[Asterisk-Users] Receptionist Phones

[Daniel Hazelbaker]

I've been quiet on this discussion for a few days and reading  
everybody's thoughts.  But since I brought this subject up in the  
first place I thought I would bring it to a close with the results  
summarized.

1. The polycom phones do support attendant stations, but there is  
some incompatibility between their phone and asterisk that currently  
limits the number of monitored stations to 7.  They are aware of this  
limitation and are currently working on fixing it.

2. The Snom phones work and do not seem to suffer from this limit.

3. Snom phones give you up to 54 monitored lines currently, but there  
is indication on their website (use of the word "currently") that  
they are trying to find a way to bring this number up (possibly  
linking more than one add-on module together).

4. Old style switchboards (such as DSS attendant stations) are a  
thing of the past and will likely die off in the future, but the  
world is not there yet, people still want them.

5. Computer based, on-screen monitoring systems are the future for  
large organizations as they are easy to change and easy to customize  
to fit exactly what you want.  But there are some things to resolve  
before the average user can use them without a dedicated computer  
screen to reduce frustration.  I have no doubt that as more companies  
move to VoIP systems these old DSS units will become a thing of the  
past, we just are not quite there yet.

6. Most people (not all, but most) who are given the option of a new  
way to monitor line status vs. the old way will probably eventually  
use the new way (some kind of FOP display).  But those same people  
will refuse to like the new way if the are forced to use it or  
nothing, just the way people are.  I don't doubt that we could slowly  
train our receptionists to use the new system while they have access  
to the old and simply wait until they say, "you know what, we don't  
use that old box anymore", it just takes time. :)

So my original question was answered long ago, but I have enjoyed the  
thoughts and opinions of everybody that has contributed to this  
discussion.

Regards,
Daniel Hazelbaker