Communication Server  >  STRATA CS  >  Features & Benefits

Strata CS Feature Highlights

• Scalability
  Strata CS is expandable from small configurations up to 96 trunks and 264 stations.
• Fault Tolerant Architecture
  The Strata CS architecture is designed to keep your telephone system working at all times. If your network or any PC is down, your telephone lines will still operate as usual. Even if the Strata CS Server malfunctions or a power outage occurs, some of your telephone lines will stay open.
• Graphical User Interface
  The Strata CS client application lets you control communications from your PC through the easy-to-use graphical user interface. Make and receive calls, access voice messages visually, and access all Strata CS features on your PC screen. Communicate using your PC or telephone and expand your ability to access and share information.
• Multi-line Call Control
  Manage all of your calls visually on your PC screen. It's an easy way to make and transfer calls, put calls on hold, forward calls to voice mail, set up conference calls, and more.
• Verbal Menus
  Comprehensive verbal menus guide you through all call-handling and voice mail-management functions. This lets you use the advanced features of Strata CS through the telephone user interface, without requiring a PC.
• Full-featured Voice Mail
  Effectively manage your messages by creating greetings for specific callers, accessing messages remotely, and checking your voice messages visually. You can also call a person who left you a message with just one mouse click. Or, if you're accessing Strata CS remotely, you can use the call-back feature within the voice mail system.
• E-mail and Pager Notification
  Program Strata CS to alert you of incoming voice mail messages by paging or e-mailing you, with or without voice mail attachments.
• Caller Identification and Call Screening
  You can easily screen incoming calls via PIN or Caller ID, either visually or by announcing the caller's name when you answer the telephone. You can even screen messages while they're being left in voice mail and answer the call if desired.
• Call Recording
  Record conversations and teleconferences in excellent sound quality with just a mouse click. You can also save them as .wav files and forward them via e-mail.
• Smart Do Not Disturb
  Program Strata CS to allow only important calls from specific people to ring through to your telephone. All other calls will be automatically forwarded to your voice mailbox.
• The Strata CS Web Client
  Access voice mail or change your Strata CS system settings from anywhere in the world via the Internet, or even from non-Windows platforms.
• "Follow-me" Call Forwarding
  If you're traveling, Strata CS can forward calls to several different numbers until you answer. You can even program different call-routing lists for each specific caller.
• Call Logging
  Call Logging lets you view a list of your calls, while giving system administrators access to a complete log of all employee calls.
• Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
  Create call center queues, log each group's call-handling activity, and use the Call Center Reporter to analyze call volumes, agents' efficiency, customer hold time, and more.
• Workgroups
  Workgroups are collections of extensions, such as all the users in departments. Using the Client display makes it easy to find people in different workgroups. You can call a public workgroup's extension to ring all of the users' telephones in the workgroup at the same time. You can even create personal workgroups that help you quickly find people with whom you work.
• Multi-level Auto Attendant
  The Strata CS auto attendant provides multi-level menus for incoming caller ease, multiple attendants customized for each trunk, customized greetings and menus, special greetings for off-hours and holidays, call routing to operators or voice mail after a caller has been on hold, fax detection and routing, and internal/external dialing by name.
• Scheduled Auto Attendants
  Automatically change greetings and route calls to different extensions at specific times/days, depending on your company's requirements.
• Call Rules
  You can change the way calls are handled based on who calls or a particular date or time. For example, you can automatically send specific calls to voice mail during lunch, change your personal greeting after business hours, or forward calls from certain people to your cell phone.
• Routing Services/Automatic Route Selection (ARS)
  You can dial 9 to use ARS routing services. The Strata CS chooses the appropriate dialing service based on rules that you define. The rules match the number dialed to a dialing service or a number dialed to a time of day. Using routing services and dialing services, you can implement your own ARS tables, allow people to dial just 9 regardless of whether they are calling over local or long-distance trunks, and even send long-distance calls over VoIP as needed.
• Account Codes
  You can use account codes to help track calls to one or more clients or customers. Account codes can be used for any call and are saved in the Call Log view. Administrators can optionally force users to enter account codes for every call on a per user basis. Account codes can be optionally verified against a list configured by the Administrator.
• Digital Telephone Support
  Strata CS is compatible with Toshiba 2000-series digital telephones, bringing improved functionality, reliability, and quality to the telephone system. Strata CS is one of the few communication server-based telephone systems that supports digital telephones.
• IP Telephone Support
  Strata CS provides users with the benefits of both IP and circuit switched communications. The system is compatible with both IP telephones and traditional telephones (both analog and digital) for the user's ultimate flexibility. Users can connect an IP telephone locally to the system via their LAN, or can connect an IP telephone remotely to the system via the Internet or private, IP-based intranet.
• Built in Internet H.323 VoIP gateway
  Make calls over the Internet or your intranet, eliminating long-distance toll charges. The built-in Internet H.323 gateway lets you create tie-lines between branch offices, and even allows customers to call you from your website.
• Telephone Application Programming Interface (TAPI) Service Provider and Contact Manager Assistant
  When a person in your Act!®, Outlook®, Goldmine® or other TAPI-compliant contact database calls, you can receive instant screen-pop caller identification, and even return their call with a mouse click.
• ISDN Support
  Strata CS supports ISDN BRI, letting you enjoy the cost-saving advantages of this network interface. The system also supports analog, T1, E1, and PRI interfaces.
• Extend Strata CS with IVR Plug-ins
  Seamlessly integrate IVR and other call control applications, and pass caller input or database information to Strata CS users.
• Multi-lingual System Prompts
  System users and callers can conveniently select the language of their choice for Strata CS verbal commands (both built-in and customizable).
• Support for Custom Local Area Signaling Services (CLASS) Feature Telephones
  Strata CS is fully compatible with caller ID displays, call waiting ID, and message waiting alert features.
• Industry-Standards Technology
  Strata CS is compatible with Windows® 2000, 98, ME, and Windows NT® 4.0 Server Service Pack (SP) 5, and features industry-standard technologies from Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) and Telephone Application Programming Interface (TAPI) to Intel®/Dialogic® Single Computing System Architecture (SCSA) boards.

Several Server Models Available

Several Strata CS Server models are available to meet the needs of both small and large organizations.

• CS-SERVER 3: Contains 2 PCI slots and 1 ISA/PCI combo slot, AMD K62 500 MHz processor, 256 MB RAM, 10/100baseT NIC, 56K v.90 modem, Dialogic bus cable, and Windows NT Operating System. Serves smaller size applications.
• CS-SERVER 9: Contains 6 ISA slots and 3 PCI slots, Pentium II 400 MHz processor, 256 MB RAM, 10/100baseT NIC, 56K v.90 modem, Dialogic bus cable, and Windows NT Operating System. Serves medium size applications.
• CS-SERVER 14/4: Contains 14 ISA and 4 PCI slots, Pentium III 500 MHz processor, 256 MB RAM, 10/100baseT NIC, 56K v.90 modem, Dialogic bus cable, and Windows NT Operating System. Serves medium and larger applications requiring mostly ISA slots and some PCI slots.
• CS-SERVER 15PCI: Contains 15 PCI slots, Pentium III 500 MHz processor, 256 MB RAM, 10/100baseT NIC, 56K v.90 modem, Dialogic bus cable, and Windows NT Operating System. Serves medium and larger applications requiring all PCI slots.

To these systems you will install the current BCP kits, individual Intel/Dialogic interfaces, licensing, and other components to meet your specific size and configuration requirements.

Each Strata CS Server system is equipped with both a LAN NIC for remote access via a browser and a V.90 56K modem for dial access. PC Anywhere is included to facilitate dial up remote access and administration. As long as the system has power, remote maintenance and system administration can be accomplished and changes at the customer location can be made without the need to dispatch a technician to the site. Should the system lose power, the BCP Panel included with the server can provide fail over support for up to four station ports, ensuring that the user will always be able to summon support or assistance in the event of total system failure.

Each Strata CS Server system contains the same features and functionality, using the same Strata CS Release 4.0 application software.

Full portability of line and station cards is also supported, so as you grow your sites, the interface cards can be migrated.

Strata CS Telephones

Using the Toshiba digital telephone, Strata CS supports the following features:

• The LCD displays Caller ID and supports English, Spanish, and French
• Standard fixed buttons for Message, Redial, Conf/Trans, Mic, Spkr, Hold, Volume Up, and Volume Down
• Programmable buttons can be set as Directory Numbers, Record Call, Do Not Disturb, Speed Dial, Account Code, Park, Send to Voice Mail, Disconnect, Take Call, Flash, and Call Menu
• Message Screening
• Intercom Voice Announce
• Multiple Primary Directory Number appearances enhance call handling, allowing users to receive multiple calls to a single extension
• Secondary Directory Number appearances enable a user's extension to ring on another person's telephone phone and vice-versa for extended call coverage
• Desk or wall mountable
• Speakerphone
• Headset option

With a wide range of Toshiba digital telephone models to choose from, you can easily match your telephones to your specific application.

• Available in two stylish colors
• Variety of 10 and 20 button speakerphone and LCD models available

• Call Waiting Caller ID 2, which allows the user to see an incoming Caller ID while on the phone
• Icons to show New Call, Repeat Call, Forward Call, Toll Call, and Message Waiting
• Extra Large 3-line LCD panel with LCD back lighting
• Programmable Area Code and Long Distance Code
• Speed Dial via 10 Speed Dial buttons and 10 Keypad memory
• Supports 3 languages: English, Spanish, and French
• Hold Button with indicator
• FSK Message Waiting and Stutter Dial Tone
• Tone/Pulse Selection
• Last Number Redial
• Flash button
• Pause button
• Desk or wall mountable
• Speakerphone
• Data Port

The CS-C2210 telephone user can configure the programmable memory keys to store commonly used telephone features that are used to interact with the Strata CS. The user can use the 10 program keys to store functions that would normally be keyed at the telephone user interface. For example, the code for voice mail access can be programmed into the CS-C2210 allowing the user to enter their access their voice mail with through a single-button activation.

Internet/intranet calls can be placed from or to the Strata CS desktop via an IP telephone or analog or digital telephone through the gateway to a remote IP telephone, a PC using NetMeeting or Quicknet, or another Strata CS system.

Your IP telephone users have the same feature set and functionality as those using analog telephones. In addition, remote IP telephone users have similar usage of station and client functions as a virtual station on the Strata CS system.

Client Desktop Application

Client Application

Users employ the Client program in conjunction with their telephone to make and receive calls, access voice messages visually, and use all the features of the Strata CS system. You can install a Client program on any Windows 2000, 98, ME, or Windows NT computer on your network provided the computer meets required specifications. While the Client enhances your access to Strata CS, it is not required.

Most Strata CS features are also available over the telephone, using the Telephone Command prompts. A Web-browser-accessible version of the Client is available after installing Strata CS Web Services.

Web Services

With Strata CS Web Services, users can access a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) version of the Client via any web browser, through the Internet or their Intranet. With the Web Client users can access Strata CS remotely or from non-Windows platforms such as Apple® Macintosh®. The Web Client offers most Client functions, except the Call Monitor:

• Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• Easy Microsoft® Windows®-based applications make Strata CS a powerful call processing tool

• Multiple call management
• Screen pop and audio pop of incoming calls
• One-click toolbar for tasks - take call, send to voice mail, screen message, hold, transfer, conference
• Do Not Disturb (DND)
• Live operator console with user status

• Company and personal telephone directories
• One-click calling
• Caller Identification association
• Call logging, annotating and reporting
• Dialing and screen-pop Personal Information Manager (PIM) integration

• Voice mail folders
• Drag and drop control
• Direct access to any message
• Point and click playback through PC or telephone
• Unread, urgent, private indicators
• Text annotations
• Audio import/export

Call Center Capabilities

Flexible Call Center Management

Strata CS provides Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) capabilities that enable you to efficiently allocate inbound calls among call-handling agents in your call center. Strata CS offers two levels of ACD functionality:

• Workgroups provide basic ACD capabilities as a standard feature at no additional charge
• Call Center Queues provide advanced ACD capabilities as an optional feature

Advanced ACD capabilities enable you to meet the needs of sophisticated call centers. Here are a few examples:

• You can route calls to agents simultaneously, round robin, top down, or using a variety of intelligent distribution algorithms, including longest idle agent, fewest calls taken by an agent, or least talk time. You can manage queue configuration and distribution in a pattern that best distributes calls to fit your business.
• Each agent can participate in an unlimited number of queues.
• Remote agent capability allows calls coming into the call center to be distributed to agents located in remote locations, such as regional or home offices.
• Call Priority allows you to tag certain calls as high-priority calls so that they are distributed to agents more quickly than low-priority calls.
• Hold messages can be customized to repeat or not repeat at specific intervals to callers and can change in real-time based on caller data or other variables.
• Hold messages can include average wait time or the number of other callers ahead of the current call.
• Queues can be configured to allow callers to transfer out of the queue to an extension or voice mail at any time.

The system's Graphical User Interface (GUI) displays the calls waiting, which are automatically queued in the order received.

• A comprehensive Queue Monitor view shows detailed agent status information and queue statistics broken down by day, custom shifts, and periods, including which agents are available, on a call, on break, or signed out.
• A subset of statistics can also be heard over an internal or remote telephone after logging in.

Automatic Call Recording can be used to train agents and for quality assurance purposes.

• Recordings can be saved to a Strata CS voice mailbox, saved to a Microsoft Exchange Inbox folder, or e-mailed to another address.
• Recordings include notes on the queue and on the agent who was recorded.

The call-log database enables users to view a list of their calls, while giving system administrators access to a complete log of all employee calls.

Analyze Efficiency With Call Center Reporter

The optional Strata CS Call Center Reporter enables you to generate a variety of reports about your company's telephone activities, from call volumes to trunk usage. And if you operate an ACD call center, Call Center Reporter also reveals vital information that indicates agent efficiency, average hold time, abandoned calls, percentage of calls completed, wait times, account codes, workgroups, and more.

All reports are run directly from the Strata CS Server and get the latest data. You can easily access the Call Center Reporter from the Client screen's menu bar.

* Toshiba has not tested Strata CTX interoperability with non-Toshiba PBXs and does not guarantee such interoperability.

Integrated Voice Response (IVR) Applications

IVR is the technology that allows callers to access and interact with computerized data base information using their telephone touch-tone keypad, or by spoken input using speech recognition technology. The requested or required information is then "spoken" back to the caller using pre-recorded human speech or in some cases synthesized speech using Text-To-Speech technology. For nearly twenty years IVR has become the corner stone of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and is considered an essential component of a business' competitive positioning and strategy.

The Strata CS IVR Solutions program offers Toshiba developed and delivered solutions. You can take advantage of the cost savings and operational benefits of IVR technology by adding these solutions where they make the most sense - - directly on the Strata CS communication server. Without having to implement a separate server. And with a seamlessly integrated system that's developed, installed, maintained and serviced by one source.

Both Custom and Packaged IVR Solutions Available on Strata CS. In addition to extending our custom solutions program to the Strata CS, we offer several "packaged" solutions targeting certain industries. These packaged solutions have been developed specifically for the Strata CS.

Custom IVR Applications

IVR solutions are often custom solutions. The ability to customize a solution to your specific requirements is what makes IVR so effective. Custom IVR applications, to support client specific requirements, are available through Toshiba Value-Added Developers (VADs). The following are some examples of Toshiba custom IVR solutions:

• A Medical Clinic on the East Coast provides patient coverage information services to doctors.
• A Midwestern Municipal Water District provides account information and payment records to their customers.
• A West Coast CLEC has implemented a self-renewal application for their pre-paid dial tone/cellular/pager services. This system also includes a ZIP code based store locator.
• An East Coast Magazine Publisher provides a subscription cancellation service.
• An East Coast Courier/Delivery Service provides package-tracking status to thousands of their customers.
• A Southern State Legislature has plans to implement a system that plays Representatives "recorded" positions on current issues to approved media groups. Future plans call for widening access to these "position statements" to the general public.

Packaged IVR Applications

A "packaged" solution, whether specific to a particular industry or of a horizontal nature, can be effective at satisfying the majority of the requirements a customer may have. Many times this means a quicker and less costly implementation.

A packaged solution can also be a starting point or template for what ultimately becomes a custom or semi-custom solution. In either case a packaged solution is a very effective tool for starting a dialogue that uncovers the opportunities for using IVR technology to provide improved services at considerable savings. Enhancements and customization, to support client specific requirements, are available through Toshiba Value-Added Developers (VADs).

IVR Software Developer's Kit (SDK)

The Strata CS includes an "IVR Plug-in" that provides knowledgeable customers with the capability to develop IVR applications themselves using our Software Developer's Kit (SDK). The Strata CS SDK allows you to extend Strata CS functionality.

• Use the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Plug-in Application Programming Interface (API) to create custom IVR applications that can place, transfer, accept and process calls, play and record voice prompts, collect digits, process caller ID and perform database lookups. These plug-ins appear to Strata CS as "virtual extensions." Several sample IVR plug-ins are included in the SDK.
• Use the Device Status API for applications that need to know the status of stations and trunks.
• Use the Least Cost Routing (LCR) API to create a custom LCR interface.

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Gateway

For businesses that rely on the Internet as a critical part of their communication system, Strata CS includes support for low- to high-capacity VoIP interface cards. This capability provides small- to medium-sized businesses with a lower cost of entry for VoIP than traditional systems.

In addition, since the capability can be fully integrated with the Strata CS telephone system, there is no need for expensive external add-on solutions.

The new IP Gateway administration facilitates the creation of connections between corporate branch offices and other office locations. For example, Internet/intranet calls can be placed from or to the Strata CS desktop via an IP telephone or analog set through the gateway to a remote IP telephone, NetMeeting PC, or another Strata CS system.

TAPI Service Provider and Contact Manager Assistant

TAPI Service Provider

The Telecommunication Service Priority Service Provider allows any TAPI-compatible applications on a networked computer to access your telephone lines via Strata CS. Users who install the TAPI Service Provider on their computers can place calls using contact managers such as Microsoft Outlook, Symantec Act!, or Goldmine. The TAPI Service Provider runs in the background and enables the contact manager or other application to use Strata CS. You can install the TAPI Service Provider with or without the Strata CS Client on any Windows 2000, 98, ME, or Windows NT computer.

Contact Manager Assistant

The Strata CS Contact Manager Assistant tightly integrates with Microsoft Outlook or Goldmine so you can receive screen-pop notification when Outlook or Goldmine contacts call you. The Symantec Act! contact manager enables you to receive screen-pops without installing the Contact Manager Assistant.

Administrative Tools

Symantec pcANYWHERE32 is shipped standard with all Strata CS Servers. The software is packaged together with the Strata CS materials and requires no additional charges for licensing and usage.

CoSession Remote can be installed from the Strata CS CD-ROM autorun. Some licensing and usage fees may apply for CoSession users. For instructions on setting up and using CoSession, consult CoSession online Help.

These remote maintenance applications allow you to edit the Windows registry, reboot the server, run the Windows NT performance monitor and view the Windows NT event log. Note that the Strata CS Administrator program can be run remotely with or without remote maintenance applications. Both the host computer and the target computer must have remote maintenance software installed to establish connections. Remote maintenance applications do not need to be installed for phone service.

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