Connecting Third-Party PC Attendant Consoles

Winter, 2004

When interfacing a third-party PC attendant, there are three general approaches available, plus a forth alternative:

• Serial Connection (also called first party control) provides a direct physical connection between the agent's PC and phone (via a serial cable, generally at 9600 baud).  PC software bridges the phone's telephony functions to the PC keyboard; the agent audio is provided via the agent's phone.  Screen pops are produced from phone display information that is tied to specific database information.

• Network Connection (also called third party control) offers further enhancements to the serial connection, as well as speed (100 Mbps or higher).  This integration layers a telephony server between agents, the PBX, and the database server.  Agent audio is  provided by the agent phone set.  Because of the increased throughput and the benefits of a network-centric solution, network connections are becoming preferred over serial connections.

• Telephony Interface is ideal for closed PBX systems and particularly for older systems where serial connections and network connections are not available or when vendors are not supportive of third-party equipment.  This implementation merely connects two switches (the PBX and the third-party attendant switch) together via telephony trunks, be it PRI-ISDN, T-1, or even E&M.  Calls are automatically transferred, as needed, from the PBX to third-party switch and back or one switch can front-end the other one.  A telephony interface is an excellent way to breathe new life into and add advanced features to an aging or limited PBX, ACD, telephone switch, or even a key system.

• Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a newer technology that sends data and voice (as packets) over the same network connection.  Although this approach offers compelling and future-focused benefits, the prevailing feeling is that this is not yet sufficiently proven to be appropriate in a medical environment, which handles calls of a life and death nature.

The connection method used is not so much a function of the third-party vendor, but is more often a result of the PBX vendor and their preferred method.  Third-party vendors will use whichever approach is warranted for a specific installation and application.  Software-based PC attendants do not have their own switch and use either a serial or network connection.  Hardware-based PC attendant vendors are ideally suited for telephony interfaces, but may be able to also accommodate serial or network connections.

See The PBX Attendant Console and PC console software providers for more information.