Skand Bhargava's Call Accounting Solutions

Order Cancelled...

2011-07-19T06:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday an order was cancelled.

This customer was enjoying 25 extensions license for last 4 years. Now they wanted to upgrade to 50 extensions license. A quotation was sent for Dh. 1250/-, our standard price for upgrading from 25 to 50 extensions for Panasonic PBX. Without further communication, we received a purchase order for an amount of Dh. 1100/-. We wrote back that apparently there was a mistake. It seems the general manager of the company had unilaterally decided that Dh. 1100/- should be the price and asked the PO to be sent without even bothering to get in touch with us! When they received our email the order was cancelled! I have not seen this kind of strange business dealing earlier...

Local Calls May Be Free But...

2011-04-14T01:33:00.000-07:00

As a director of a medium sized company mentioned few days back, "Local calls may be free, but the employees' time is definitely not! Add to that the fact that lines are kept busy unnecessarily. So business suffers due to both - unproductive time of employees and customers not able to contact us. We cannot allow that."
Good point!
It's not always the cost, but other factors that require keeping an eye on for better management. They are using NEC system with 4 lines and 25 extensions. As soon as he saw CAMS2000 reports, he immediate recognised the benefits and placed order for installation.

Call Accounting Reports Also Work As Accounting Tool

2009-04-18T23:37:00.000-07:00

One of the tedious job for accountants is to charge back employees for their personal use of office phones. Going through phone bills can be quite tiresome.

Call Accounting software like CAMS2000 also works as an accounting tool. For example you can filter calls that are above a certain limit. You can filter for international calls only. You can combine two criteria - like a report that includes only National calls (local and International are ignored) that cost at least 2.00.

Helps in charging back the employees for their personal calls
Helps in allocating departmental cost

Checkout http://www.softoolsme.com/gulf/uae/cams2000.htm

Skand Bhargava
When you have CAMS2000, you are Relaxed.
…Because You Are In Control.

More About Call Accounting System As A Management Tool

2009-04-14T00:08:00.001-07:00

The M of Management sits well with the three Ms of Manpower, Money & Material! After all what is business "Management" all about? Isn't it about managing these three Ms optimally? A good Telephone Call Accounting & Management software like CAMS2000 should help you in these matters too…

Want to know which calls were your costliest? - Money
Or longest duration? - Manpower
Or which numbers are contacted most frequently and keep phones busy? - Material

Knowledge of such information lead to cost control and increased efficiency.

When go through information like above, in no time you start wishing for a method by which you could have closer look at some specific data easily.

For example, you may like to see calls made between a certain time of the day only. Or you may like to check calls which are costlier than a certain amount. Or perhaps you may like to list all the calls made to a certain number.

A good Call Accounting system should allow you to filter data in many ways. The CAMS2000 call accounting software solution prefaces each report with an easy to use filter. What I mean by 'easy to use' is that if you do not want to filter any parameter (wish to take a complete report), you do not have to do anything - just click on the Report button - but if you do wish to filter the report, simply key-in your values in the pre-defined fields of the filter screen. Nothing could be easier. Checkout all this on http://www.softoolsme.com/gulf/uae/cams2000.htm

Skand Bhargava
Call Accounting Time & Attendance Personnel & Payroll

Call Accounting Software Is A Management Tool Too

2009-04-12T23:43:00.000-07:00

A good Call Accounting Software like CAMS2000 is also used as management tool.

Would you like to know in how many rings employees pick up incoming calls in your office?

Would you like to have a list of phone numbers for which you want separate report, if someone calls these numbers?

Would you like to know if you have enough lines?

Would you like to see summary of calls made by employees in a month?

Would you like to summary of calls by different departments?

Or do you simply want to see some extension wise call details?

CAMS2000 provides all this and more!! Of course some features depend on PBX capabilities.

Checkout all this on http://www.softoolsme.com/gulf/uae/cams2000.htm

Skand Bhargava
Call Accounting | Time & Attendance | Personnel & Payroll

How Does Call Accounting Software Work?

2009-04-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

How can telephone calls appear as a computer report? This mystifies many. Actually it is no mystery! This is how it happens:

1. A PC is connected to the PABX.

2. After every call is completed, the PABX sends details of the call to the PC.

3. CAMS2000, which is running on the PC, receives the data.

4. CAMS2000 processes the data, stores the information in database and makes available the powerful reports you saw.

This, in a nutshell, is how it works.

But how is PC connected to the PABX? The short answer is: "Using SMDR Interface". Is this technical jargon scaring you? No need to, because from a user's point of view it is just a socket to which one end of the cable is connected; the other end is connected to COM1 or COM2 serial port of the PC.

OK, I know COM1 port is that 9-pin socket in the back of my PC, but where do I get SMDR interface for my PABX? Depending upon the manufacturer and model, the SMDR interface may already be in your PABX. It could be 25 pins or 9 pins serial connector somewhere on the PABX frame (e.g. Panasonic PABX's have built-in SMDR interfaces, fixed on right side wall).

If you do not have a built-in SMDR, then you will have to purchase and have it fixed. As an example, NEC's Nice32i does not come with SMDR interface. You need to purchase it separately. It looks like any electronic circuit board and has a 25 pins socket. Surprisingly it is not fixed inside the PABX box! It is fixed inside a telephone (16 or 24 buttons phone is needed – won't fit into a 12 button phone).

Nortel's Meridian also does not come with SMDR – you need to purchase it. It looks like a small external modem. It fits between the PABX and one of the phones.

Panasonic and Samsung PABX (one model at least) comes with built-in SMDR interface.

Does SMDR stand for something? Yes, it stands for Station Message Detail Recording, but I would advise against using the full name while purchasing. The salesman may tell you that they don't have it! Just ask for SMDR interface.

So what all do I need? You need SMDR interface, a serial cable with correct Pin configurations, correct data speed, parity etc to be setup, a PC, a PABX and CAMS2000 software.

Would I need anything else? You may need the services of PABX supplier's technician to program the SMDR so that data transfer starts. In Panasonic or Samsung, the moment you connect the right cable, setup correct port settings, data starts flowing. Not so in Nice32i. You need services of a technician from PABX supplier to program the SMDR so that data starts flowing.

Skand Bhargava
Call Accounting | Time & Attendance | Personnel & Payroll

Is your customer complaining?

2009-03-30T22:25:00.001-07:00

"Why don't your people pick up phone? It just keeps ringing"

May be it happened just once and the client is generalising (he was in a bad mood). Or may be there is a real issue out here!!

What you need is a report that tells you in how many rings, phone calls are picked up in your office. Some call accounting systems provide this information. CAMS2000 is one of them. The "Inward Calls Ring Analysis" report gives you this information. It analyses in 24 hour spread, so that you can even check if the problem is only during some time slots.

With information at your fingertips, you are better prepared for action.

To Your Success!

Skand Bhargava

Softools Middle East

http://www.softoolsme.com

CAMS2000 Introduction & Reports.

2009-03-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

Telephone Call Accounting Management System is a system that reads data from PABX system and produces various reports to help management to monitor and then control the companies telephones cost, mis-use.

Listed are the reports generated by the CAMS2000 system.

Features & Reports:
· Powerful Filtering facility for every report.
· Time Duration of Each Call.
· Call charges for each call.
· Handles Full & Reduces rates per call.
· Day-Wise report
· Extension-Wise Report
· Cost-Wise Top calls
· Duration-Wise Top calls.
. Frequently-Contacted Wise Top calls
· Call Analysis for International/National/Local calls
· Call Analysis for Department/Division
· User Information (If PIN is supported by PABX)
. Lines Analysis to analyse business needs
. Rings Analysis to analyse answering of in-comings calls
. Export basic data in Excel format
. Purge of old data
. User & Password maintenance

"If you don't know what's happening, you can't change it."

Skand Bhargava
Softools Middle East