Most modern
PC's are easily capable of running Phonix Server in the background. Alternatively,
many offices have old machines that are no longer used that can be utilised as
the Phonix “Server”. Windows 2000 or later is preferred but not
essential.
What
else do I need?
For Analogue
telephone systems, Phonix uses a Caller ID hardware unit that connects to the
telephone lines and a serial port on the Phonix Server. This unit is available
in 1,3 and 6 line versions. Phonix currently supports the Caller ID units
supplied by Crucible Technologies. http://www.crucible-technologies.co.uk/
. Many newer machines do not have a serial port so a USB -> Serial adapter
will be required in this configuration.
Phonix also supports
devices that use can use TAPI. This includes many ISDN telephone systems and a
small number of modems. However we recommend
that you use PhonixLT with tapi systems.
Phonix uses the tcp/ip
protocol to communicate with it’s clients. Therefore tcp/ip must be installed
and configured on all machines running Phonix even if the Server and Client are
running on the same machine.
Phonix also requires
Outlook 97, 98, 2000 or XP to be installed on each machine that will act as a
Phonix server or client. If you require to integrate with Sage, the Sage
datafiles must be accessible from the Network. To share Outlook Contact
information between users a Microsoft Exchange server must be installed.
Versions of Outlook
that have the Security Update applied and all versions of Outlook XP will
potentially cause issues for the Phonix Server. This is because these versions
will prevent Phonix Server from accessing the Outlook Contacts Folder. If you do
not have an Exchange Server there is no Microsoft workaround for this problem
other than to use a version of Outlook that does not have the Security Update
applied. If you have an Exchange Server, you may install a Microsoft
Administrator update that will allow you to configure Outlook to accept access
to the Contacts folder. Alternatively you can install the ExpressSoft ClickYes
utility included on the CD which will allow access to the Contacts Folder.
Do
I need to change my Telephone system.?
Phonix works
independently on any Analogue telephone system you may have. The Caller ID unit
connects to the Analogue telephone lines before they get to the PBX. All that is
required is for your telephone company to provide caller id on the telephone
lines. If you have ISDN you will need a PBX that supports TAPI.
Can I connect the Caller ID unit to an extension on my PBX?
Most PBX’s do not
pass through Caller ID information so this is not a recommended configuration
What versions of ACT! are supported?
Phonix and PhonixLT
work with ACT! version 6 and ACT! version 5 (also known as ACT!2000) and the
Sage Versions of these products (ACT! for Sage Line 50). ACT Professional
and ACT! 2005 are supported by PhonixLT Version 104 onwards.
What versions of Sage are
supported?
Phonix works with
Sage Line 50 Version 10 or later. Phonix does not currently support Sage
Line 100 (Sovereign). Please contact us if you require support for an earlier
version of Line 50.
Does Sage need
to be installed on each machine that uses Phonix?
If you want to
pop up Sage itself rather than just the Phonix Client then Sage must be
installed on the machine.
Can I use Phonix with a standalone version of Sage?
Yes, providing
Sage is not actually running on any machine on the network at the same time.
Once a single user version of Sage is started it “locks” the main Sage datafiles preventing any other application such as Phonix accessing them.
Does Phonix support any
other accounting software?
Not at the
moment. If there is sufficient interest we will consider adding these
interfaces. We can develop custom solutions. Detail on request.
Can
I create Orders or Invoices from within Phonix?
Yes, the full
version of Phonix will create Sales Orders or Invoices directly from the Phonix
client, providing that the appropriate Sage software has been purchased. For
example, Financial Controller is required if you wish to create Sales Orders and
view Stock Levels.
Will I have to manually enter all my phone numbers into Phonix?
No. Phonix
reads your Sage sales and purchase accounts and automatically creates
corresponding Outlook Contact records. The entire contents of the specified
Outlook Contacts folder is then used by Phonix. Phonix automatically
synchronises any changes made in Sage to the Outlook Contact records.
Does Phonix maintain logs of calls made?
Phonix creates an
Outlook journal item for every incoming and outgoing telephone call detailing
date, time and duration, ideal for organisations that bill by time. In addition,
all calls are logged to Microsoft Access format database allowing further
analysis by the user. Note - logging is only available for Analogue systems.
What else can Phonix do for me?
Phonix automatically
updates Outlook with details of all Sage Invoices. Because Outlook and Exchange
can synchronise this information throughout the organisation , all authorised
staff can have access to this data, including mobile staff with notebook
computers.
Authorised customers
and internal users can create Sales Orders and request complete Customer History
reports via a simple email interface.
Unlike an answering
machine, Phonix captures all incoming call details. So you know who called even
if they don’t leave a message. Phonix allows you to confirm that the person
calling is who they say they are by displaying the caller’s telephone number
(where this information has not been withheld)
Why Phonix?
Phonix is designed
to be extremely easy to use. Phonix provides features only found
elsewhere in systems costing tens of thousands of pounds. Phonix gives the small
business a competitive edge by providing the same sophisticated systems that
previously were only available to big companies at high cost.
Phonix builds on the
powerful features you already have in Outlook and Sage by making them faster and
easier to use.
Setting up Public Folders on SBS2003
We recommend that you create the 3 Public Folders for Phonix before running the
Phonix Set up.
Grant
the Phonix user permission to create Top Level Public Folders by using
Exchange Admin -> Folders -> Public Folders -> Properties ->
Security Tab. Add the Phonix username and grant all rights (specifically the
Create Top Level Public Folder right – this was allowed by default in
earlier versions of Exchange)
Create
the Public Folders from Outlook ensuring the correct type of item is
selected for each folder [ The Contacts Folder holds items of type
'Contacts', the Phone Calls and Accounts Folders hold items of type 'Journal
']. If the folders are not set to hold the correct type of items Phonix
may not be able to update them.
Grant
user permissions to these folders
How does Phonix interface with Sage?
Phonix uses the Sage
Data Objects (SDO). These are only available to authorised Sage Developers.
Why can Phonix take a long time to load?
On start up and at
midnight every day, Phonix reads every Sage Account and every Outlook Contact
record. The process of reading every Outlook record can be quite slow if there
thousands of Contacts. This is a limitation of Microsoft Outlook / Exchange, not
the Phonix software. Phonix is designed to be left running, so any time
consuming processes are performed overnight when no users are on the system.
What does the Display Posted Invoices only option in the Client do?
If you are using the Phonix client to display Sage data
rather than popping up Sage itself the following applies:-
The Phonix client can display All
Invoices or just the Posted Invoices. Displaying Posted Invoices only is much
faster as the data is read from Phonix’s database which is updated when Phonix
Server loads and at midnight every day.
If this option is not
set, Invoicing data is read directly from the Sage data files. Since Sage do not
index these files in a way that allows for fast access to all invoices for a
particular customer, this process can take 30 – 60 seconds on a system with a
large number of invoices.
The account details
such turnover, Hold status etc are always read directly from the Sage data files
and are thus “live”.
Note
that Phonix displays Sage Invoices, not Sales Orders in SOP. Therefore an order
is not visible in Phonix until it has been processed and raised as an Sales
Invoice.
Purchase Orders are
handled differently in Sage and thus are always read directly from Sage data
files. All Purchase Orders are always shown.
What is the difference between Personal Folders, Local Folders and Public
folders
Personal
Folders – this is the only
option when there is no Exchange server on the system. Phonix will use the
Contacts Folder in the personal
folders of the Outlook client on the Phonix server. The Phonix clients will
display the corresponding contact details on an incoming call, but the clients
will not be able to go directly to the Contact record. Details of phone calls
will be recorded in the journal folder in the Personal Folders.
Local
Folders – If Exchange server is installed, Phonix can use the Contact folder
in the users mailbox of the Outlook Client on the Phonix server. Subject to
Exchange permissions being set, all Phonix clients will be able to go directly
to the Outlook Contact record. Details of Phone Calls will be recorded in the
default Journal folder for the mailbox.
Public
Folders -
If Exchange server is installed, Phonix can use a Contact Folder located
in the Exchange server public folders This must be a top level folder. Subject
to Exchange permissions being set, all Phonix clients will be able to go
directly to the Outlook Contact record This is the preferred option. Details of
phone calls can be created in any top level public folder.
What
do the Process Invoices and Update Contact options do in the Phonix server?
Process
Invoices causes Phonix server to read all the Sage Invoice data on start up
and at midnight. This data is then used to update Phonix’s internal database
and either create corresponding Outlook journal items or to add details of each
invoice to the Outlook Contact record if the Update Contact option is checked. This is typically the best option.
Networking Issues
Phonix uses TCP/IP
to communicate with it's clients, even if the Server and the Client are both
running on the same machine. The protocol must be installed and configured. Windows 9x machines must have a network card installed. Windows NT, 2000 and XP machines must have a network card installed AND connected
to a network or must have the Microsoft Loopback Adapter installed.
Firewalls can
prevent the server and clients communicating. The Phonix Server uses UDP
Broadcasts and also Ports 1001 and 1002 (configurable)
Error 10049 during
Phonix Server startup indicates that Phonix was unable to obtain an IP Address.
Check that the network is functioning correctly. i.e. ensure you can ping your
own address and other machines.
Don'ts
Put Phonix Server
and the Client in the startup group. The Phonix Server needs to be fully loaded
before the client starts.
PhonixLT
FAQ
What is PhonixLT and how does it
differ from Phonix?
PhonixLT is a version
of Phonix optimised for Tapi systems. It is designed to be a standalone product (i.e. there is no Server
component) and to be very simple to install. PhonixLT works with Sage Line50,
Outlook and ACT!. PhonixLT can't create
Sage Accounts 'on the fly' and performs limited call logging.
PhonixLT v102 and later works with
analogue and tapi devices.
Can I popup multiple PC's if I only
have 1 analogue line?
Although there is no Server, each
PhonixLT client can be set to cause other PhonixLT clients to popup on an
incoming call.
Will PhonixLT work with a single user
version of Line 50?
PhonixLT only logs onto Sage when it
starts up. If you have a single user version of Sage, first load PhonixLT, then
load Sage Line 50.
We have a multi user version of Line
50. Should I load Sage or PhonixLT first?
If Sage is loaded first, you will need
to specify a different Sage username when PhonixLT loads. This is because
PhonixLT logs onto Sage when it loads and therefore requires a Sage username
that is not in use. If you load PhonixLT first only one Sage username will be
required. (note you can create Sage usernames by using the Sage Line 50
Settings menu option and then selecting Access Rights.)
What versions of ACT! are supported?
Phonix and PhonixLT
work with ACT! version 6 and ACT! version 5 (also known as ACT!2000) and the
Sage Versions of these products (ACT! for Sage Line 50). ACT Professional
and ACT! 2005 are supported by PhonixLT version 104 onwards.
Transpose Support / FAQ
General
We recommend that Sage Line
50 is installed on any machines that you wish to install Transpose on. This
ensures that all the required Sage program files are present.
Known issues
We have 1 reported problem with Transpose hanging during an
Import and generating application errors in the Windows Event Log. This was
caused by Anti Virus software running on the server. The problem was
resolved by excluding the Sage Data folder from the Scan.
The Client and Server configuration were as follows -
Outlook 2003, SP2
McAfee
VirusScan Enterprise 8.5.0i.
Sage
Line 50 V13 (2007) Update 4
Solution
Create
a McAfee “On Demand Scan” “Exclusion” for the Line 50 Directory on the
server (nothing is changed on the client). Further info can be found on
page 150 in the VirusScan Enterprise software version 8.5i Product Guide
which can be found here.
https://knowledge.mcafee.com/docs/Product-Documentation/VSE/8.5i/VSE85i_Product_Guide_EN.pdf
Our thanks to Malcolm Walton of CSA
Waverley for his help in resolving this problem.
How do I request support
for Transpose?
In the event that you need assistance or
have a problem with Transpose please take the following actions
Use the Transpose -> Tools -> Send Log file
Menu option to send the logfile to us for analysis.
It helps us if you describe whether the
problem is for a specific import file or a seemingly random problem or if it
only happens on a specific account.
We would recommend that you run the Sage ->
File -> Maintenance -> Check Data utility to verify your data files.
You should also check that you have all the
relevant Sage patches applied, particularly for Sage Line 50 2007.
Request General Support
For free technical support please email to
support@steveblencowe.com
If you require post
installation technical support via telephone you may request support on a per
incident basis currently charged at £50 ex vat per incident. You will need to
purchase a support call by clicking on the "Buy Now" button below.
Please contact us before selecting this option.
The call will only be chargeable if we
establish that the problem is not caused by our products.
