I need a certain type of phone system

March 2, 2009 9:07 PM

Is there a system/business/company out there that has the following phone system setup:

(I'm asking this anonymously since I don't want some business associates to know.)

I'm trying to find out if the following type of system exists:
- Will let me dial in and "wait" on the line to receive calls
- Has an "unlimited" (virtually) supply of numbers that other people can call and use to talk to me

So, for example, let's say that I want to call a number, for example 555-555-1110, wait on the line and have person A call me on number 555-555-1111, then person B call me on number 555-555-1112, then person C call me on number 555-555-1113, etc ad nausem, and each number will "forward" to me with me staying on the line. (I don't need to talk to all of them at the same time, so it's not a conference line.) The numbers don't have to be sequential; the process is all that matters.

Ultra mega bonus points if there's something like this setup for free, regardless of whether it's meant to be used like this or not.

Does a system like this exist? Sorry if the question is weird, but I can't go into too much detail without breaking my anon cover. :)

posted by anonymous to grab bag (4 comments total)

I don't see how you would implement an "unlimited supply of numbers" because you would need to own those numbers. The easiest way to do what I think you are trying to do would be to get one number and setup some call center software, so that when people call in they hear some message and wait for you, and you can pick up the calls at will or in order.
posted by sophist at 10:44 PM on March 2

Unlimited numbers is a problem, because, as sophist says, you have to rent the numbers. Here in Australia, you can rent a block of 100 numbers if you have an ISDN connection (this may have changed - it's been a few years since I was involved in this stuff). From there, pretty much any good phone system will be able to be programmed to allow you to pick up/put on hold/pick back up any number of calls, up to the limit of the particular handset.

Except that it sounds like you want to do this remotely, rather than being tied to a physical location, which most likely makes it impossible, unless the system allows you to "dial-in" to your extension and operate the handset remotely (unlikely).

Is it possible that, in this new age of connectivity, you could use multiple Skype accounts or similar to achieve this, rather than looking for a ready-made system?
posted by dg at 11:52 PM on March 2

You will definitely have to pay for the DID, those aren't given out for free as others have stated. I think what you essentially want is the ability to put people in an on hold queue. I don't think this is available with the entry level phone systems, either Cisco Unified CallManager or Asterisk. I think you'd have to go with a call center specific setup, which Cisco can definitely provide, but even with their basic setup you're looking at quite a bit money in licensing.

You might want to look at a SIP line, there are a number of SIP providers out there and it'll probably be the best bet for cost per line. I'm guessing someone's done something like this in Asterisk. What you're looking for is most certainly referred to as "inbound call control." Keep in mind that rolling your own for free is going to be a huge time sink if you don't have a solid understanding of VoIP and networking.
posted by geoff. at 5:43 AM on March 3

I know you don't want to blow your cover, but it's hard to suggest alternate ideas without knowing what kind of application it will be used for. Running your own business on company time from your cell phone? Is it essential that all your inbound callers get different access numbers, or can they get the same one? Is it essential that you have to dial out first, or can your cell phone ring inbound?

I can suggest Toktumi. It's not what you asked, but maybe it's an alternate way to get what you want. You can get an 800 number that forwards to your cell phone, does conference calls, forwards certain inbound callers to voice mail or a voice menu system, or to alternate real phone numbers. Inbound callers do not get your real phone number, they can only see the 800 number they call. It has a 30 day free trial.

I don't know of anything that does exactly what you're asking, but maybe that will help.
posted by ctmf at 12:41 PM on March 3