Telecom For Dummies

Find out how to manage your telecom services and save your company money!

• Worldwide telecom spending was over $4 trillion in 2004, and virtually all 12 million businesses in the U.S. buy phone and other telecom services

• Our book shows people at small and medium-sized businesses how to make sense of telecom lingo and get the best deals

• Includes an overview of the major players in the telecom industry and an easy-to-understand explanation of the existing telecom infrastructure

• Helps people pinpoint the telecom services best suited to their business needs, understand billing, and troubleshoot problems

• Covers emerging industry trends, such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and how they can help businesses cut costs

Auteur
Stephen Olejniczak is Director of Operations for ATI, a long distance company. As a manager and trainer, he has worked with service providers, sales forces, and corporate customers for 13 years.

Texte du rabat
New to telecom? Get the scoop on all the basics Order, maintain, and troubleshoot telecom services from area codes to VoIP

So you're now in charge of all that telecommunications stuff? Don't panic here's your secret weapon! This plain-English guide will fill you in on the products, services, maintenance procedures, and key players in the telecom world, help you choose the most economical solutions for your business, and make you look good to the boss.

Discover how to

• Decide what your company needs
• Analyze telecom carriers
• Negotiate the best deal
• Move phone numbers to another carrier
• Order toll-free numbers
• Recognize the causes of common problems

Contenu

Introduction 1

Part I: The ABCs of Telecom Service 7

Chapter 1: A Buyer's Scoop on Telecom 9

Chapter 2: Making (And Living with) Telecom Decisions 23

Chapter 3: Getting Around the Telecom Neighborhood 43

Part II: Reviewing Telecom Products and Prices 53

Chapter 4: Understanding Dedicated Service Requirements 55

Chapter 5: Meeting Toll-Free Service, the Red-Headed Stepchild of Telecom 65

Chapter 6: Getting the Non-Accountant's Guide to Your Phone Bill 89

Part III: Ordering and Setting Up Telecom Service 111

Chapter 7: Ordering Regular Phone Lines and New Long-Distance Service 113

Chapter 8: Ordering Dedicated Service 133

Chapter 9: Ordering Toll-Free Service 165

Chapter 10: Activating Your Dedicated Circuit and Toll-Free Numbers 193

Part IV: Taking Care of Your Telecom System 209

Chapter 11: Maintaining Your Telecom Services 211

Chapter 12: Troubleshooting Switched Network Issues 233

Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Your Dedicated Circuits 259

Part V: What's Hot (Or Just Geeky) in the Telecom World 293

Chapter 14: Transferring Data, Not Just Voice Content 295

Chapter 15: Riding the Internet Wave: VoIP 309

Part VI: The Part of Tens 325

Chapter 16: Ten Acronyms and What They Really Mean 327

Chapter 17: Ten Troublesome Telecom Traits to Avoid 331

Chapter 18: Ten Places to Go for Hints and Help 337

Appendix: Making a Loopback Plug 343

Index 347