Please shoot me a number for getting this done

[computergroove]

I need to get a 4 agent call predictive call center going. I have:

vicidialnow1.1 rc1 installed

Server - 1 custom core 2 duo intel board 2 gigs of ram I think. There is a ZAPTEL card installed for timing. I can access the server remotely using windows remote desktop and then putty.

4 workstations - dell vostro 200 machines with xp pro on them and x-lite
each of these machines can be accessed with windows remote desktop.

All are networked together and can communicate with each other. I have a DSL line 6mb down and 768 up. I have purchased 4 g729 codec licenses and I have an SIP account with adamstelecom.net that has 1 line with 4 outgoing simultaneous calls.

I have added all the information in sip.conf and extensions.conf. I have added all the users and admins in the web gui.

I have purchased both the managers and agents manuals. I have a company that I am going to get leads from but I want to test the system before I purchase them.

I just need someone to go over the system to see if there is anything I am missing. I just reloaded the vicidialnow after I received the zaptel card. I re-added the sip.conf and extensions.conf information to the server to the best of my ability.

What would you charge me to do a few hours of over the phone training and go over the installation to get me going? You can pm me or email me directly (I prefer this) at parks.walker@gmail.com. I need this done within the next 45 days. I can pay with paypal or a credit card.

Please send a list of projects more impressive than this that you have done in the past and any education or other relevent info related to the configuration of vicidial. Thanks

[williamconley]

Hello,

I have personally built (from scratch) 28 asterisk telephone servers. The first 10 were experimental (although #6 is still running strong). Of those, most of which were built for others and shipped, I still personally oversee six. Vicidial has been included in eleven, and all of those are still in operation. I personally manage two vicidial servers in two call-centers on a day to day basis, and am “on call” for four others directly.

Most of the servers that I have sold have become self-managed, as they were built for companies that had IT departments, but no Asterisk or Vicidial experience. I rarely have to get involved with repairs except for … 1) full hard drive 2) power outage resulting in drive or database damage or 3) No Money in the VOIP account but they can’t figure out why there are no calls coming in.

The servers in question are in facilities ranging from just four or five office staff to 25 sales agents and 8 customer service representatives, some of whom telecommute. The facilities I oversee personally (where I maintain two of my three office desks) have 6 Customer Service reps and from 5 to 25 (seasonal) Sales reps at one facility; and One receptionist with anywhere from two to six office personnel at the other. Both facilities use Vicidial. One facility uses it sparingly, the other uses it all day every day for several different types of campaigns (constant contact with existing clients for reminders, new offers, etc, and several sales campaigns for different groups of sales agents).

I handle training of agents in use of the equipment and creation of training materials (for use during training and afterwards), set up of equipment, purchasing and if necessary repair of equipment (Not all Digium or Grandstream hardware lasts forever).

My standard pricing is $50/hr “Hot” $35/hr “Planned in advance” and $25/hr “Simple Tech Support/Q&A Callbacks”.

To get you a solid price, I would need to be able to estimate how many hours it would take to bring your system online and train you and/or your personnel. I need to know whether your efforts to bring this system online were fruitful (you mention what you have and what you have added, but not whether you can dial out from or in to the system, or whether the extensions are capable of calling one another, etc.).

I do not have experience with VicidialNow, as I have always done a full manual install on all my systems. I also like to install FreePBX (to make the system into a full telephone system) and Webmin (to allow system administration with a nice interface), and have been doing so since before VicidialNow existed. From what I understand, VicidialNow operates exactly the same way as Vicidial, but is easier to install as it comes with its own operating system.

So, a few questions to start:
Can you dial one extension from another? (X-Lite to X-Lite)
Can you dial OUT from the system? (X-Lite to outside line)
Can you receive a call in the system? (outside line to X-Lite)
Can a user log in on the Agent LogIn page in Vicidial and hear the magical phrase “You are the only person in this conference”?
What level of experience do you have in your organization with Asterisk and / or Vicidial?

In case it helps you find a range, my standard pricing for installing a fresh Vicidial with FreePBX is $499, inclusive of all software and configuration and some general training in the use of the new functional system. Depending on how far along your install is, you may find that pricing useful.

Quick sales pitch (feel free to skip the next two paragraphs if you don’t want a sales pitch):

When the system arrives at the client location, it is very easy to set up. If I am also supplied with a Router and a Phone, it truly can be Plug and Play since that first phone ($10 configuration) and router ($20 configuration) will form the same local network at the new owner’s facility that they did when they were at my facility. If the new owner’s ISP supplies automatic configuration for the router, the system will make and take calls out of the box. And since routers are not “system dependent” and can be configured by almost anyone, even if the ISP doesn’t supply “DHCP” auto-configuration, it is still very easy to set up.

This pricing is not dependent on the power of the box or any other “charge what they’re willing to pay” sales technique. The installation is virtually identical for a PII as it is for a Quad Xeon, so I charge the same amount. I do no support RAID or any non-standard (too new for Linux) hardware, and have had no problems with that except for one Network Card (that I switched out for a one in another client’s Windows 2003 box!).

William Conley
Solutions Artist
PoundTeam.com