BT Office Communicator User Guide

This guide shows you how to get the most from your BT Office Communicator

Contents Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 4 What is BT Office Communicator? ............................................................................................ 4 Getting Started ......................................................................................................................... 5 Minimum requirements ............................................................................................................ 5 Additional requirements ........................................................................................................... 5 Downloading the BT Office Communicator .............................................................................. 6 Using the BT Office Communicator........................................................................................... 9 Starting the BT Office Communicator....................................................................................... 9 Logging in to the BT Office Communicator .............................................................................. 9 Automatic equipment detection ............................................................................................. 10 Showing and hiding the BT Office Communicator .................................................................. 10 Showing and hiding parts of the BT Office Communicator .................................................... 11 Making a call ........................................................................................................................... 12 Redialling ................................................................................................................................ 33 Showing or hiding your number ............................................................................................. 33 Placing another call ................................................................................................................ 34 Ending a call............................................................................................................................ 34 Handling an incoming call ...................................................................................................... 34 Making a video call ................................................................................................................. 35 Authorised calls ...................................................................................................................... 35 Closing the BT Office Communicator ...................................................................................... 36 Managing Contacts and History.............................................................................................. 37 Showing and hiding the Contacts or History panel ................................................................ 37 Showing and hiding a contact’s details .................................................................................. 38 Showing and hiding a call history’s details ............................................................................ 39 Adding a new contact ............................................................................................................. 39 Changing contact information ................................................................................................ 41 Deleting a contact ................................................................................................................... 41 Deleting a caller history.......................................................................................................... 41 Importing contacts ................................................................................................................. 41 Exporting contacts .................................................................................................................. 42 Adding a group ....................................................................................................................... 42 Renaming a group .................................................................................................................. 42 Deleting a group ..................................................................................................................... 43 Viewing your contacts list ...................................................................................................... 43 Sorting your contacts list........................................................................................................ 43 Viewing your call history ........................................................................................................ 43 Filtering your contacts or history ........................................................................................... 44 Availability .............................................................................................................................. 44 Blocking .................................................................................................................................. 46 Managing Preferences ............................................................................................................ 48 Application .............................................................................................................................. 48 Alerts & Sounds ...................................................................................................................... 49 Privacy .................................................................................................................................... 50 Devices .................................................................................................................................... 51 Network .................................................................................................................................. 52 Diagnostics ............................................................................................................................. 53 Advanced ................................................................................................................................ 54 Additional Features................................................................................................................. 55

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The My Profile panel ............................................................................................................... 55 Voicemail ................................................................................................................................ 55 Audio controls ......................................................................................................................... 55 Three-way conference calls .................................................................................................... 56 Video conference calls ............................................................................................................ 56 Instant Messaging .................................................................................................................. 57 Email ....................................................................................................................................... 58 Find a Number ........................................................................................................................ 59 Meet Me .................................................................................................................................. 59 Getting More Help ................................................................................................................... 60 The BT Office Communicator FAQs ......................................................................................... 60 Reporting abuse...................................................................................................................... 60 Version information ................................................................................................................ 60

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Introduction Please use this guide to learn more about the BT Broadband Voice BT Office Communicator, from making and receiving phone calls online to the wide range of advanced features. This guide provides you with everything you need to use the BT Office Communicator. However, if you have any further questions, please visit: www.bt.com/business/officecommunicator

What is BT Office Communicator? The BT Office Communicator transforms your PC into a phone, helping to keep you in contact with your business customers and colleagues by making and receiving phone calls online. The BT Office Communicator also offers much more than just phone calls. You can use webcams to make video calls, have three-way conference calls and chat with Instant Messaging. You can also build a list of your contacts and see when they are online.

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Getting Started Minimum requirements The BT Office Communicator is compatible with Windows computer systems only. Refer to the table below for minimum computer requirements:

Processor

Minimum

Optimal

Intel® Pentium III 1.3 G Hz or Equivalent

Pe ntium 4 2.4 GHz or equivalent

M emory

512 M B RAM

Ha rd Disk Space Operating System

50MB Windows® 2000 W indows® XP Windows® Vista (32 bit) W indows® 7 Ultimate, Home Premium and Starter Edition (32 bit)

Connection

IP network connection (broa dband, LAN, wireless)

Sound Card Browser

Full duplex, 16bit Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or la ter

Routers

BT B usiness Hub 2701C BT Business Hub 2700 BT Business Hub 1800HG BT Business Hub 1801

 

Additional requirements To make and receive calls, you need a microphone and speakers, a headset or a handset. If you want to make video calls, you also need a webcam. If you do not have any of these, you can order them at: www.dabs4work.com

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Downloading the BT Office Communicator To download the BT Office Communicator: 1. Go to: https://service.btbroadbandvoice.bt.com/selfcare/businessYourAccount 2. Log on using your Broadband Voice number and password. 3. Click on Download now to display the File Download dialog:

4. Click on the Save button to save the file to your computer or the Open button to begin the installation immediately. When clicking on Save, please choose a suitable and memorable location for your download, for example your computer's Desktop. Once the download is complete, the following dialog is displayed:

5. Click on the Open Folder button to display the folder where the installation file was saved.

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6. Exit all other programs on your computer. 7. Double-click on the installation file to display the Setup wizard:

8. Click on the Next button to display the License Agreement:

9. Click on the View Terms and Conditions button to read the agreement and select I accept the terms in the license agreement.

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10. Click on the Next button to display the Destination Folder:

11. Click on the Next button followed by the Install button to set up BT Office Communicator on your computer. Once the set up is complete, the following dialog is displayed:

The Launch BT Office Communicator box is ticked by default. If you do not want to launch the BT Office Communicator at this time, untick the Launch BT Office Communicator box. 12. To create a BT Office Communicator icon on your Quick Launch bar, tick the Create a Quick Launch icon box. 13. If you want the BT Office Communicator to automatically start when you turn on your computer, tick the Launch the application when Windows starts box. 14. Click on the Finish button.

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Using the BT Office Communicator Starting the BT Office Communicator If the BT Office Communicator does not start automatically when you start your computer, double-click on the desktop icon or click on the Windows Start button and select All Programs > BT Office Communicator > BT Office Communicator. The Log in to BT Office Communicator dialog is displayed:

Logging in to the BT Office Communicator To log in to the BT Office Communicator: 1. In the Broadband Voice number field, enter your BT Broadband Voice 056xx number. Note: If you do not have an account, click on the Find out more link to open a Web browser where you can follow the prompts to request an account. 2. In the Password field, enter your password. If you have forgotten your password, click on the Forgotten your password? link to open a Web browser where you can follow the prompts to retrieve your password. 3. If you want the Broadband Voice number field to be automatically completed with your Broadband Voice number the next time you log on, tick the Remember my Broadband Voice number box. 4. If you want the Password field to be automatically completed with your password the next time you log on, tick the Remember my password box. 5. If you tick the first two boxes, the Sign in automatically box is enabled. If you want the BT Office Communicator to automatically log you in the next time you start the application, tick the Sign in

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automatically box. 6. Click on the Login button to display the BT Office Communicator:

Automatic equipment detection When you start the BT Office Communicator and log on, an automatic tuning wizard runs. This means that you do not have to manually select each piece of equipment you have, for example, microphones and speakers, as BT Office Communicator does this for you.

Showing and hiding the BT Office Communicator The buttons controlling whether the BT Office Communicator is shown or hidden are displayed in the BT Office Communicator’s title bar. To minimise the BT Office Communicator, click on the

button.

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To display the BT Office Communicator as a deskbar, click on the Communicator will be displayed as follows:

To redisplay the BT Office Communicator, double-click on the

button. The BT Office

button.

To minimise the BT Office Communicator to your system tray, click on the Communicator will be displayed as an icon in the system tray. To redisplay the BT Office Communicator, double-click on the

button. The BT Office

icon.

You can still receive calls when the phone is hidden or minimised. If you exit when BT Office Communicator is minimised or in deskbar mode, the BT Office Communicator will start next time as minimised or in deskbar mode.

Showing and hiding parts of the BT Office Communicator You can hide parts of the BT Office Communicator so that only those parts you want to use are displayed. From the View menu, select one of the following: •

Show Dialpad

•

Show Meet Me

•

Show Find A Number

•

Show History

The tick next to the option you selected is removed from the menu and that part of the BT Office Communicator is hidden. To redisplay the hidden part, select the appropriate option from the View menu again so that the tick is redisplayed and the part is shown in the BT Office Communicator.

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Making a call You can make a call by using the Call panel:

There are several ways to make a call with the BT Office Communicator.

Keying 1. In the Please enter phone number field, enter the required number using either the BT Office Communicator dial pad or your computer keyboard. Note: Press the Clear button if details of a previous call are displayed in the Call panel. 2. Click on the

Call button or press the ENTER key.

Note: If you have used the Options dialog to specify that calls are placed as soon as a number has been entered in the Please enter phone number field, you do not need to click on the Call button or press the ENTER key and the call will be placed immediately. For further information, see the Managing Preferences The Preferences dialog is split into seven panels and allows you to adapt your BT Office Communicator to your needs. To display the Preferences dialog, from the File menu, select Preferences.

Application Click on the Application button to display the Application panel:

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If you want the BT Office Communicator to automatically start when you switch on your computer, tick the Auto launch when Windows starts box. If you want a new IM message to automatically open in a new dialog, tick the Always open a new message in its own window box. If you want to start a call as soon as you have entered a number in the Please enter phone number field without having to click on the Call button or press the ENTER key, tick the Call immediately once a phone number is selected box. When IM messaging, if you want pressing the ENTER key to automatically send the message, select Send the message. Alternatively, if you want pressing the ENTER key to add a new line to your message, select Create a new line.

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Alerts & Sounds Click on the Alerts & Sounds button to display the Alerts & Sounds panel:

Alerts You can enable and disable all alerts by ticking or unticking the Enable alert displays box. Alternatively, you can enable and disable alerts for different actions by ticking or unticking the boxes next to the actions listed:

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Sounds You can enable and disable all sounds by ticking or unticking the Enable sounds box. Alternatively, you can enable and disable sounds for different actions by ticking or unticking the boxes next to the actions listed:

Privacy Click on the Privacy button to display the Privacy panel:

This panel gives you the ability to determine who can contact you via BT office Communicator. Select Allow everybody to contact me (except those in my blocked lists) or Allow only those people on my contact list to contact me.

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Devices Click on the Devices button to display the Devices panel:

BT Office Communicator automatically detects the devices attached to your computer and chooses which ones to use for audio and video. The Devices panel allows you to specify which devices you are using and then enable the features for those devices. If you are using a headset with the BT Office Communicator, select the required headset from the Speaker and Microphone menus in the Headset Mode section. If you are using a speakerphone with the BT Office Communicator, select the required speaker from the Speaker menu and the required microphone from the Microphone menu in the Speakerphone Mode section. To reduce the background noise from the speakerphone, tick the Reduce background noise box. If you have more than one phone ring device attached to your computer, select the required device from the Ring Device menu. If you also want the computer’s speakers to ring when someone is calling you, tick the Also ring PC speaker box. If you have more than one webcam attached to your computer, select the camera that you want to use from the Camera menu.

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Network Click on the Network button to display the Network panel:

Network Connection Speed If you want the BT Office Communicator to detect the speed of your network connection and the potential bandwidth, tick the Use automatic bandwidth detection box. If you want to select the type of network connection for your computer yourself, untick the Use automatic bandwidth detection box and select the type of connection you have. If you want the BT Office Communicator to stop sending audio when you are not talking, tick the Preserve bandwidth during silence periods box. Note: this should typically not be selected, unless you are using a slow connection, for example, dial-up or ISDN. If you want the BT Office Communicator to always send audio, which uses more bandwidth but may result in better call quality, untick the Preserve bandwidth during silence periods box.

Video Image Quality You can also set your video image quality to Low resolution, Standard or High resolution.

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Diagnostics Click on the Diagnostics button to display the Diagnostics panel:

The Diagnostics panel allows you to enable diagnostic logging to files. Diagnostic logging uses computer resources so you should only enable it when instructed by a BT customer service representative. To enable diagnostic logging: 1.

Tick the Enable diagnostic logging box.

2.

Set the logging level by selecting None, Minimal, Error, Warning, Information, Debug or Maximum.

3.

In the Diagnostic log output field, enter the path to the folder where the logging files with be saved to or click on the … button to locate and select the folder.

4.

Click on the OK button.

Any activity on the BT Office Communicator will be logged to .csv files in the specified folder. A new set of files is started each time you log on.

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Advanced Click on the Advanced button to display the Advanced panel:

If you want to improve the sound quality of your calls by reducing speaker echo, tick the Reduce echoes from speakers (AEC) box. If you are running the BT Office Communicator on older hardware, tick the Use slower but more compatible video format box. This may improve performance. chapter.

Dragging and dropping contacts 1. Display the Contacts or History panel. 2. Click and hold down your mouse button over the required contact name or number, drag it to the Call panel and release the mouse button. The number is displayed in the Call panel. 3. Click on the

Call button or press the ENTER key.

Note: If you have used the Options dialog to specify that calls are placed as soon as a number has been entered in the Please enter phone number field, you do not need to click on the Call button or press the ENTER key and the call will be placed immediately. For further information, see the Managing Preferences The Preferences dialog is split into seven panels and allows you to adapt your BT Office Communicator to your needs. To display the Preferences dialog, from the File menu, select Preferences.

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Application Click on the Application button to display the Application panel:

If you want the BT Office Communicator to automatically start when you switch on your computer, tick the Auto launch when Windows starts box. If you want a new IM message to automatically open in a new dialog, tick the Always open a new message in its own window box. If you want to start a call as soon as you have entered a number in the Please enter phone number field without having to click on the Call button or press the ENTER key, tick the Call immediately once a phone number is selected box. When IM messaging, if you want pressing the ENTER key to automatically send the message, select Send the message. Alternatively, if you want pressing the ENTER key to add a new line to your message, select Create a new line.

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Alerts & Sounds Click on the Alerts & Sounds button to display the Alerts & Sounds panel:

Alerts You can enable and disable all alerts by ticking or unticking the Enable alert displays box. Alternatively, you can enable and disable alerts for different actions by ticking or unticking the boxes next to the actions listed:

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Sounds You can enable and disable all sounds by ticking or unticking the Enable sounds box. Alternatively, you can enable and disable sounds for different actions by ticking or unticking the boxes next to the actions listed:

Privacy Click on the Privacy button to display the Privacy panel:

This panel gives you the ability to determine who can contact you via BT office Communicator. Select Allow everybody to contact me (except those in my blocked lists) or Allow only those people on my contact list to contact me.

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Devices Click on the Devices button to display the Devices panel:

BT Office Communicator automatically detects the devices attached to your computer and chooses which ones to use for audio and video. The Devices panel allows you to specify which devices you are using and then enable the features for those devices. If you are using a headset with the BT Office Communicator, select the required headset from the Speaker and Microphone menus in the Headset Mode section. If you are using a speakerphone with the BT Office Communicator, select the required speaker from the Speaker menu and the required microphone from the Microphone menu in the Speakerphone Mode section. To reduce the background noise from the speakerphone, tick the Reduce background noise box. If you have more than one phone ring device attached to your computer, select the required device from the Ring Device menu. If you also want the computer’s speakers to ring when someone is calling you, tick the Also ring PC speaker box. If you have more than one webcam attached to your computer, select the camera that you want to use from the Camera menu.

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Network Click on the Network button to display the Network panel:

Network Connection Speed If you want the BT Office Communicator to detect the speed of your network connection and the potential bandwidth, tick the Use automatic bandwidth detection box. If you want to select the type of network connection for your computer yourself, untick the Use automatic bandwidth detection box and select the type of connection you have. If you want the BT Office Communicator to stop sending audio when you are not talking, tick the Preserve bandwidth during silence periods box. Note: this should typically not be selected, unless you are using a slow connection, for example, dial-up or ISDN. If you want the BT Office Communicator to always send audio, which uses more bandwidth but may result in better call quality, untick the Preserve bandwidth during silence periods box.

Video Image Quality You can also set your video image quality to Low resolution, Standard or High resolution.

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Diagnostics Click on the Diagnostics button to display the Diagnostics panel:

The Diagnostics panel allows you to enable diagnostic logging to files. Diagnostic logging uses computer resources so you should only enable it when instructed by a BT customer service representative. To enable diagnostic logging: 5.

Tick the Enable diagnostic logging box.

6.

Set the logging level by selecting None, Minimal, Error, Warning, Information, Debug or Maximum.

7.

In the Diagnostic log output field, enter the path to the folder where the logging files with be saved to or click on the … button to locate and select the folder.

8.

Click on the OK button.

Any activity on the BT Office Communicator will be logged to .csv files in the specified folder. A new set of files is started each time you log on.

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Advanced Click on the Advanced button to display the Advanced panel:

If you want to improve the sound quality of your calls by reducing speaker echo, tick the Reduce echoes from speakers (AEC) box. If you are running the BT Office Communicator on older hardware, tick the Use slower but more compatible video format box. This may improve performance. chapter.

Using the Contacts or History panel 1. Display the Contacts or History panel. 2. Right-click over the required contact name or number and select Call or Video Call or double-click the contact. The number is displayed in the Call panel. 3. Click on the

Call button or press the ENTER key.

Note: If you have used the Options dialog to specify that calls are placed as soon as a number has been entered in the Please enter phone number field, you do not need to click on the Call button or press the ENTER key and the call will be placed immediately. For further information, see the Managing Preferences The Preferences dialog is split into seven panels and allows you to adapt your BT Office Communicator to your needs. To display the Preferences dialog, from the File menu, select Preferences.

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Application Click on the Application button to display the Application panel:

If you want the BT Office Communicator to automatically start when you switch on your computer, tick the Auto launch when Windows starts box. If you want a new IM message to automatically open in a new dialog, tick the Always open a new message in its own window box. If you want to start a call as soon as you have entered a number in the Please enter phone number field without having to click on the Call button or press the ENTER key, tick the Call immediately once a phone number is selected box. When IM messaging, if you want pressing the ENTER key to automatically send the message, select Send the message. Alternatively, if you want pressing the ENTER key to add a new line to your message, select Create a new line.

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Alerts & Sounds Click on the Alerts & Sounds button to display the Alerts & Sounds panel:

Alerts You can enable and disable all alerts by ticking or unticking the Enable alert displays box. Alternatively, you can enable and disable alerts for different actions by ticking or unticking the boxes next to the actions listed:

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Sounds You can enable and disable all sounds by ticking or unticking the Enable sounds box. Alternatively, you can enable and disable sounds for different actions by ticking or unticking the boxes next to the actions listed:

Privacy Click on the Privacy button to display the Privacy panel:

This panel gives you the ability to determine who can contact you via BT office Communicator. Select Allow everybody to contact me (except those in my blocked lists) or Allow only those people on my contact list to contact me.

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Devices Click on the Devices button to display the Devices panel:

BT Office Communicator automatically detects the devices attached to your computer and chooses which ones to use for audio and video. The Devices panel allows you to specify which devices you are using and then enable the features for those devices. If you are using a headset with the BT Office Communicator, select the required headset from the Speaker and Microphone menus in the Headset Mode section. If you are using a speakerphone with the BT Office Communicator, select the required speaker from the Speaker menu and the required microphone from the Microphone menu in the Speakerphone Mode section. To reduce the background noise from the speakerphone, tick the Reduce background noise box. If you have more than one phone ring device attached to your computer, select the required device from the Ring Device menu. If you also want the computer’s speakers to ring when someone is calling you, tick the Also ring PC speaker box. If you have more than one webcam attached to your computer, select the camera that you want to use from the Camera menu.

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Network Click on the Network button to display the Network panel:

Network Connection Speed If you want the BT Office Communicator to detect the speed of your network connection and the potential bandwidth, tick the Use automatic bandwidth detection box. If you want to select the type of network connection for your computer yourself, untick the Use automatic bandwidth detection box and select the type of connection you have. If you want the BT Office Communicator to stop sending audio when you are not talking, tick the Preserve bandwidth during silence periods box. Note: this should typically not be selected, unless you are using a slow connection, for example, dial-up or ISDN. If you want the BT Office Communicator to always send audio, which uses more bandwidth but may result in better call quality, untick the Preserve bandwidth during silence periods box.

Video Image Quality You can also set your video image quality to Low resolution, Standard or High resolution.

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Diagnostics Click on the Diagnostics button to display the Diagnostics panel:

The Diagnostics panel allows you to enable diagnostic logging to files. Diagnostic logging uses computer resources so you should only enable it when instructed by a BT customer service representative. To enable diagnostic logging: 9.

Tick the Enable diagnostic logging box.

10.

Set the logging level by selecting None, Minimal, Error, Warning, Information, Debug or Maximum.

11.

In the Diagnostic log output field, enter the path to the folder where the logging files with be saved to or click on the … button to locate and select the folder.

12.

Click on the OK button.

Any activity on the BT Office Communicator will be logged to .csv files in the specified folder. A new set of files is started each time you log on.

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Advanced Click on the Advanced button to display the Advanced panel:

If you want to improve the sound quality of your calls by reducing speaker echo, tick the Reduce echoes from speakers (AEC) box. If you are running the BT Office Communicator on older hardware, tick the Use slower but more compatible video format box. This may improve performance. chapter.

Redialling To call the last number you dialled, click on the Redial button or the

button.

To call one of the numbers you have dialled during your current BT Office Communicator session, click button, select Redial then the required number. The call is placed on the down arrow next to the immediately.

Showing or hiding your number By default, your 056 number is displayed when calling out. To place a call anonymously, click on the Options button and select Hide My Number for this Call.

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Placing another call To place a new call without hanging up the current call, click on the Call panel:

button to display New tab in the

You can now place the new call. Note: The first call will be put on hold when placing another call.

Ending a call Click on the End button. Details of the call may remain in the Call panel for a few seconds. To clear the details of the call, click on the Clear button.

Handling an incoming call The BT Office Communicator must be running to answer an incoming call. You are notified in the caller display if you have an incoming call and on what line. You can see the number of the person calling you, if they have not withheld this information. In addition, the Call Alert dialog appears, even if the BT Office Communicator is minimised, for example:

There are several ways to handle an incoming call.

Answering the call Click on the

Answer button in the BT Office Communicator or the

button in the Call Alert dialog.

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Answering the call with video Click on the Alert dialog.

Answer video button in the BT Office Communicator or the

button in the Call

Declining the call Click on the Decline button in the BT Office Communicator or the button in the Call Alert dialog. There will be a busy signal. In some networks, the call is directed to voicemail. For further information on voicemail, see the Voicemail section in the Additional Features chapter.

Making a video call To start a video call: 1. Click on

to display the Video panel.

2. In the Please enter phone number field, enter the required number using either the BT Office Communicator dial pad or your computer keyboard. 3. Click on the

Call button or the

Video Call button.

4. If you want to stop the video, close the Video panel. Your call is not ended, only the video stops.

Authorised calls In addition to local, national and international home and mobile numbers, you can also call: •

All 08 numbers (including 0800, 0845, 0870).

•

Premium Rate numbers (090).

•

Speaking Clock (123).

•

Chargecard calls.

•

BT directory enquiries 118 500/505.

•

Calls to non-mobile personalised numbers (07).

•

Emergency services 999/112. Note: If you dial emergency services from abroad, the call connects to UK emergency services.

You cannot call the operator, non BT directory enquiries or dial-up Internet service providers.

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In case of an emergency, your BT Broadband Voice, BT Office Communicator will not work if there is a power cut or broadband failure. This is a voice service provided over a Data Network service and, as such, service availability is not guaranteed. Therefore if your broadband connection fails, your voice service will also fail. Your service may cease to function if there is a power cut or failure. Power cuts or failures may be caused by reasons outside our control. We strongly recommend that you keep a standard phone on a standard line and advise anyone in your house to use this phone rather than your BT Broadband Voice BT Office Communicator service, in the event of an emergency. We would not recommend the use of this service in the case of an emergency call.

Closing the BT Office Communicator To close down BT Office Communicator, do one of the following: •

From the File menu, select Exit.

•

In the system tray, right-click on the

icon and select Exit.

Note: If you attempt to exit BT Office Communicator while you are on a call, a message is displayed to warn you that the call will be hung up if you exit. You can then cancel the exit to continue your call or confirm the exit, which will terminate the phone call.

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Managing Contacts and History The Contacts panel allows you to add a contacts list to the BT Office Communicator. You can add the different contact methods available for a person and organise your contacts into groups. Once you have a contacts list, you can sort your contact list or filter contacts to locate the person that you require. The History panel allows you to view your call history and shows all dialled, missed, received, answered and blocked incoming and outgoing calls.

Showing and hiding the Contacts or History panel Click on the button next to Contacts or History to display the Contacts or History panel in the BT Office Communicator, for example:

To close the panel, click on the displayed.

button next to Contacts or History, depending on the panel

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Click on the button next to Contacts or History to display the Contacts or History panel as a separate dialog, for example:

To close the dialog, click on the

button in the title bar.

Showing and hiding a contact’s details Display the Contacts panel and place your cursor over the contact you are interested in. The contact’s details are displayed in a separate dialog, for example:

This panel shows all the contact methods set up for the contact. Click on an icon next to a contact item to contact the person using that method.

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Showing and hiding a call history’s details Display the History panel and place your cursor over the contact you are interested in. The contact’s call history to you is displayed in a separate dialog, for example:

Adding a new contact To add a new contact: 1. Do one of the following: •

From the Contacts menu, select Add a Contact.

•

Display the Contacts panel and click on the

•

If on a call with the person you want to add as a contact, click on the Add button in the Call panel.

•

If you want to add the contact to a specific group, display the Contacts panel, right-click on the name of the group and select Add Contact to Group.

button.

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The Contact Profile dialog is displayed:

2. In the Name field, enter the First and Last name of the person. 3. In the Company field, enter the name of the company that the person works for. 4. In the Display as field, enter the name that you want to use to identify the person in the Contacts panel. 5. In the Title field, enter the person’s title. 6. From the Group menu, select which group the person will belong to. To add them to more than one group, click on the More… button to display the More Groups dialog. Tick the box next to each group you want to add the contact to. Click on the OK button to close the More Groups dialog and return to the Contact Profile dialog. 7. In the Occupation field, enter the person’s job title. 8. For each method of contact available for the person, do the following in the Contact Methods section: •

From the Method menu, select the method of contact.

•

In the Number / Address field, enter the appropriate telephone number or address.

9. From the Primary contact method menu, select the primary method you want to use to contact the person.

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10. For each address you want to want to enter for the person, do the following in the Addresses section: •

Select the Home, Work or Other tab, depending on which address you are entering.

•

In the Address box, enter the address.

•

In the Notes box, enter any relevant information about the use of that address.

11. Once you are satisfied with the details that you have entered, click on the Save & Close button.

Changing contact information To change a contact’s details: 1. Do one of the following: •

Display the Contacts or History panel, right-click on the contact and select View Profile.

•

Display the contact’s details and click on the View/Edit Profile link.

The Contact Profile dialog is displayed. 2. Make the changes required. 3. Once you are satisfied with the changes you have made, click on the Save & Close button.

Deleting a contact To delete a contact, display the Contacts panel and do one of the following: •

From the Contacts menu, select Delete Contact.

•

Right-click on the contact and select Delete Contact.

Deleting a caller history To delete a caller history, display the History panel, right-click on the contact’s name or number and select Delete to delete that call or Delete All Calls to delete your entire call history.

Importing contacts To import a contact list from a file or another application to your BT Office Communicator contacts list: 1. From the Contacts menu, select Import Contacts… to display the Import Contacts dialog. 2. Select where you want to import contacts from and click on the Next button. 3. Enter the path to the folder where the file to be imported is saved or click on the … button to locate and select the folder.

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Note: If you opted to import vCard files, click on the Add… button to locate the file you want to import. 4. Click on the Next button. 5. If you selected to import from Outlook or Exchange Server, tick the box next to each folder that you want to import and click on the Next button. The import starts. 6. Once the import is complete, click on the Finished button to exit the Import Contacts dialog. The Contacts panel is updated to show the imported entries.

Exporting contacts To export your BT Office Communicator contacts list to a file or application: 1. From the Contacts menu, select Export Contacts… to display the Export Contacts dialog. 2. Select where you want to export your contacts to and click on the Next button. 3. Click on the Create File… button, enter a name for the export file and locate and select the folder to where you want to save the file. 4. Click on the Next button. The export starts. 5. Once the export is complete, click on the Finished button to exit the Export Contacts dialog. Your contacts are saved to the file or application that you specified.

Adding a group To add a new contacts group: 1. Do one of the following: •

From the Contacts menu, select Add a Group.

•

Display the Contacts panel, right-click on the name of any group and select New Group.

A new group is added to the Contacts panel. 2. Overtype New Group with the name of the new group. 3. Click away from the group. You can now add contacts to the group.

Renaming a group To rename a contacts group: 1. Do one of the following: •

From the Contacts menu, select Rename Group.

•

Display the Contacts panel, right-click on the name of any group and select Rename Group.

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Note: You cannot rename the Work group. 2. Overtype the name of the group with the new name.

Deleting a group To delete a contacts group, do one of the following: •

From the Contacts menu, select Delete Group.

•

Display the Contacts panel, right-click on the name of any group and select Delete Group.

The group is automatically deleted. Note: You cannot delete the Work group.

Viewing your contacts list The buttons controlling contacts list sorting are displayed in the top right of the Contacts panel:

To display all of your contacts, click on the All button. To display only those contacts that are currently available, that is logged in to BT Office Communicator, click on the button. To show the groups to which your contacts belong, click on the down arrow next to the select Show Groups.

button and

To show only the groups to which your contacts belong, that is without the contacts listed under the group names, click on the down arrow next to the button and select Collapse All Groups.

Sorting your contacts list To sort your contacts list: 1. Click the down arrow next to the

button and select Sort by.

2. Select Name to sort your contacts by name or Online Status to sort your contacts by their availability status.

Viewing your call history The buttons controlling history list sorting are displayed in the top right of the History panel:

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To display all calls, click on the All button. To display only those calls that you dialled, click on the To display only those calls you have missed, click on the

button. button.

To display only those calls that you have received, click on the

button.

Filtering your contacts or history If you have a long contacts list or caller history you can filter them to locate the information that you require. In the field at the top of the Contacts or History panel, enter the contact name or number. Only the contacts matching the search text entered are automatically displayed in the panel. To redisplay the full contacts list or caller history, click on

in the

field.

Availability Availability determines whether a person is available for contact through the BT Office Communicator. Your availability is indicated and determined at the top of the BT Office Communicator. For further information on setting your availability, see the Setting your availability section in this chapter. The availability of others is indicated in the Contacts panel:

You can publish your availability to contacts who have BT Office Communicator numbers and you can set up BT Office Communicator to view the availability of other contacts.

Sharing availability The BT Office Communicator sends the contact a request in the form of a Presence Request dialog which asks that you be able to see the contact’s availability. If the contact allows this request, then the icon beside their name in the Contacts panel changes according to their availability. Note: When the contact allows your request, your name is added to their contact list.

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Receiving a Presence Request As soon as you are added to a contact’s list and they have indicated that they want to see your availability, a Presence Request dialog is displayed on your computer, for example:

To allow the contact to see your availability and add them to your contacts list, click on the Allow and Add to Contacts button. The contact is added to your contacts list and you can view their availability status in the Contacts panel. A Presence Request will be sent back to the contact, asking for you to see their availability. To allow the contact to see your availability without adding them to your contacts list, click on the Allow button. The contact can see your availability. To turn down the contact’s request to see your availability, click on the Decline button. The contact cannot see your availability. To block the contact from calling you again, click on the Block button. For further information about blocking contacts, see Blocking in this chapter. If you close the Presence Request dialog without clicking on a button, the contact cannot see your availability. The contact cannot send a request again as you have already indicated whether want to allow or to ban that contact from seeing your availability.

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Setting your availability To set your own availability, click on the down arrow beside the availability indicator on the BT Office Communicator:

and select your current availability. Select Custom Status Message… to create a new status message: 1. Click on the New button. A new message row is added. 2. Overtype New Message with the message you require. 3. Click on the OK button. The new status is added to the availability list.

Blocking You can allow or ban a person in your contact list from contacting you. You can block a contact in several ways.

Blocking a contact 1. Display the Contacts or History panel, right-click on the contact name or number you want to block and select Block this person or Block this Contact to mark the contact as blocked:

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2. Click on the OK button.

Blocking an incoming call To block someone when they are phoning you, click on the Options button and select Block this Contact. The call is declined and the caller blocked from calling you. However, they will still be able to contact you using other methods, for example, Instant Messaging.

Unblocking contacts To unblock a contact: 1. From the File menu, select Preferences, then Privacy to display the My Privacy Settings dialog:

2. If you want a blocked contact to be able to Instant Message you, uncheck the IM box next to the name of the blocked contact. 3. If you want a block contact to be able to contact you using any of the other methods currently blocked, select the number and click on the Unblock button. The status Partially Blocked is shown next to the contact in the Contacts panel. 4. Click on the OK button.

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Managing Preferences The Preferences dialog is split into seven panels and allows you to adapt your BT Office Communicator to your needs. To display the Preferences dialog, from the File menu, select Preferences.

Application Click on the Application button to display the Application panel:

If you want the BT Office Communicator to automatically start when you switch on your computer, tick the Auto launch when Windows starts box. If you want a new IM message to automatically open in a new dialog, tick the Always open a new message in its own window box. If you want to start a call as soon as you have entered a number in the Please enter phone number field without having to click on the Call button or press the ENTER key, tick the Call immediately once a phone number is selected box. When IM messaging, if you want pressing the ENTER key to automatically send the message, select Send the message. Alternatively, if you want pressing the ENTER key to add a new line to your message, select Create a new line.

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Alerts & Sounds Click on the Alerts & Sounds button to display the Alerts & Sounds panel:

Alerts You can enable and disable all alerts by ticking or unticking the Enable alert displays box. Alternatively, you can enable and disable alerts for different actions by ticking or unticking the boxes next to the actions listed:

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Sounds You can enable and disable all sounds by ticking or unticking the Enable sounds box. Alternatively, you can enable and disable sounds for different actions by ticking or unticking the boxes next to the actions listed:

Privacy Click on the Privacy button to display the Privacy panel:

This panel gives you the ability to determine who can contact you via BT office Communicator. Select Allow everybody to contact me (except those in my blocked lists) or Allow only those people on my contact list to contact me.

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Devices Click on the Devices button to display the Devices panel:

BT Office Communicator automatically detects the devices attached to your computer and chooses which ones to use for audio and video. The Devices panel allows you to specify which devices you are using and then enable the features for those devices. If you are using a headset with the BT Office Communicator, select the required headset from the Speaker and Microphone menus in the Headset Mode section. If you are using a speakerphone with the BT Office Communicator, select the required speaker from the Speaker menu and the required microphone from the Microphone menu in the Speakerphone Mode section. To reduce the background noise from the speakerphone, tick the Reduce background noise box. If you have more than one phone ring device attached to your computer, select the required device from the Ring Device menu. If you also want the computer’s speakers to ring when someone is calling you, tick the Also ring PC speaker box. If you have more than one webcam attached to your computer, select the camera that you want to use from the Camera menu.

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Network Click on the Network button to display the Network panel:

Network Connection Speed If you want the BT Office Communicator to detect the speed of your network connection and the potential bandwidth, tick the Use automatic bandwidth detection box. If you want to select the type of network connection for your computer yourself, untick the Use automatic bandwidth detection box and select the type of connection you have. If you want the BT Office Communicator to stop sending audio when you are not talking, tick the Preserve bandwidth during silence periods box. Note: this should typically not be selected, unless you are using a slow connection, for example, dial-up or ISDN. If you want the BT Office Communicator to always send audio, which uses more bandwidth but may result in better call quality, untick the Preserve bandwidth during silence periods box.

Video Image Quality You can also set your video image quality to Low resolution, Standard or High resolution.

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Diagnostics Click on the Diagnostics button to display the Diagnostics panel:

The Diagnostics panel allows you to enable diagnostic logging to files. Diagnostic logging uses computer resources so you should only enable it when instructed by a BT customer service representative. To enable diagnostic logging: 13.

Tick the Enable diagnostic logging box.

14.

Set the logging level by selecting None, Minimal, Error, Warning, Information, Debug or Maximum.

15.

In the Diagnostic log output field, enter the path to the folder where the logging files with be saved to or click on the … button to locate and select the folder.

16.

Click on the OK button.

Any activity on the BT Office Communicator will be logged to .csv files in the specified folder. A new set of files is started each time you log on.

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Advanced Click on the Advanced button to display the Advanced panel:

If you want to improve the sound quality of your calls by reducing speaker echo, tick the Reduce echoes from speakers (AEC) box. If you are running the BT Office Communicator on older hardware, tick the Use slower but more compatible video format box. This may improve performance.

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Additional Features BT Office Communicator has a number of additional features to make communication easier.

The My Profile panel You can update information about yourself on the My Profile panel. From the File menu bar, select My Profile to display the My Profile panel:

The options available are the same as for those in the Contact Profile dialog. For further information, see the Adding a new contact section of the Managing Contacts and History chapter.

Voicemail When you have a new voicemail message, the word New is displayed next to in the top right of the to automatically connect to voicemail and listen to your messages. BT Office Communicator. Click on Alternatively, call 1571 to retrieve your messages.

Audio controls Volume On the left side of the Call panel, there is a slider to control the volume of your microphone. Move the slider up or down to control your microphone’s volume. On the right side of the Call panel, there is a slider to control the volume of your speakers. Move the slider up or down to control your speakers’ volume.

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Mute To mute a call, click on the

button. To restore the sound, click on

button again.

Three-way conference calls You can establish a three-way conference call with two other callers. You can host the conference even if you did not initiate the call.

Starting a conference call To start a conference call: 1. Start two calls. For further information, see the Placing another call section of the Using the BT Office Communicator chapter. Note: When you start the call with the second person, the first person is automatically put on hold. 2. Click on the Conference button. All of the current calls will be conferenced together.

Handling a conference call To suspend the conference, click on the

button.

To end a conference call and return the call participants to separate lines, click on the Options button and select Disband Conference. To end the call with one person, click on the menu beside their name and select End Call. To end the call with everyone, click on the

End button.

Video conference calls Starting a video conference call To start a video conference call: 1. Start two video calls. For further information, see the Making a video call and Placing another call sections of the Using the BT Office Communicator chapter. Note: When you start the call with the second person, the first person is automatically put on hold.

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2. Click on the Conference button. All 3 videos are displayed in the Call panel:

When you conference two calls together, video continues as it was before the conference call. For example, if you were sharing video with one party and only sending your video to another party, then that is how the video will be handled when the conference call is created. Once video has been added to a conference call, it can be handled in the same way as a normal conference call. For further information see the Handling a conference call section in this chapter.

Adding video to an existing conference call As with a regular phone call, only the initiator of the call can add video. Display the Video panel and click on the Video Call button. You can do this even if you do not have a camera, if you want to receive the other callers’ video.

Instant Messaging Instant Messages are initiated using BT Office Communicator numbers. You can send or receive an instant message (IM) to: •

Any contact who has a BT Office Communicator number.

•

Any caller who phoned you from a BT Office Communicator number.

•

Any caller whom you phoned using a BT Office Communicator number.

Sending an Instant Message To send an Instant Message: 1. Select the person to send a message to by doing one of the following: •

Display the Contacts or History panel, right-click on the contact name or number you want to message and select Send Instant Message.

•

Enter a mobile number in the Please enter phone number field, click on the Options button and select Send Instant Message.

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•

Click on the

button.

The Instant Message dialog is displayed:

Alternatively, if another Instant Message session already exists, a new tab is created for the new message. 2. Enter your message in the bottom field, using emoticons and formatting as required. Your message is displayed to you and your contact in the top field. As your conversation progresses, you can scroll the top field to view your entire conversation. 3. Click on the Send button.

Receiving an Instant Message When an Instant Message is received, an Instant Message dialog is displayed. If you are already in and Instant Message session with another person, the new message is displayed in a separate tab of the existing Instant Message dialog.

Email If you have added an email address to a contact’s profile, you can send an email to that contact through the BT Office Communicator. Display the Contacts or History panel, right-click on the contact name or number or the group name and select Send Email. A new email dialog is opened in your default email application, with the To: field populated with all those contacts who have email addresses.

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Find a Number The Find a Number panel is provided as a convenience. In this panel, there is a link to the BT Exchanges service where you can contact details for businesses and much more. To display the Find a Number panel in the BT Office Communicator, click on the Find a Number:

To close the panel, click on the

button next to Find a Number.

To display the Find a Number panel as a separate dialog, click on the Number: To close the dialog, click on the

button next to

button next to Find a

button in the title bar.

Meet Me The Meet Me panel is provided for you to use your meet me service conveniently with BT Office Communicator. If you don’t have this great conferencing service, you can find out more or buy it via the Find out More link in this panel:

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Getting More Help The BT Office Communicator FAQs If you need more help with BT Office Communicator, select Help from the Help menu to display the BT Office Communicator FAQs. Alternatively, you can also view the BT Office Communicator FAQs at: http://www.bt.com/business/help/btoc

Reporting abuse If you are affected by someone misusing the service, select Report Abuse from the Help menu to display guidance on reporting abuse. Alternatively, you can also find help at: www.bt.com/softphone/abuse

Version information To find the version of the BT Office Communicator you have installed onto your computer, select About from the Help menu to display the About BT Office Communicator dialog:

To close the About BT Office Communicator dialog, click on the OK button.

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