I want to setup a simple home call center using Skype.

July 20, 2009 9:42 AM

I want to setup a simple home call center using Skype.

Basically, I want a SkypeIn number to ring a phone in my house and, if no one picks up, route to an automated message that allows the caller to hit #1 or #2 to call my cell phone or other phone. Most of the solutions (like PrettyMay) that can do this are for businesses, and therefore very expensive. Is there a cheap or free home solution? Mac or Windows, whichever.

posted by nitsuj to computers & internet (8 comments total)

This sounds like a job for asterisk or free switch. For one call, you might be able to get away with it running an a virtual machine. Look here and here.
posted by Climber at 9:56 AM on July 20

Can you use call diversion to set this up? That might be the simplest way if Skype has good call diversion options built in.
posted by Lolie at 10:17 AM on July 20

Seconding that Asterisk or FreeSwitch are really the 'right' way to go about this. However, when you take in to account the time needed for installation, learning and configuration of these very flexible free solutions, you may find that PrettyMays $200 solution isn't that expensive if it meets your needs.
posted by dirm at 11:09 AM on July 20

Skype alone will do something like this. However, I am pretty sure there is a per minute fee when you transfer calls to cell phones.
posted by 517 at 11:52 AM on July 20

Also a heads-up. If you get a subscription, you still need to buy $10 in skype credit to set up the caller ID feature. If you don't set-up the caller ID, your calls will show as something like 0001234 or some random local number.
posted by 517 at 11:54 AM on July 20

can you get possibly get a google voice account? You can set it up to ring several phones at once for free. The downside is that you would have to give everyone your new google voice number instead of using skype, because they don't support number porting yet.

Otherwise, Asterisk seems to be the next best choice in terms of flexibility and cost.
posted by 4n0nym0u5 at 12:03 PM on July 20

Google Voice?
posted by SirStan at 12:24 PM on July 20

I have a Google Voice account, but as far as I can tell, it doesn't do what I need it to: Create a phone tree, e.g. "Press 1 for this, press 2 for that."
posted by nitsuj at 1:24 PM on July 20