Greetings,

Wondering if anyone is willing to offer strategies for us -- I've been asked to renumber the phone extensions for our building.

In the past, all the extensions were synchronous as you circled the offices. In other words -- the office with x101 was next to the office with x102, which in turn was next to the office with x103... and so on. Over time, some people have moved offices and taken their extensions with them, the main-office open area has become a cube-farm, other parts of the building have gained their cube farms, and we add employees right and left which has exacerbated the problem.

And by "problem" I mean that there is no order to the extension numbering. I inherited this phone system and it's related quirks and am hoping to find ideas to help keep this from happening again. If we go through the with this renumbering plan then I prefer to do it exactly once. :-)

Obviously not allowing extensions to follow employees to other parts of the building is one way to avoid this later. Another idea is to have gaps in extension numbering to allow for growth.

Additionaly ideas would be very much appreciated. Even if the answer is "it's a fact of phones... extensions get out of order. Get over it..." I'm okay with that.

Thanks in advance,

-jeremy

What system?

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| Capitol Communications | Telephone Systems

Your last sentence is correct, once a company starts to grow and people move around you will run into stations being moved as it is easier to just move the station then renumber everything, as long as the jack labeling is clean then it is very easy to move people around by moving the cross connect at the breakout. If you are set on renumbering I can tell you right now that it will get to the same point sometime in the future.

Capital asks "What System?":

Comdial DXP. Maybe an MP5000 in our near future.


dtmf:

I'm not personally set on renumbering, I'm merely a happy employee working on my bosses wishes. He brought it up a long time ago -- and I sort of dismissed the request; gave it time to cool off. I brought it up again recently at a project status meeting and he indicated he still wanted it done. So now I'm collecting information and trying to figure out what kind of headaches I will encounter.

I'm most worried about our receptionist -- she has the extension numbers memorized and this would really throw her for weeks.

Next are the employees that have the following of people who know their extension already -- that will trip up some things.

Then there are the business cards...

Then the voicemail needs to be reworked...

Etc... etc...

It's a project that I am thrilled to do *if* the powers that be accept the potential problems. I am just trying to discover those problems _before_ we dive into this.

:-)

Thanks again,

-jeremy

I would just let them keep there current number, if they change all around you are correct the recpt and customers will not know who they are calling anymore not to mention the business cards and voice mail work, in my opion it's a bad move on your boss's part. But hey it's his call.

[This message has been edited by dtmf (edited August 10, 2005).]

move the ext with person. what does it matter where ext202 is, main building or across street? As long as jim bob gets his calls. Nightmare for recptionest and customer otherwise.

If you really need to renumber...

x101-109 Administration Offices
x110-119 Sales
x120-129 Customer Service

x201-210 Prodcution
x301-310 Shipping Reveiving

and so on... Just make sure that you have room for growth per number bank.

Also, keep a group of 10-20 or more for modems, etc. And the above staff are correct. No matter how you try to number, one area will grow more then expected and they'll have to be in a different number bank.

Your boss in on crack! Renumber extensions. Why??? If some phone guy told me I was getting a new extension because of physical location it would say no way. Try pulling this in an office of 10,000 phones. You'll be collecting unemployment the next day. The extension should have no physical tie to the location that someone sits. If you assign a person extension, it is theirs until they die, quit, or get fired. Doing this would confuse everyone. You boss has no clue what he is talking about and I would let him know that, but in a nice way.

You need to talk with your boss about what the customers reaction will be. Your receptionist gets paid to deal with the aggravation but remember your customers paY you to not have to deal with the aggravation. The only time a phone number should not follow an employee is if the number needs to stay with the department like customer service and the CSR moves to another dept.

Just print this thread and lay it on your boss' desk.

An extension goes with a person. If he wants them in order, move the people so that they are sitting in order. (This will probably mean that your boss will have to move too. Who will get HIS office? )


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BCM Guy
www.BCMguy.com
Learn more about the Nortel Networks Business Communications Manager HERE !

BCMGuy:

Perhaps I could renumber so that a BLF console gets the bosses office? Hee hee.

Anyways -- thanks for the responses. Funny, amusing, and considering the years of experience behind the words hard to refute. I appreciate that.

-jeremy h.