Access Number Features
From Net2MAX
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1. Access Number Features | |
Contents |
1 Introduction
Net2MAX Access Number provides a worldwide network of toll-free phone numbers for you and your callers to access the online world at the cost of a local call.
Callers do not have to pay any long distance call charges to contact a member or to access a member's voice devices and applications. For example, toll-free accesses to member's:
- Normal Phones....(landline or mobile)
- Internet Phones..(software or hardware)
- Web PABX.........(automatic voice response system)
- Fax Machine......(fax deliver to member email box)
Access Number is a very cost effective and fast way of gaining global presence rapidly and cheaply, by allowing people worldwide to contact you, or you to contact them, for the cost of a local call.
2 Usage Examples
With Access Numbers, incoming and outgoing, international and national toll-free calls are now accessible to anyone - from small businesses to teenagers.
2.1 Incoming Calls
Access Numbers is the cheapest way for the member to receiving incoming calls worldwide.
Having a worldwide network of access numbers expands a business’s reach by offering its remote customers the ability to contact it without having to pay long distance call charges. This is particularly important for web-enabled businesses, since their web sites are accessible by people near and far – anywhere around the world.
2.2 Outgoing Calls
The worldwide network of Access Numbers is also useful for members to make outgoing calls. Net2MAX members can dial into any Access Number, using any phone, to make calls to any other phones (either normal or Internet phones) in the world. There’s no need to waste time and money buying phone cards anymore.
Access Numbers allow the members to access their Web Dialler,so they can use their prefer phone rates from any country of their choice - independent of where they are located in the world.
3 Lowest Costs
Traditional toll-free phone numbers (e.g. 138813 in Australia) are very expensive and are out of the reach of most organisations and individuals.
Access Number revolutionises the traditional toll-free system, by providing cost savings for both inbound and outbound, allowing everyone to be accessible toll-free.
3.1 Reduced Inbound Costs
Member Network
Besides Net2MAX's own expanding deployment (see Access Number List), members can also take advantage of each others presence around the world. Members can easily make Access Number functionality available to other member on any phone lines or phone numbers they own, via the Web PABX Function - either for free or by charging a small connection fee (using Chargeable Call Function).
This mean more opportunity for cost saving, since there will be more chance of finding local Access Numbers in where ever you go.
Call Back
For people on expensive call rates (e.g. those with mobile phones or are far away from the nearest Access Number), Access Number's Call Back feature allows them to call Access Numbers worldwide for FREE - Access Number will detect their phone number WITHOUT answering the call and then call them back using any carrier of their choice via the Web Dialler.
3.2 Reduced Outbound Costs
Always Cheapest
Outgoing calls made using the Access Numbers are always at the LOWEST price possible, thanks to the integration with Web Dialler - the call rates from any phone service provider in the world can be used AUTOMATICALLY (based on member defined criteria) for calling out from any Access Number worldwide.
VoIP Transport
Access Number uses Voice over IP to link the ingress points of inbound calls with the egress points of outbound calls seamlessly worldwide, resulting in substantial savings (especially over long distances).
4 Widest Coverage
Access Number is the ONLY toll-free service in the world that supports 3 levels of toll-free numbers to suit different requirements. Together City, National and International access numbers covers most locations and most applications on earth.
4.1 City Access Numbers
A City Access Number is a local phone number in the caller's own city or town. It can be dialled, just like any other local number in that city, for the cost of a local call only.
Worldwide, Net2MAX has more than 80 (and growing) cities with Access Numbers, so more people can call you by only paying the cost of a local call. You can also use these Access Numbers to make calls in all those cities yourself.
City Access Numbers are the preferred Access Numbers to use since they allow UNLIMITED talk time.
The full list is at City Access Number List.
4.2 National Access Numbers
National Access Numbers can be accessed for the cost of a local call to the caller, from anywhere across a whole country, not just a city. They are sometimes called "free-call numbers" (where there is no charge at all to the caller) or "toll-free numbers" (where there is no long distance charge to the caller).
Having one National Access Number for a whole country is also useful when a Net2MAX Member is away from her/his home town and doesn't want to waste time looking up the individual City Access Number for the city they are in.
The full list is at National Access Number List.
4.3 International Access Numbers
Net2MAX is the only phone provider in the world to offer its members a SINGLE international toll-free phone number (+800 4455 1234) across MULTIPLE nations, without any setup or monthly fees. (Note: a small usage fee applies)
This is useful for organisations that operate in several countries. For example, those who advertise on Satellite TV can provide the same single phone number to TV audiences in different countries.
The full list is at International Access Number List.
4.4 Use Competitors' Numbers
There are locations in the world where Net2MAX members might want an Access Number, but where Net2MAX does not yet have one. In those cases, members can go to our competitors and, by using the External Phone Account feature of Web PABX, map our competitors' dial-in phone numbers into the Net2MAX platform.
The Net2MAX platform lets you merge any dial-in phone number services, whether or not they belong to the Net2MAX infrastructure, to create the greatest possible Access Number coverage.
5 Simpler Operation
5.1 Short Access Numbers
A phone number that’s short and easy to remember is extremely important for both the callers (so they can remember it easily) and yourself (so you can give it out easily).
Net2MAX always attempts to get the easiest to remember toll-free numbers (like the 6-digit 138813 for Australia).
5.2 Single Dialing Format
Callers do not have to use different dialling formats to contact Net2MAX Members' different types of phones.
The standard international dialling format (with country code and area code preceding the phone number) is used to contact any type of phone (Normal Phone, Internet Phone, Web PABX).
For example, when a caller enters 61 2 9217 6000, he could be connected to a normal phone (plugged into that phone line), an Internet phone (assigned to that phone number) or a Web PABX (for advanced call processing).
As the type of destination phone device is transparent to callers, there is no need for them to change their normal dialling habits.
5.3 Realtime Modification
At any time, you can quickly change the "target" phone number for an Access Number via the web (and in most cases via the phone) - unlike traditional toll-free numbers which are very expensive and difficult to configure.
This is very useful for travellers who are moving around and constantly changing phone numbers. People can just ring them and they’ll be connected through to whatever phone number the traveller selects.
6 Increased Functionality
The increased worldwide reach provided by Access Number is complemented by increased call processing capabilities.
6.1 Calls to Verified Destination Numbers
Net2MAX members can turn any normal phone numbers (landline and mobile) that they own into worldwide toll-free numbers by setting them up as Verified Destination Numbers. Once the system has verified that the members really do own certain phone numbers, callers can then use Access Numbers to contact a member on their Verified Destination Numbers, without incurring any long distance call charges.
In the above example, the number +61 2 9217 6000 (in Sydney Australia) is a Verified Destination Number. Callers can reach the Net2MAX member toll-free by first dialing the Access Number 138813, and then entering 61292176000.
Anyone in the world can made toll-free calls to Verified Destination Numbers, by simply entering them when prompted by the system for a destination number.
6.2 Calls to NON Verified Destination Numbers
When a caller enters a destination number that has NOT been verified, the caller will be prompted to provide account details to complete the call. This allows the call to be charged to an account. It is similar to using a “phone card”, It is a 3-step process.
In the example above, the number +612-9217-6011 is NOT a Verified Destination Number. After a caller dials the Access Number 138813 and enters 61292176011, he/she will be prompted to enter the account number and corresponding PIN.
Since only Net2MAX members have valid accounts, steps 2 & 3 allows calls to non-verified normal phone numbers via an Access Number by persons trusted and authorised by the Net2MAX member.
6.3 Calls to Web PABX
Besides transferring callers to the SAME normal phone number as the entered Verified Destination Number, it is possible to transfer the call to a Web PABX instead.
Web PABX provides intelligent handling of both incoming and outgoing calls via the Access Number - calls can be processed (record voice messages, join audio conferences, access web sites) and transferred to different phone numbers (normal or internet phones).
Through Web PABX, other Net2MAX Functions like Chargeable Call (to bill the caller for call duration) or Smart Message (to provide text processing functionality like short message service and text to speech).
6.4 Calls to Internet Phone
Besides transferring callers to the normal phones and PABXs, it is possible to transfer the call directly to an internet phones.
Net2MAX members without Web PABX can to enjoy the benefit of having calls to their Verified Destination Numbers transferred to their internet phones.
6.5 Calls to Fax Machine
Besides transferring callers to telephones or PABXs, it is possible to transfer the call to a Fax Machine instead.
Net2MAX members can transfer callers of a specific destination phone number (the Verified Destination Number) to a fax machine, which will receive the fax and forward the fax as an image file (PDF or TIFF) to the Net2MAX member's email box.
It is also possible to enable automatic fax detection, so calls from Access Numbers can be handled by BOTH the fax machine and Web PABX. The calling device (fax or voice) will automatically identified and the call sent to the appropriate answering device.
6.6 Calls from Internet Phones
Besides worldwide toll-free access from Normal Phones, Verified Destination Numbers can also be accessed free from Internet Phones.
Public without Internet Phones
Public without existing Internet Phone accounts can call Verified Destination Numbers from their computer by downloading the Soft-Dial program. There is no need to enter any account information or password to use the program, there is no need to supply any identifying information, just enter the register destination number into the program and that number will be dialed.
Public with Internet Phones
Public with existing Internet Phone accounts can call Verified Destination Numbers for free via e164.name.
Net2MAX members can choose to insert their Verified Destination Numbers into the ENUM e164.name domain from the Message Portal. Once inside the domain, any internet phone devices or internet phone networks that support the ENUM standard can use the e164.name domain to make free calls to the Net2MAX Member's Internet Phone or Web PABX.
The callers simply dial the Verified Destination Number on their Internet Phone and they will be transferred to the member's Internet Phone or Web PABX.
7 Improved Security
7.1 Verified Origination Numbers
Members can also define a list of trusted incoming phone numbers (called Verified Origination Numbers) to reduce the number of steps required to process calls from those phone numbers to an Access Phone Number.
Once an origination phone number has been verified by the system, the system will trust that it is the member who is making the call from that number and there is no need to enter member's account number and password in order to access "Members Only" services anymore.
7.2 Two Steps Calling
Normally, when a destination phone number is a normal phone, the caller has to supply account information to the system in an extra third step - since that call will be charged. The only exception to this is when the normal number is a "Verified Destination Number".
With Verified Origination Numbers, members calling from those numbers can make calls to any phone number (even to NON-Verified Destination Numbers), WITHOUT being asked to supply account information.
Since no authentication is required, this turns what is normally a 3-step process
into only 2 steps.
7.3 One Step Calling
Alternatively, a Verified Origination Number can be set up so members making a call from that verified phone number can go straight to their Web PABX , WITHOUT having to enter a destination phone number.
Since no authentication and no destination number are required, this turns a normally 3-step process into only 1 step.
8 Access Number Demonstration
This demonstration uses a Net2MAX Station in Sydney, Australia. So if you are far away, the voice and fax quality will be affected. But it is amazing how well it work even when you are far away.
8.1 Voice
Using any phone:
- Ring into one of the phone number on the Access Number List. For example, if you are in Australia, dial 138813.
- Select your preferred language. For example, 1 for English.
- Enter the demonstration phone number 61290112121 followed by #.
- The call will be answered and a voice menu offering you 3 selections:
- Voice Echo Test - press 1 for voice delay test (which echoes what you say immediately back to you) and press 2 for voice quality test (which records your voice and play back later when you finished).
- Key Pad Input Text - press digits on your phone to see whether they get picked up.
- Public Audio Conference - get a few people to join the conference (all press 3) and experience the power of multi-party chat.
- The call will be answered and a voice menu offering you 3 selections:
8.2 Fax
Using any fax:
- Ring into one of the phone number on the Access Number List with facsimile support. For example, if you are in Australia, dial 138813.
- Select your preferred language. For example, 1 for English.
- Enter the demonstration phone number 61290112121 followed by #.
- Press the "Send" button on your fax machine.
- You will see your fax on under the Control Panel -> File tab on 61290112121's Online Conference at http://conference.net2max.com/61290112121
8.3 Other Goodies
- Using Computer Speech: The voice prompts you hear in Access Number demonstration above is created by Net2MAX's computer speech engine inside the Web PABX Function, saving Net2MAX Members a lot of money in locating, paying for a live human to create voice prompts continuously.
- Calling Special Numbers: Traditional IDD calls from overseas are blocked dialling of some special numbers in a country (like those phone numbers that start with 1), but using Web Dialler Function's feature, Access Number can dial those numbers in most cases even from overseas. For example, by entering 611300130118 as the Destination Number inside Access Number, it is like someone dialling 1300130118 locally in Australia.
8.4 Demo Account 61290112121
The demonstration phone number 61290112121 is based in Sydney Australia, although you can access it worldwide (note quality may be affected if you are using VoIP over a poor quality link).
8.5 Voice Demonstration
After you dialled the 61290112121 phone number, the call will be answered and you will be offered 4 options:
- Voice Echo Test - press 1, then you are given 2 options: press 1 for voice delay test (which echoes what you say immediately back to you) and press 2 for voice quality test (which records your voice and play back later when you finished).
- Key Pad Input Text - press 2, then you can press any digits on your phone to see whether they get picked up by the system.
- Audio Conference - press 3, a few people should do this together (that is ring 61290112121 and then all join the audio conference by pressing 3 to experience the power of multi-party audio conference.
- Voice Recording - press 4, record a voice message and then you can listen to it by going to 61290112121's Online Conference at http://conference.net2max.com/61290112121 The voice message is stored under
8.6 Fax Demonstration
After you dialled the 61290112121 phone number, press teh "SEND" button on your fax machine.
Go to 61290112121's Online Conference at http://conference.net2max.com/61290112121 and look under the Control Panel -> File tab for your fax.
