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Asterisk - Do you use it? Love it? *** it?

I've been working with Asterisk for my own benefit for two years, and seeing the positive reception in the marketplace, I thought I would ask this group:

1):whether or not you use it
2): how you feel about it
3): what could be done to make it better serve your business.

5 Responses

  • Feb 01, 2010

    Owner

    Please explain a little more about how Asterisk helps your company.

  • Feb 01, 2010

    Consultant

    It doesn't help my business at all. Asterisk is marketed as the open source control system for a PBX (private branch exchange), but this is only one application. Since I don't know the telephone business (and to sell PBX systems I would have to already be in that business), I'm exploring ways to connect the PBX to other parts of the business (like automatic extraction of customer data as you pick up a call center call), ways to capture more data from the phone system and recorded conversations (like semantic searches on the captured calls to find policy violations and cross-selling opportunities based on keyword searches) and other applications outside the PBX world (like video streaming). By the way, I'm not certain that "auto-translation" would be very successful; speech recognition across many speakers only works reliably on small sets of fixed words, and translating idioms is highly unreliable but you might use it to "auto-conference" a translator into a conversation.

  • Feb 02, 2010

    CEO

    As a Linux IT shop, we have the capabilities to deploy Asterisk and checked into it. However, we found it easier just to outsource of PBX/Phone functions. We current use Grasshopper with good success and low costs. I could see the system benefiting if you integrated it with a CRM to auto-capture data, especially if you had a high call volume.

  • Feb 03, 2010

    Consultant

    Thanks, Jeff. Even though I'm looking at ways to integrate the business with Asterisk, you're right that it takes a special skill set to maintain an installation. Sort of like networks; I use them, but I don't want to be the Domain Administrator. I'm familiar with the Results CRM (but I don't have a copy to play with), but are there other CRM tools that you have some experience?

  • Feb 04, 2010

    CLYDE LETTSOME

    1):whether or not you use it
    We use it (Asterisk@Home) and we have been working with it for better than five years for our own personal use and configuring it for customers for a little over 6 months.
    2): how you feel about it
    We love the system but we must admit although it is relatively user friendly we still recommend that if you decide to use Asterisk have someone available with some technical background (preferably linux, communications, networking, and computer security) or get it preconfigured by a professional. This is because there are issues surrounding security and installation that a novice will not know.
    We have sold and support a few preconfigured Asterisk systems
    3): what could be done to make it better serve your business.
    I think security is the largest issue surrounding it. I would like to see an install where these issues have been addressed. However, when you are dealing with open source applications many times security is not top priority.

What do you think?

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