Phone/computer system help!

[AndrewMendez]

Ok, I am using an online call system that allows me to call people in my phone book. It gives me the name, number, address, all that jazz and has a ton of cool features to go with it.

BUT, everything is done on the computer. Hanging up, leaving a message, all the controls....except for the damn phone part, that uses a land line at my office. I am currently holding the wired phone to my ear with one shoulder...and it sucks.


I purchased a nice headset with a USB connector, which hooks up to my computer before I realized how the program worked (I assumed it called via Voip like a previous system I was using).


So, my question is...how on earth can I use the headset I have already purchased, in conjunction with the phone OR the computer?

I have googled the hell out of the connections, and I can not seem to find anything. My phone at work is a basic work phone, where you can pick up other lines.

The other possibility (I hope) is actually connecting the landline OR the phone itself to the computer..or does that not work?


The other alternative is purchasing a Plantronics set up which cost about $100 bucks....after spending $90 on the head set, $200 a month on the system and $150 a month for the leads...that last thing I want to do is buy more crap! Hell, that's 6 boxes of ammo!

[ibanezfoo]

You need to talk to your phone vendor. Some headsets only work with certain phones, some phones work a particular way... We have 4 or 5 different voip setups from companies we've taken over and none of them work the same way. Some phones have remote headsets, some don't. Some work only through very specifically programmed MPLS connection, some just work over the internet...

Many variables to your situation...

Sounds like your system might be similar to some ancient Comdial system we have where the phone is hardwired to the phone switch connected to some digital lines. It has very basic digital features like being able to work with Outlook. The computer can control the phone switch but no phone calls will go through the computer, only to the phone which are analog (and then converted back to digital back to the PRI or whatever...). Outlook basically tells the phone switch that your extension is making a call but the call itself still only connects to the phone. Kind of how your TV remote controls your reciever and TV, DVD, etc. The remote can switch all these things for you but the video signal still only goes through the receiver and TV and never touches your remote.

Make sense?

[AndrewMendez]

You need to talk to your phone vendor. Some headsets only work with certain phones, some phones work a particular way... We have 4 or 5 different voip setups from companies we've taken over and none of them work the same way. Some phones have remote headsets, some don't. Some work only through very specifically programmed MPLS connection, some just work over the internet...

Many variables to your situation...

Sounds like your system might be similar to some ancient Comdial system we have where the phone is hardwired to the phone switch connected to some digital lines. It has very basic digital features like being able to work with Outlook. The computer can control the phone switch but no phone calls will go through the computer, only to the phone which are analog (and then converted back to digital back to the PRI or whatever...). Outlook basically tells the phone switch that your extension is making a call but the call itself still only connects to the phone. Kind of how your TV remote controls your reciever and TV, DVD, etc. The remote can switch all these things for you but the video signal still only goes through the receiver and TV and never touches your remote.

Make sense?

Interesting. Much more complex then I imagined. I will pick the tech guy who sets up everythings brain, as this seems to be out of my scope of practice.
Thank you very much for the reply.