Here’s a quick guide to help you find the right fit and keep the move as smooth as possible.
What service do you have with Blueface?
If you have your own equipment, e.g. a PBX or VoIP Gateway, and simply connect to Blueface for your external calls only, your replacement service type is what is known as a SIP trunk service. Think of a SIP trunk as a VoIP telephone line.
If you have a Panasonic telephone connected to Blueface, with it’s own extension number, even if you have one device or several, then you probably have a cloud PBX. A cloud PBX is a hosted telephone system in a data centre.
Replacing a Blueface SIP Trunk
One problem with Blueface’s SIP trunk service is that it never truly supported what a SIP trunk is supposed to do.
Users of this service have to create multiple SIP accounts in order to route calls depending on which number was dialled. So instead of correctly having one account to manage, users could have hundreds of accounts depending on how many DDI (Direct Dial In) numbers are in use.
We could mimic this behaviour in providing a SIP trunk service, but the correct way would be to pass the number dialled to a single account and let the PBX server route the call as intended.
Our SIP trunk service starts at €39 per month to include 4 channels (simultaneous calls) and a bundle of free mobile and landline minutes. See here for more pricing and to order my.speechpath.ie/cart.php?gid=19.
Replacing a Blueface Cloud PBX
Panasonic IP phones present some challenges when attempting to change VoIP provider.
- Panasonic have left the telecoms market and no longer offer support for any devices. This leaves devices vulnerable and exposed to emerging threats.
- Panasonic IP phones were unique to Blueface with the majority of other providers using Yealink, Polycom or Fanvil.
The phones will connect to other networks but will never work as efficiently as a supported device. Features such as call parking and transfer become awkward and inconvenient. - Each phone will need to be programmed so you will need the login credentials for each device.
- The phone will also need to be deregistered from the Blueface network so that in the event of a factory reset it will not attempt to provision to Blueface again.
For all these reasons you will need to change your hardware, but don’t panic – it may be easier and less expensive than you might expect.
What will upgrading cost?
Upgrading doesn’t need to cost the earth. Yealink’s IP phone selection starts at €59 for a basic handset ranging upwards depending on a user’s requirements, so can easily accommodate any budget.
Keep in mind also that the Speechpath User App provides a lot of functionality regardless of the telephone in use. Get in touch with us and we can recommend some options to you.
What about forwarding calls?
One of the nice features of Blueface is the ability to forward any of your numbers to any destination using the web control panel. Users simply log onto Blueface, select the SIP account and forward the calls, e.g. to a mobile.
All Speechpath users, both SIP trunk and Cloud PBX, have full control over all of their telephone numbers via the Speechpath website. Numbers can be forwarded to any destination and also to any SIP URI.
What about voicemail?
Letting Blueface handle calls when you cannot is a very popular feature due to the ability to playback via the web, and also voicemail-to-email.
Speechpath cloud PBX users have these features by default, but we can also provide them to SIP trunk clients via what is known as a hybrid solution, providing some services in the cloud PBX and some locally.
The Speechpath Web App
The Speechpath web app for cloud PBX users is web based portal with integration to your desk telephone.
The Speechpath App offers a built-in softphone, click-to-call from any website, user presence, file sharing, screen sharing, and instant chat messaging along with voice and video calling and many more features. Using these collaboration tools will increase efficiency whilst making communication easier between colleagues, regardless of location. Click here for more information.
What do I need to do next?
- Port your numbers
Head over to https://my.speechpath.ie/cart.php?gid=36 and submit a new port request, creating a user account in the process. It’s a fully online system and can port your numbers in 1 day.
Be sure to allow plenty of time for your new hardware to arrive or have tested our SIP trunk service in advance. Porting is free of charge. - Order Cloud PBX Hardware
Place your VoIP telephone order with us and have it delivered within 1-2 business days.
Our VoIP telephones automatically provision and connect to the Speechpath Cloud PBX once you connect them to the internet. - Order your SIP Trunk Service
Order today via https://my.speechpath.ie/cart.php?gid=19 and setup your SIP trunk in advance of porting allowing you to test both incoming and outgoing calls.
Order an Irish number from this link for inbound testing before porting.
Get in touch with us for any setup issues and configuration help.