Hardware Infrastructure

Equipment Our ACD/PBX is an Inter-Tel Access that is currently configured for one node supporting 1024 ports. The PBX is expandable to 26 nodes giving capacity for growth up to 26,000 ports. Each port can be configured as either an inbound trunk or an operator station. Additional nodes can be established at remote locations via TCP/IP. Each operator terminal is Intel-based Pentium 3 or better running Windows 2000. IBM servers are used for data and communication servers. Network switching is done on 3Com switches. An inventory of spare parts is available for all of our systems.

Our office suite consists of two spaces on opposite sides of the building. Each space has the ability to function independently. Each space has separate electrical systems. Battery backups are on all systems. 1000Tx Fiber connects to two spaces. A bank of switches in each space provides 100-Base-T to each workstation.

Topology A DS-3 is installed in our office, giving us direct connection to Paetec Communications. We also have a T-3 connecting us to Verizon. The DS-3 is our primary telco connection. The T-3 can be used in the event of failure. (See picture on next page.)

Software

We use CTI Software's Suite Answer Center software, which offers the following features:

• Integration of the computer with the telephone system
• Call screening
• Answer and transfer
• Paperless text messaging direct from an incoming call to a computer file
• Voice mail
• Station transfer
• Voice mail
• Hold
• Auto text recording
• Transfer to beeper
• Different location

Clients can customize the software for their own needs:

• Personalize and record greetings.
• Record and distribute voice memos.
• Set voice-mail mode to ensure messages are received during busy/no answer situations.
• Retrieve messages after hours.

The system offers powerful automated features:

• Auto attendant. An automated receptionist allows callers to transfer directly to a client's extension after business hours.
• Voice-mail check-in lines. Clients can retrieve messages any time, day or night, without a receptionist on duty.

In addition to the above, the Suite Answer Center has powerful system features:

• Modularity. It is easy to add consoles, which share the same database.
• Sophisticated back-office reporting. Detailed reports show response time for each call, average time in queue, and abandoned calls.

This system is a commercial third-party system. Our strategy to improve on it is to purchase best-of-breed systems as they become available and prove their worth.

Tech

No Downtime: 1-800-We Answer New York Phone Systems has the latest technology, back-up systems, disaster recovery systems, contingency power sources and utility providers to enable it to stay up and running at least 99.5% of the time. If service goes down, you or your clients lose money.

Maximum Simultaneous Call Volume

We can manage 48 simultaneous live calls with our current configuration. The duration and complexity of calls limits the number of simultaneous calls we can answer with our automated CTI software.

On rare occasion held calls receive a standard or customized message on connection and while they hold. The operator can see the status of held calls on the screen.

Telecommunications Infrastructure

The great variations in desired service among our various clients make statistical modeling of such data very difficult. In any case, we can scale our capacity upwards as requirements merit. Our current peak load is about 500 calls per hour.

Our hardware has the following specifications:

• Rack-mounted industrial platform
• High-capacity redundant hot-swappable hard drive
• Up to 1400 hours of message capacity
• Shock-mounted drive bays
  
• Dual load-sharing hot-swappable power supply
• 24-port Dialogic D-240-SC-T1 cards
• Up to 480 ports per system
• Global message redundancy (incremental backup)
• Failure alarms for power supply, fan failure, high temperature
• Four filtered air-intake vents featuring 82 CFM ball-bearing fans (3 hot-swappable)
• Virtually unlimited voice-mail boxes

Interconnection with clients

Clients can interconnect to us in one of several ways:

• Forward their calls to us, either immediately or after a certain number of rings.
• Hand out our number to people who wish to contact them.
• Terminate an 800 number on one of our numbers.
• Configure their systems to ours.

Our role in providing interconnections allows us to assist the client in three ways:

• Dealing with the phone company
• Dealing with other vendors
• Consultation with the client's own telecommunications department

Our responsibility is for the services we provide after we receive a call and before it is transmitted by the common carrier outside our offices.

Disaster Recovery

Everyone is now especially conscious of the problems of disaster recovery. 1-800-We Answer New York Phone Systems disaster-recovery procedures embrace phone outage, software, and hardware.

Phone outage 1-800-We Answer New York Phone Systems primary telecom provider is Paetec. We have the following recovery procedures in case of phone outage:

1. If one T1 (24-channel circuit) goes bad, the system will automatically hunt to the second T1 on that hunting group.

2. If both T1s go bad simultaneously, Paetec will reroute traffic on the fly to a standby copper-wired T1, bypassing the failing MUXes.

3. If Paetec goes down completely (e.g., because of a bomb), we have an auxiliary phone system with 12 hunting lines through Verizon.

A secondary number may be provided upon inception of service to you. This number will be a portable 800 number that can be moved to one of two other locations in the event of disaster.

Software In the event of a software problem, our technical staff is immediately notified and the error is isolated. The first backup can be reloaded from the initial computer. The second backup can be loaded from an on-site computer in the network. The third backup is located on site but, in order to eliminate vulnerability to computer viruses, is not on the network.

Our hardware has the following protective and redundancy features:

• Rack-mounted industrial platform
• High-capacity redundant hot-swappable hard drive
• Shock-mounted drive bays
• Dual-load-sharing hot-swappable power supply
• Global message redundancy (incremental backup)
• Failure alarms for power supply, fan failure, or high temperature
• Four filtered air-intake vents featuring 82 CFM ball-bearing fans (3 hot-swappable)
• On-line hard-disk de-fragmentation

In the event of a hardware error, our technical staff uses the following procedures:

1. If the error can be cleared by reset, this is done after carefully noting the problem.

2. If there is a failure of a hardware component, the technician in charge decides if it is better to replace the defective part or to switch to the backup redundant system. An inventory of spare parts is kept on site and most components can be replaced while the system is running.

3. In case of fire or other unforeseen disasters, backup systems are kept on site and off site.

Digital Directories

A digital directory can be loaded from many popular database formats. The data is imported to either a Microsoft Access database or directly in the CTI software Oracle database.

Updates to clients' digital directories are handled based on scale. Small updates are done manually. Larger updates require that the digital directory be re-imported. A backup of all databases is performed daily. The actual data files are stored on servers that use Windows permissions for access. Unauthorized users cannot modify or copy data.

We can accept directories in Excel, Word, plain text, HTML, or other common formats, on floppy disk, CD, or ordinary E-mail. We are in the process of upgrading to the capability to accept E-mail with encryption by Pretty Good Privacy (PGP). We will also be glad to take whatever measures may be necessary to accommodate any other formats required.

E-Mail

We currently use Microsoft Outlook for regular office E-mail. We use Post Office on our mail server. Agents have the ability to send and receive external e-mail including attachments. We are not working with any clients within their own e-mail environment. Agents use the E-mail facilities built into our CTI software, which are integrated with Microsoft Office.

Call (800) We-Answer for details.