Hello all,
My sincere congratulation to all who generated this most wonderful site.

Are there any technical solutions to the following scenario -?

Let us imagine that there is a virtual office reception in the US. Mr. X makes a local call in that reception to talk to Mr. Y in the office. The local call is actually directed or routed to an offshore call center say India where Mr. X is attended by an agent. Mr. X tells the agent that he wants to talk to Mr. Y. and Mr. X is connected to Mr. Y's telephone in the US office.

Now, is there any way to implement this -?

The original call i.e. " US -> US >>> India " gets disconnected and " US -> US " gets established WITHOUT INTERRUPTING Mr. X. In other words, The flow of the call should be like:
1) US -> US
2) US >>> India
3) US >>> India >>> US
4) US -> US

Is it possible and if yes how? What is the technology?

I should be really appreciative and thankful if you care to answer my query!

Regards,
Anurag

Hello John

We have the capability and it works with POTS and VoIP if required.

The call is answered using a virtual pool of agents and they can be anywhere. The agent then uses the call transfer feature to connect to the correct person. Either with consultation or blind, this is done as a switched call rather than a tromboning call.
Such that if MR Y were engaged then the caller MR X would Queued in the PSTN network for MR Y.

How it works caller MR X rings local extn zero which diverts to an 0800 number (virtual reception)this is routed to India using NTS and answered by any agent with receptionist skill.

The agent then transfers the call to the correct DDI extension for Mr Y. If he answers then the call is completed, if he is busy the call is queued. If there is no reply then caller is either terminated or sent to voice mail.

As we offer this as aservice from the PSTN there is no capital expenditure.

All we need from you is either the Agent DDI number range or the ACD number in India and the transfer numbers in USA. These do not have to be local to the caller.

We would then charge a per minute fee for call duration.

As the call is routed through the 0800 number.

Hope that helps.

Thanks Paul!

Your solution sounds good!

1) Does this work good for UK and the Europe as well?
2) The most crucial point in this flow is to save long distance call charges! Please look below and confirm -

1) US -> US (starts with local call charge)
2) US >>> India (at this stage becomes international)
3) US >>> India >>> US (?? what is it when the call is deligating)
4) US -> US (THIS MUST become local again and NOT long distance call VIA INDIA)

Thanks.

Hi John

That's the whole point of having the call switched not tromboned as the call is no longer international once the Indian agent transfers the call.

The transfer function actually switches the call on the IN platform by recovering the call from the Indian agent and switching it to the new destination. The call could be local or national depending on where MR Y is located relative to MR X. MR Y location is determined by what number he wishes to be contacted on at the time of the call.

We have two methods of working either we have an IN platform in country of service or we use a GIS to route traffic to our IN platforms.

For example we have UK national rate callers being dealt with by South African Call centre agents. We have european free phone callers being dealt with by Dutch call centre agents, customers with a contract get the freephone number and non contact callers get a PRS number. We differentiate by asking the caller to key in their contract reference number. No contract reference te caller is diverted to the PRS number and then onto the Agent.

We have a lot of flexibility in call pre routing treatment.

kind regards,

Paul

I just would like to comment that although I am knowing not much about the telecommunications business, I am every single day becomming fascinated by the possibilities that are being opened up.

It really is amazing...

Paul you must be one of those chaps who are responsible for the security guards who monitor the video cameras at some places and the security guards are located in india!

I have heard amazing stories like this many times, and now I'm speaking to the people who know how to make it happen!

Hi Stephen,

It seems that you are managing to create replies/topics without comments. What browser/OS are you using? Is it Javascript compliant, do you know? I'm just trying to find out why you're managing to post around the comments' check (which is client-side Javascript).

Thanks,

John

Hello John,

I'm using the latest version of opera, windows 98. Hope that helps.

Kind Rgds

Stephen

Hi Stephen, do you have Javascript disabled, by any chance? If so, that'll be why there was a problem. Otherwise, maybe I need to test this site on Opera.

Thanks,

John

Hello John,

I think I see what your talking about, your talking about the automatic Re (something or other) is not automatically working.

Well I can say that Opera is a nice little browser, but it does have many incidences where little things do not work with various websites, ranging from big things, like entire websites not working and minor things like little glitches such as this.

It works as normal, and I think javascript must be enabled, I will check it, but I'm sure it is.

If it becomes a big problem I can allways use good old Internet Explorer.

If you are responsible for the design of the site, I think its rather a nice forum, with a nice display.

Best Rgds

Stephen

Hi Stephen,

Thanks - I'm glad you like my design. It's completely bespoke, actually, which has its plus and minus points - the plus ones being that I have complete control and if a thing needs added and I know how to, I can add it. The minus points are that I'm the only person who knows how it works, really, though the other guys help out. Without the resources that some bigger companies have for testing, it's easy to miss out certain combinations of os and browser, but I try my best.

Just wait until you see the new version of CCV - it's coming soon...

John

I was exceptionally impressed with the design of the site. I would imagine that in order to design a website as large and complex as this, you would be needing to be a computer programmer, or am I wrong about that?

I take particular interest in website design as I am a marketing person, I quite often am able to see things that developers or makers cannot. Quite often people seem to use technology for its own sake, an illustration is some of the "flash technology" that is in evident.

I saw an amazing sight recently, except that it took so long to load, that the average person would not stop to see what happened in the end...this applies to photograph sizes, letters, background colours, size of text, and many other aspects.

I am also starting up a small website design company alongside my new telemarketing company. I'm concentrating on low cost, professional websites for the small business user. The client who wants to get a net presence, does'nt have the time or inclination to do it himself, but does'nt want to pay a fortune at the same time, and does'nt want to do it over the internet on an anonymous basis either.

So I outsource the work and my new telemarketing company will also be able to get direct sales via the telephone.

What I noticed about your excellent site, is the colours are quite subtle and pleasing without being hard on the eye, and the way that each new contributor is listed is quite interesting, so you can see there contribution separate from the list. I thought that was rather interesting and quite unique.


How many thousands of pounds would a website like this take to make dare I ask?


In your opinion John, how many years does it take to really learn the actual craft of making websites, it seems that every man and his dog calls themselves a "webdesigner" but very few seem to be able to handle the really tough jobs, or be able to make a website from scratch.

Even my modest service, I am offering clients a choice of basic prescripted work, although they are professional in content, my skill, is sticking to what we are good at, and that is a website, but with limitations, the chap I use is having a few years experience but he's not at all in the league of making something like this for example.


Rgds

Stephen

So although our bread and butter will be conclentrating on small business starter websites, I again will outsource for a higher level of expertise, and a higher rate of course, if a client wants something more sophisticated.

I find most really good website designers are charging around £20 per hour..Is that about what you would think?

Kind Rgds

Stephen

Hi Stephen,

"I was exceptionally impressed with the design of the site. I would imagine that in order to design a website as large and complex as this, you would be needing to be a computer programmer, or am I wrong about that?"

No, you're right on the money - my background is interactive systems design, these days specialising in database backed technologies.

"Quite often people seem to use technology for its own sake, an illustration is some of the 'flash technology' that is in evident."

Very true. Much as though some Flash sites can be visually impressive, I generally surf elsewhere if I detect the presence of Flash. I might be unusual in feeling this way, but I've always regarded Flash as a backwards step in the genesis of the hyperlinked web - it encourages web 'islands' and some pretty damned garish interfaces. Worst of all, however, is that it encourages presentation over content, which in my mind is a bad thing...

John

"I am also starting up a small website design company alongside my new telemarketing company."

You should surf on over to my 'other' home, NewBusinessVoice as it might prove to be as useful if not more so than this site for your own business developments. You might be interested to hear that NBV (as we call it) is the 'generation 2' architecture, based on the CCV model. So, some of the funky things you will see there will shortly be introduced into the revised CCV.

"How many thousands of pounds would a website like this take to make dare I ask?"

It's difficult to place a figure on. In terms of my own development time, it's been almost three years on and off. Not full time development by any means - mainly part time - evenings and weekens - to begin with, but overall it must be running in the thousands of hours. As the whole lot - from the database design to the presentational html - was designed completely from scratch, without using any third party components or scripts, it wouldn't have been such a viable commercial concern and I don't mind saying that in terms of doing the same job for a client, it would have run into six figures I should think by now. However, it has been designed from the off to be generic, or at least configurable, which means that it can easily morph into a business site, or a running site, or a music site, or whatever.

John

"how many years does it take to really learn the actual craft of making websites, it seems that every man and his dog calls themselves a 'webdesigner' but very few seem to be able to handle the really tough jobs, or be able to make a website from scratch."

It can take some time, granted; you see, one of the really interesting things that I find is that there are different classifications of websites - ranging from the straightforward 'static brochure' style sites (which don't really do very much) to ones like this which are completely interactive. Then there are the big corporate and e-commerce sites, which are huge undertakings costing millions. Essentially, however, what you're alluding to is the 'design versus programming' issue - in other words, 'designers' don't really need to understand the inner workings of the internet, but can cobble/craft together a lovely looking static or modestly interactive site quite rapidly and at a reasonable cost - using tools (e.g. Dreamweaver) and templates (freely available). I fall into the programmer category, given that I'm not particularly graphical (can you tell?) - but designing and operating this site not only requires front-end skills (such as html and javascript) but also server-side technology (e.g. ASP, COM) and also DBA skills (running a SQL database with all that that entails). So, I suppose there's a 'jack of all trades' thing going on too!

"he's not at all in the league of making something like this for example."

Developing a community like this may seem like a daunting task when viewed as a whole, but don't think it was developed that way - no, not at all - it simply grew, I bolted bits on, hacked bits about, added features I liked the idea of (the unified view is my personal favourite) and learned a lot on the way. Running our own servers and having to deal with real hardcore internet connectivity types has been a real eye-opener!

You might want to read this, which is the bible which shaped my ideas behind this site - not so much in practical terms but in approach terms. It remains the best book about running a web community in print today. The full text lurks behind that link, but if you prefer a paper version, it is available.

"I find most really good website designers are charging around £20 per hour..Is that about what you would think?"

Some will, some won't. Price doesn't guarantee quality in either direction - there are kids who can do amazing things on a shoestring budget, and corporate types whose sloth-like and undynamic approach comes at a shocking price. However, now is a good time to hire as rates are depressed, and so £20/hr might well get someone half decent, whereas two years ago you could have been looking at £50/hr IME.

John

One thing I hate doing is disagreeing with someone but
I think Stephen may be a litle low in his pricings.

Current rates seem to be about:

Consultancy          £60.00 per hour or part thereof 

Support Services     £50.00 per hour or part thereof 

Maintenance Services £40.00 per hour or part thereof 

E-Commerce Services  £55.00 per hour or part thereof 

Graphic Design       £20.00 per hour or part thereof 

FLASH Animation      £70.00 per hour or part thereof 

If I could get £60/hour developing sites I'd be doing it, Dave...

Anyone hiring?

;)

John

PS. Try using <p> after your table in future; changes in html paragraphing can throw the paragraph, so you need a new tag.

Got it!

I didn't want to use too much code as I didn't wnat to muck up the CSS formatting.

The hourly rates were taken from here:

Webuilder

and here

Datadesignuk

I did think it was a bit steep £179 for a basic page!

I like the like to site design.

For the basics of setting up a page you can't beat:

Bare bones guide to HTML

Have fun

DaveA

Greetings John and Greetings Dave,

Dave, its my pleasure to have you disagree with me, its how we learn things. On the subject of websites and making websites, does anybody mind if we started a thread on this. It is part of the overall topic "telecommunications" as it is related to voip and world wide communications in general? But I thought to ask first as you might deem it to be "unrelated". Personally I'm absolutely fascinated by the internet.

I found the way you categorised the work and various jobs involved in the "internet industry" also quite interesting. I totally agree john, there are website designers and website builders and again programmers, each having their own field of expertise.

It is an interesting concept that you brought up as well John, "design versus content".

The conepts of good design and how something is put together and presenting the information is really interesting, and each is just as important, eg. a website that does'nt present information in the correct manner due to bad design is just as bad as a website that is not actually working, in general terms.


Although I am not a website builder, I am able to make decisions about websites that designers and website builders would not necessarily think about.

For example the issues and concepts with using flash or not, the issues of having a website built in such basis building blocks that it becomes easier to be used by the majority of website browsers etc.etc.etc.

The issues of having pictures that load in the optimum time frame and such things as these are all issues that can easily be overlooked.

I think the successful complete service should have a bit of everything in it.

But its very interesting to break down all these ideas that each of us bring up.

Particularly the price! As this is quite a big area of course :)

So in general terms does anybody have an idea of what price a person would have to pay for a basic small business package hosted for a year without adverts on the server of course...a basic "brochure type" decent website.....of about five to ten pages?


Does anybody have any suggestions on where to start looking to make relations with someone who I can subcontract any advanced work we get?

As with all things we are likely to get asked about some interactive type of sites...I would not want to turn work away, but I would not attempt something that at the moment is beyond my comfort zone...

Anything beyond a really nice brochure type display..or a little bit interactive is not in my comfort zone of operations at the mo.


Best Rgds

Stephen

I am offering a basic website design, brochure style, not interactive, just with nice photographs, and wording everything in a very nice way, nice colours and nice simpe presentation, with a name, and registration, all for £40.50, and that inclusive package means they have to pay £5 per month for one years hosting, and they have to pay the £5/month charge twelve months in advance...

So, all in all they get...


1/Few Thousand words
2/ Pictures
3/ basic number of pages which is normal for the average small business/professional website...
4/unlimited email addresses.
5/ Hosting
5/ Name registration
6/ It also includes submission to the search engines. Which does'nt really take much time up anyways.

All for £49.95 plus £60 in advance.

This is my special introductory offer to the first ten or twenty clients..in my local area..


Can anybody comment? I am just going to go through the telephone business phone book, phoning up anybody who I think might be interested.

Does anybody think this will be easy to sell? Or does anybody have any coments that they might make..I am hoping it is going to be a good deal.

I am able to talk to them over the phone..or they can come to my house to discuss basic details if they wish...

I am hoping that each customer who gets it at that good rate, will then pass on my name to a few other people..

And that is my idea for it generating work....there seem to be so many people providing website design services that I just thought it seemed difficult to get customers if there are so many people who are already doing it.


Any comments would really be appreciated.

Please note that these is strictly the basic kind of website offering brochure style services..

It is not interactive, or shops, although we can do shops also.

The guy who is doing the subcontracting work for me, is having the basic skill, but not the maketing understanding and not really knowing how to put things into marketing language..eg. presentation writting..

So I'm hoping it is going to be a good business..


Rgds

Stephen

IN short do you think I will get many clients or any clients?