sundance-communications.com/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems Iwatsu Telephones & Systems Omega-Voice Mojo

Hello everyone. This is my first post to this forum. What I have read in it leads me to believe that someone here may be able to help me.

I have an Iwatsu ECS with an internal 4VML card with Omega-Voice VMI for voice mail and auto-attendant. I recently purchased a new 8SUBS-4 (8-port analog card) to interface with an Asterisk box for a couple of IVR applications. That combination works fine.

I've become interested in using the Asterisk box for its unified-messaging voicemail system and want to supplant VMI with it. I have had no trouble writing an approriate dialplan to emulate the VMI system, but I do have one annoying issue.

When a call comes in, the ECS system directs the call to the VMI, which then plays the greeting and times out back to an ACD queue on the ECS. The transition is quiet and seamless. When I attempt to replicate that behavior with Asterisk, I can hear the "click-click" from the line flash. Worse, the call is transferred back to ACD (agents' phones ring) but when the call is picked up, silence reigns and the call is dropped.

From the Asterisk side all I'm doing is emulating a single-line telephone, issuing a Flash() and then SendDTMF(361) (where 361 is the ACD access number).

I have spoken to the tech support guy at our installers who was unable to answer these questions: What mojo is VMI using to transfer to the ACD queue. Does VMI do the transfer to ACD or is ECS timing out and taking care of it? He lead me to believe that the VMI doesn't do anything more than manipulate the analog port as anything more than an SLT would (with the exclusion of the various packets).

I have poured over the documentation (I have the voluminous tech manual for the ECS system) and the OV Admin guide, as well as looked for clues in both programmers, without getting anywhere.

Can anyone here answer those questions? Is there some super-secret handshake that the VMI does to garner favor? I'd love to know.

Thanks in advance for any hints or pointers that you can offer.

Barry

Have you looked at VM/AA Packet Codes? There is an ACD Auto Attendant Packet included, though I don't claim to know how this will work with integrating to an *.

Hopefully someone will have an answer for you.

Good luck!

The packet code you mention is 04.77.24 and on my system is blank, thus not used. I really appreciate the suggestion though. Thanks!

Barry

Your incoming call transfer sequence depends upon whether the ECS is using an ACD group to answer the call then sending it to the VMI, or if the VMI is answering the call and sending it to the ACD group.

If ACD is answering the call, a routing table with half a dozen timers and routing command steps specifies a mailbox message to be played and a period of time for the VMI to do its thing before releasing the call as a PBX or 'regular' call. If no other transfers are attempted before this timer expires , the VMI 'drops' the call, but the ACD queue is technically still the owner of the call, so the call remains in queue in the sequence it was received.

If the VMI is truly answering the call, a message is played and the call, which at this point is still a PBX call, is transfered to the ACD queue using the access code, where it becomes an ACD call.

You may or may not have to configure the ports connected to the Asterix as VM/AA ports, depending upon the info the Asterix needs to receive from the switch.

I have no doubt that the ECS can be programmed using ACD tables to do what you want. I've seen systems using other third party voicemail systems, doing most of what you're trying to achieve. ACD programming is not terribly difficult, but it's not for the faint of heart, either. Better get your dealer involved.

Hi JBean3329.

Thanks very much for your great reply.

I found the problem (and BOY do I feel stupid). After watching the progress of the call on the Asterisk side, I finally noticed that the ECS decided that * was hanging up. The problem was that ECS needs a short flash, and mine was 750ms. Making it 150ms eliminated that issue.

About the dealer. One of your member's has the company name in his sig. I have had them involved and the techs helping me with the ECS side have been great.

Thanks again.

Best regards,

Barry

yeah Barry, you were stumpin us on that one buddy...