of them!    A  Plug Computer is designed to draw so little power that it can be left on all the [...]

We should probably do several blogs on logs!   Logs to an engineer are like finger prints to a cop!   Both professionals need to play “detective” and gather all the hints they can in an exhaustive effort to figure out what went wrong!   Logs always have interesting information, written cryptic ally but useful none the less.  Recently we had to solve the case of the “missing message notification” and that sent us deep into Vmlogs.   The problem statement was that a [...]