Response Point Truck Event

AMCC had our first Microsoft Across American Truck Event featuring the Response Point telephone system. Thanks to the Truck Event people and the Event in a box people for their help. Also, thank you to NGT (SIP Trunking partner for the Response Point system) and Dean Rainone for their help and support, also thank you to Mark Creamer who assisted me in this event.

We were able to demonstrate both the Syspine Response Point system that is installed on the Truck as well as my Aastra Response Point system that was supplied by Aastra. When I entered the truck the first time to try out the Syspine system I found that there was no communication between the network pc and the Response Point system. Seems they were on different networks. Since Mike, the MS Truck technician, doesn't normally work on this particular truck, he had to contact someone else to find out how to reconfigure the network devices. They got it working by halfway through the morning event. Once they got it working I noted that they were running v1, not SP1. We had my Aastra system working from the get-go.

You can see a few snapshots here.

We set our Aastra system up outside the truck. Earlier in the week we had tried, with NGT's support, to configure an Edgemarc router to work with our Linksys Router/Sprint Aircard. I finally called the exercise off because I was running out of time. NGT has succeeded in using an Aircard with the Edgemarc and said that what we were running into was that we were 'double nat'ing' and that wasn't really suppported. I figured we could just talk about the SIP service and not worry about actually doing it. Since we did have internet access for our laptop, via the aircard/router - I was able to get dial-tone with our MAJICJACK - a pretty cool little device.

Response Point SP1 available (really)

Response Point Service Pack 1 is really available for download. The Microsoft Downloads web site has it on line. Also, it appears that there are OEM specific firmwares that you may need and have to get from the manufacturers' web sites.

Response Point Truck Event - FREE

We (AMCC) are going to be doing the FIRST PUBLIC Response Point demonstration in Cincinnati on Tuesday, July 15 from 8 am to 12 noon at 4555 Lake Forest Drive in Blue Ash with the Microsoft Across America Truck.

If you are in the area please consider attending and feel free to pass this invitation along to your friends. You can register at http://www.clicktoattend.com/ Event Code 129354.

A representative from NGT, a SIP Trunking provider that is partnering with Microsoft on the Response Point product, will also be on site and available to answer your VOIP service questions. NGT has generously donated a $400 Edgemarc device which will be offered as a promotion for some lucky new customer.

Aastra Response Point - 3rd Party Headset

Since I am now using the Aastra Response Point system I figured I would connect my Jabra T5330 cordless headset - that I hadn't been using since switching to the Aastra system. This headset base can connect to the phone two different ways - depending on what the phone supports. The most universal (are there different degress of universal? I don't think so) way is putting the headset in series in between the telephone base and the telephone handset. This is the way I used the headset with Syspine phone.

The Aastra phone has a headset jack on the underside of the phone. This makes it possible to just connect the headset to the telephone base unit independent of the telephone handset cord. When I tried the headset connected this way I was not able to get any dialtone. After hunting around I finally noticed that the Speaker button on the telephone base really said Speaker/Headset! Gee, this looks relevant. Anyway, I am on a conference call now, using the headset, and do not have to have the telephone handset 'offhook' to be able to have the call. The red light by the Speaker/Headset button that is on solid when I use the speakerphone is blinking red to indicate I am on the headset. FWIW.

NGT SIP Service w/ Response Point

NGT provided an EdgeMarc router to install in my SBS network to facilitate use of their NGT SIP service with Microsoft Response Point for beta testing. NGT's technical support people had a telephone meeting with me during which time we replaced my router with the EdgeMarc and they tweaked some of the configuration and - ta da - we were up and running. If you want to call into the system using the SIP service you can call my new office SIP number at 513-729-6502 (corrected). You can access extension 200 or just ask for RESPONSE POINT INFORMATION using the voice prompt. You will hear a brief message and won't have to talk to any human beings here - you won't even ring the phones. By the way - if you do notice anything particulary good or not so good regarding the sound quality - please let me know. You can email me at info at millermanor dot net.

Talking via Sip w/ Bob D.

Tonight I was talking on the telephone with Bob D. (Cincinnati to Columbus) using my Junction Networks SIP service with my Aastra (beta) Response Point system. Bob said that the call was crystal clear and we wondered what would happen if there were a little more of a load on the line. So, I brought up download.microsoft.com and downloaded Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 - about 375 meg. I've got Time Warner's Telecommuter ISP service. My download started out at about 900 KB and trended down to about 600 KB. During the download both Bob and I continued to have a crystal clear, solid sounding conversation.

Response Point - SP1 - Nashville Road Trip

Ok - we're in. This is the June '08 Cincinnati -> Nashville Road Trip - 6/4 - 6/5. We've got about 6 guys from our Cincinnati SBS Users Group going to Nashville TN for the one day Microsoft Response Point Training. I'll be putting the third seat back in the Land Yacht and we will be southward bound. We are going to spend Wednesday evening enjoying some Nashville music and celebrating the 26th anniversary of the BlueBird Cafe. Then on to Franklin, TN for our class on Thursday.

Response Point - SIP Trunking config

I configured my Response Point for SIP Trunking with Junction Networks service. Here is a screen shot of my current settings.

More Click to Dial in Response Point

So, the Response Point Assistant, now shows inside extensions plus entries in your Contact List and supports Click to Dial. This is fairly obvious. I'm not crazy about the the presentation of these contacts. Presently they are sorted alpha - so your inside contacts are intermingled with your outside contacts! You can click on the Number Column and this will put all your inside contacts together at the top of the list BUT your outside contacts will be sorted first by Work/Mobile/Home and then by name - BOOOOOO! NTG.

I just happened to find something else in the Click to Dial Realm. You can click Phone Settings from the Assistant menu and be taken to a browser version of the Call History. From here, you could, if you wanted, go through your list of MISSED CALLS and click on any one of them to call back - kind of a *69 (or whatever it is) on steroids. You can even pick which service you want to call out on - PSTN or SIP.

Response Point - SP1 & SIP!

Now on to SIP Trunking. Richard Sprague gave me a tip and I ran (or stumbled) with it. As has been announced - Microsoft is partnering with 2 SIP providers - NGT and CBeyond and support will be included in SP1 for these two guys by way of drop down menu choices. I don't think all the guts of this has been implemented quite yet as it was not evident in the CTP build that we received. ANYWAY, what Richard reminded me was that if we got a SIP account and got the right values manually entered into the RP Administrator SIP configuration (which is presently available) then we can add the SIP support NOW. I went online and created an account with JunctionNetworks - did a little of fiddling and voila (or wallah as I once read in a newsgroup) we have SIP! I'll include a screen shot of the settings here for future reference.

Response Point SP1 Announced 3/24/08

Today Microsoft announced features of the SP1 (aka Service Pack 1) of Response Point. Some of the highlights are:

• SIP Trunking/VOIP added - system will now work with analog and VOIP lines


• Simple (Free) Upgrade


• Direct Inbound Dialing (DID) Capability


• Enhanced Call Logging and Reporting


• On-Hook status of telephones visibile within your organization


• Click-to-Call - inside and out

another Syspine Response Point Award

Way to go Syspine (and Microsoft). Syspine just received another award - the 2008 Von Magazine Innovator Award which "recognizes the Internet communications industry's best and brightest companies" for its Response Point product. You can read the press release here.


Previously, Syspine had received the 2007 Internet Telephony Product of the year (previous blog post).

Some Response Point Motivations

A few customers have told me that what they love about Response Point is that it lends credibility of their business to their customers. Their callers experience is now like it is for people calling the 'big corporation'. What they are talking about is the automated attendantAND the voice recognition built into the system - callers can just speak the name of the person they are calling and they will be transferred to the proper extension.


One new customer, a money manager, said to me - "Allen, I hate my rolodex - and now with the voice activated dialing I will not have to use the rolodex any more!". This was his main decision point for choosing Response Point.

Is Response Point system down?

This afternoon I was at a customer's site doing some IT consulting. During our conversation I mentioned the new Microsoft Response Point telephone system. In trying to describe its voice recognition I figured I would just demonstrate it using his desk speakerphone. I dialed in to my office and told him 'just listen to this'. Well all we heard was ringing and ringing and ringing! Not wanting to loose my rhythm I said 'what do you think of it so far?' Then - just kidding - I'm not sure what is wrong - I'll have to check into it when I get back to my office. To myself I was thinking - great - 3 months old and has this system already failed?

After leaving this customer I ran a few errands and then headed back to my office. I never gave it a second thought when I had to wait for a police'person' who was directing traffic at an intersection two blocks from the office. When I unlocked the office door I was greeted by NO POWER! Duh - no wonder Response Point was answering. Nothing electrical was working. We rarely have power outages in this area - an hour later power was restored and Response Point was back on-line.

Response Point Deep Dive Webinar 1/31/08 Audio

HP and SMB Nation's Harry Brelsford put on a Response Point Deep Dive webinar today. It was attended by over a million* people. I was one of the partner panelists and served a minor but fun role. We had a bit of technical difficulties with the audio link but Cyndi perserveered and got us up and running.

I made a very amateur audio recording of this session and edited out the first 15 minutes before we got the presenters and the attendees linked together . For the attendees that want to relive this very memorable session - and for any interested parties that missed the event completely - you can download the audo files at this link.

* it may have been more like 150