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Dialing Out Variable not being recognized on handset using Polycom Phones

Posted by allnetworkteam on Fri, 03/26/2010

We are using Polycom IP430 and IP650 phones in our office on Asterisk 1.6.0.26.

We want our employees to have to dial 9 to get an outside line (eg. to reach 212-555-1234 they need to dial 9-1-212-555-1234). The issue I am facing is that if we dial the number on the number on the phone 9-1-212-555-1234 over the speaker phone it works fine but if we try to dial the number while we are holding the handset we get as far as 9-1-212-555-123 and then we get a pre-recording stating "I'm sorry that is not a valid extension".

Our DIALOUT variable has been set to 9.

Below are the default Outbound Routes I have using our SIP Provider
${DIALOUT}911
911
_${DIALOUT}${INTERNATIONAL-PREFIX}.
_${DIALOUT}1NXXNXXXXXX

Below are the default Outbound Routes I have not deleted and are not assigned to our SIP Provider:
_${DIALOUT}NXXXXXX
_${INTERNATIONAL-PREFIX}.
_1NXXNXXXXXX
_NXXXXXX

Please help.

Thank you


Submitted by eeman on Fri, 03/26/2010 Permalink

you need to fix your polycom digit maps. BTW dialing 9 is a good way to get painted last decades technology. Cell phones dont require it, it dates all the way back to 1985 when pbx's didnt route at all, the 9 just bridged the analog trunk. Your competitors are selling a lot of flashy products that dont have that '9' hangup.

also ${DIALOUT}911 is a good way to land yourself in trouble..

if the user cannot dial 9-1-1 and only those digits to reach emergency you open yourself to liability

Submitted by TomGalvin on Mon, 03/29/2010 Permalink

Dial 9 for an outside line is ingrained in the work habits of a couple generations of workers. Corporations need reliable, not flashy. When they pick up the phone they need the call to go through. We have 8000 people in 200+ locations in 50+ countries. If we are going to retrain people, it needs to have a return on investment. A good CTO doesn't insult a potential customer's intelligence.

Submitted by eeman on Mon, 03/29/2010 Permalink

thats such bullshit. Your users have, over the last ten years learned at least FIVE different phone systems. They get new cell phones every 1 - 2 years. Every single one of them are different, work completely differently than the previous phone; and NONE of them require them to dial 9 to call someone. If anyone is insulting their intelligence its you by implying they are too stupid to learn how to dial without a 9. They dial from home w/o dialing 9; they dial from their cell phones without dialing 9; yet suddenly they become stupid just because they walk in the front door of the office? I convert customers off the dial-9 bullshit all the time. You know how that training goes?

"hey, you dont have to do that dial-9 bullshit anymore!" ....

... "Yea!"

trained.

Submitted by TomGalvin on Tue, 03/30/2010 Permalink

When you find yourself in a hole the first thing you should do, is stop digging. Your attitude is only hurting your self.

Submitted by eeman on Tue, 03/30/2010 Permalink

speaking of hurting yourself, Ive just permanently banned you from forum help. I will not be helping you at all. Hope your aren't as much of a lazy, ignorant fool that you come across in the forums because its going to cost you lots of paid consulting as a consequence. You should pray that you are a very fast learner and capable of RTFM's. So far I highly doubt that, otherwise you would have figured out this VERY SIMPLE problem already. You just killed your one free venue for support.

Submitted by TomGalvin on Tue, 03/30/2010 Permalink

In case you haven't noticed, I am not the one who posted the issue, and I have not asked you for help. I asked you for common courtesy to others. I am a paying Third Lane and Asterisk customer. I am not now, and never intend to be a BluegrassNet Voice customer.