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Frequently asked questions
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Using the system:
Your VoIP equipment:
Your VoIP carrier:
NAT penetration:
General questions:
Financial questions:
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How does the
system work?
You sign-up for a Bill My Calls account. You configure your existing VoIP gateway to register with the Bill My Calls system. Then, you tell us about your existing VoIP provider so
that we can switch your calls to them. You will have access to an online control panel that you can use to
control your booths and charge your customers at the rates that you choose.
How do I get started?
The first step is to create a Bill My Calls account,
and you can do this online.
We will then send you an email explaining the next steps.
What software do I need to install?
You do not need to install any software. Our billing system is online and you
reach it using your web browser.
Is the billing system pre-pay or
post-pay?
The call shop billing system can be operated in either prepay or postpay mode.
So, you can choose whether to charge your callers before or after they call. You
can mix your operations so that some of your callers pay after their calls and others are
required to pay you a deposit before they can call.
Can I switch booths on and off?
Yes, you can do this using the Advanced Billing feature of the system and you can even
disconnect calls in progress. You can easily set this up on the online billing
system by defining the line IDs of each booth.
How do I set my selling rates?
You set the rates you want your callers to pay using the online control panel.
You can either set them individually using a web page or you can upload them from a CSV
file. You can also set your billing steps, call set up charge and you can define a
two tier discount structure.
Do I have to change my VoIP carrier?
No. The idea of Bill My Calls is that you
continue to use your current VoIP carrier.
What will my callers dial?
They can call either "00 + country + number" or "country + number".
It is possible for us to mimic your national dialling pattern, so that calls to
your own country are dialled in the same way as they would be from a landline.
Please contact our support team
if you would like us to set this up.
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What equipment can I
use?
You can use any H.323 or SIP compliant VoIP gateway, ATA or IP phone.
Do I have to reconfigure my VoIP
devices?
Yes, you will need to reconfigure your VoIP devices to register at the Bill My Calls system. We have published configuration guidelines for the more common
devices.
Can you reconfigure my VoIP devices
for me?
Sorry, no.
Will DTMF work?
There are several ways of transmitting touch tone information through VoIP. But,
if DTMF worked when your device was registered directly to your VoIP carrier, then it
should work through Bill My Calls.
Will fax work?
That depends on your VoIP carrier's support for fax.
What codecs do you support?
We do not transcode (change codecs). So, if your codec works when you register
directly with your VoIP carrier, then it should work through Bill
My Calls.
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Can I use my
existing VoIP carrier?
Part of the provisioning procedure is to test that your carrier will work using Bill My Calls. Most VoIP carriers will work using our
service.
My carrier authenticates by
fixed IP address. Will it work?
If your carrier authenticates your calls by a fixed IP address, then it may not work
through Bill My Calls. You must tell your carrier
that you will be sending calls from a shared IP address and that you need to use a
"tech prefix". Please contact our support team to find out which IP address will be used to originate
your calls.
Do I need to tell my VoIP
carrier?
Probably not.
My carrier uses H.323, but my
gateways are SIP. Will it work?
Yes, we can convert between H.323 and SIP and vice-versa.
Can I use multiple accounts
with my VoIP carrier?
No. You must maintain one account with your VoIP carrier. This is usually
the case, but, sometimes, each booth may have its own account on your VoIP carrier's
switch. In that case, you need to choose only one account to use and ask your
carrier to allow multiple concurrent calls on that account.
Can you be my VoIP carrier?
We offer a VoIP termination service, but that is not what Bill
My Calls was designed for. Please contact our sales team for more information.
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Why am I only getting
one-way audio?
You are probably suffering from a NAT problem. This is common if your carrier
does not offer NAT penetration and your VoIP devices have private IP addresses.
Please see our NAT page for more information.
How can I fix this problem?
We have published a number of solutions to this problem. Please see our NAT page for more information.
Do I need to pay you for NAT
penetration?
The last resort is to pay us to provide a NAT penetration service for you. This
costs $0.0040 per minute. We encourage you to avoid this charge and have published a
number of alternative solutions.
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Who are you?
We are Westbay Engineers Ltd., and Bill My Calls is one of our products. We are based in the
UK and have been providing telecommunications software and services since 1989.
How can I contact you?
Please see our contact page.
Do you provide technical support?
We provide technical support by email on weekdays between 09:30 and 16:30, UK local
time. We will assist in setting up and using the online billing system. If you
have problems with your VoIP carrier, you should contact them directly.
I have two call shops. Will this
work?
Yes, but you will need two different Bill My Calls
accounts.
Do you have a reseller system?
Bill My Calls is a direct sale product and is not
designed to be resold. But, if you are a reseller with a large number of call shop
customers, we may be able to offer large discounts on these prices. Please contact us for more information.
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What is the set up cost?
There are no set up costs for new accounts. If you are an existing customer and
you need us to set up a new carrier for you on our switch, then we will charge $20.00.
How will I pay for calls?
You would pay your existing VoIP carrier for the calls in exactly the same as you do
now. We would not be involved in the commercial arrangement between you and your
carrier.
How much will you charge me?
We will charge you a fixed monthly fee for the service, which will depend on how many
booths you have. There may be some other charges, but you can usually avoid
these. If you make a one, two or three year commitment, you will receive a discount
of up to 70%. Please see our pricing
information.
When should I pay you?
You should not pay us anything until your service has been fully built; you have tested
it and you are satisfied that it works. Then, we will invite you to make your first
payment. Your account will be debited by your monthly fee on the following day and
on the same day of each month. You must ensure that your account has sufficient
credit to cover these charges each month, otherwise it will be automatically disabled
until we receive a further payment from you. We do not send out warning emails that
your account is about to be debited. If you choose a one, two or three year
contract, you will need to pay for the full term when the service starts.
How can I pay you?
We accept wire transfers and Western Union Quick Pay and we do not charge for those
payment methods. Subject to approval, we accept online payments in Pounds Sterling
without a transaction fee. We can also accept online payments in Euro and US
Dollars, but there is a 5% transaction fee for these payment methods. We accept
PayPal with a 5% transaction fee.
Is there a minimum term?
There is no minimum term if you choose the monthly pricing plan. If you choose a
one, two or three year contract, then you are required to pay for the full term at the
beginning of the agreement. You can stop using the service at any time by stopping
your payments to us. But, we will not make partial refunds for days that you have
not used. Please see our pricing information.
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