sundance-communications.com/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information Busy Signal From One Customer Only

We are a service company with a T1 with 24 incoming / outgoing lines on it in our customer service center. We have national customers call into our main toll-free dispatch number to reach our customer service center. We have only one customer that complains (for months) that the line is frequently busy. That customer is around Atlanta, GA (maybe Alpharetta). We have had the customer call while I was monitoring that all lines were free and they still received a busy signal. While testing, I have asked employees from around the country to call the toll-free dispatch number without a problem. I have had our employees from Atlanta call in without a busy signal. The customer never seems to have a problem calling our toll-free sales line (to complain to the sales manager). This sales toll-free line arrives on the same T1.

The customer has their own problem center where they call different service companies when they have problems. The customer has not reported that they have problems reaching other companies. The customer feels our lines are frequently busy, but this is not so.

In the 90s, we experienced an individual that would call our toll free number and the would reach a different company. Everywhere else, when they called our toll free line, our company was reached.

Does anyone have any theories to explain this phenomena? Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to proceed?

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Our long distance carrier has always been AT&T.
The voice mail system is: Interchange 12.0
The phone system is: Comdial FXS
There are no data services on the T1

This customer could be getting a busy signal before it ever leaves their central office...Not enough out going trunks in their CO ??? maybe :shrug:
That's just a stab at the problem.

Is it a fast or normal busy signal?

You could have your T-line provider run a call traffic report for you.

I would suggest your customer investigate the call process from their telco provider to yours. It sounds like there may be a problem with "dipping", so that your provider does'nt reconize the number your customer is calling from.

Is it truly a busy signal or is it reorder (fast busy)? What type of system is the calling party using? Is the calling party using the same number or extension each time he gets the failure? If the calling party is using a C.O. Centrex or a PBX they may be routing to private trunk group that is undersized. It is possible that the blockage could be coming from all circuits busy between any of the C.O.s along the route. If this is the case other people are experiencing it. If all the trunks are busy in the PSTN the calling party should get a recording but that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes they get a fast busy. Sounds like you have proven your end, including the T1. I would start on the calling party’s end.

Have the customer report the trouble to their originating carrier. My bet is they use a small c-lec that uses limited trunking to your carrier that terms your TFN.

I thank everyone for their responses. I will find out if the customer is getting a fast busy. I have our carrier AT&T looking into it. I will also check with the customer to find out if I can talk with their internal telecommunications technicians to attempt to gather more information. When I have more information or a resolution, I will post again.

My appreication to everyone that replied.

The customer has indicated that they are receiving a fast busy each time.

Fast busy would mean that customers carrier is denying them, or they don't have enough out lines.