- All voicemail prompts have been changed to a single voice
When accessing your Callcentric voicemail box by phone, all voicemail prompts have been changed to a single persons voice.
- External caller ID's may be changed/selected in account preferences
Customers who wanted their account to send a caller ID of a number not purchased from Callcentric (an external caller ID) previously had two options:
A. Use an IP PBX with "P-ASSERTED-IDENTITY" or "REMOTE-PARTY-ID" to pass a verified caller ID as explained here.
B. Callcentric support could "force" all outbound calls on the account to pass one (1) verified caller ID all the time.
We have now added the ability to select a verified caller ID under "Caller ID to send:" in your account preferences.
PLEASE NOTE: If you had previously had your external caller ID verified and "forced" on your account, you may now open a trouble ticket on your account requesting that the forced number be selectable in your preferences rather than always forced.
- Play short greeting preference added to voicemail preferences
An option has been added to the voicemail preferences which allows customers to disable the prompt: "When you have finished recording your message you may hangup or press # for more options." from being played after a voicemail greeting.
- Voicemail messages are now stored for 90 days on paid accounts
We have increased the storage time for voicemail messages from 60 to 90 days on paid accounts.
- Voicemail greeting may be skipped with pound sign by callers
Callers that reach your voicemail may press the pound ( # ) sign on their phone to skip your voicemail greeting and immediately leave a message. As always, you may push the asterisk ( * ) sign on your phone and then enter your PIN followed by the pound ( # ) sign to access your voicemail box during the greeting.
- Callcentric Android App released
The Callcentric Android app allows you to use your Android phone to place calls worldwide from your Callcentric account, and save significant money over cellular carrier calling rates. This is particularly useful to customers who want to save money on international calls, or want the caller ID of their Callcentric account to show up on outbound calls they place instead of their Android phone number.
For details please click here.
- Callcentric iPhone app released
The Callcentric iPhone app allows you to use your iPhone to place calls worldwide from your Callcentric account, and save significant money over cellular carrier calling rates. This is particularly useful to customers who want to save money on international calls, or want the caller ID of their Callcentric account to show up on outbound calls they place instead of their iPhone phone number. For details please click here.
- Simultaneous Ringing now supported
You can now setup Call Treatments to have incoming calls simultaneously ring up to 3 phones with failover to voicemail. For example you could have inbound calls simultaneously ring your Callcentric phone, office phone, and cell phone with failover to your Callcentric voicemail. Options are available to control how long to ring each number, whether the call should be considered as answered immediately or only after pressing "1" on the receiving phone, along with how the call should be handled if there is no answer at any of the numbers. Please see the HELP icons within Call Treatments for a detailed description of this feature.
- Call Hunting now supported
You can now setup Call Treatments to have incoming calls hunt between up to 3 phones with failover to voicemail. For example you could have your Callcentric phone ring for a specified time, then your office phone, and then your cell phone with failover to your Callcentric voicemail. Options are available to control how long to ring each number, whether the call should be considered as answered immediately or only after pressing "1" on the receiving phone, along with how the call should be handled if there is no answer at any of the numbers. Please see the HELP icons within Call Treatments for a detailed description of this feature.
- Phone Book Groups
You can now configure contacts within your Callcentric Phone Book to be within a group. For example you might create a group named "Family" which includes all members of your family. Phone Book groups can be used to control Call Treatments as described in the next feature. Please see the HELP icons within the Phone Book for a detailed description of this feature.
- Call Treatment by Phone Book Group
Previously using Call Treatments you could only match 1 specific caller ID per Call Treatment. Using the new Phone Book Groups feature, you can now configure a Call Treatment to match based on a Phone Book group. For example, if you've created a Phone Book group "Family" you could select that a Call Treatment match all caller ID's you've listed in your Phone Book under the group "Family". This allows you to apply 1 Call Treatment rule to a group of people rather than creating several individual Call Treatments for each caller ID you want to match. Please see the HELP icons within Call Treatments for a detailed description of this feature.
- Linksys hold / call-waiting issue fixed
This feature fixes a long-standing issue with call hold and call-waiting with many Sipura / Linksys / Cisco devices such as the PAP2, PAP2T, and SPA-xxxx series devices. This feature resolves a problem with calls either being disconnected or losing audio, immediately or a few minutes after using hold / call-waiting. This problem was related to how these devices signaled a call hold / call-waiting event. Calls should no longer drop after a hold / call-waiting switch on these devices.
- Calling area restriction list
We have improved the "Allow Calls" feature within Preferences. Previously you could only select to allow calls to "Everywhere" or just "North America." You can now choose geographic regions of the world and/or specific countries you wish to allow calls to be completed to. For example if you never or rarely call anywhere in Africa you can choose to disable calls to all of Africa. When calling a region/country that has not been allowed you will be directed to an error message stating calls are not enabled to this area. This can be used as a cost control, and we especially recommend customers using IP PBX's (such as Asterisk, 3CX, etc) only enable areas/countries you actually call as a fraud control (please see our security guide for more details on this issue). Please see the HELP icon within the "Allow Calls" feature of the Preferences for a detailed description of this feature.
- Start new call in Calling Card
Previously dialing a * when on a Calling Card call allowed you to hangup the active call and dial a new one. As the * was interfering with access to some automated system we have changed this to be # # # - the # key dialed 3 times quickly. Now when using the Calling Card feature please dial the pound key 3 times quickly to disconnect the active call and start another.
- Play balance in Calling Card
We have added a feature which when enabled will play the balance on your Callcentric account when accessing the Calling Card feature by phone. This feature can be configured on the Calling Card settings page.
- New International DID's available
International DID's (phone numbers) are now available in Hong Kong, Panama, Portugal, and South Africa. New numbers in these countries can be ordered on this page.
- Israel Calling Card access numbers
We've added a Calling Card access numbers in Israel. The access numbers can be seen here.
- Voicemail message length increased to 4 minutes
Previously all voicemail messages were limited to a maximum of 2 minutes recording time. All voicemail messages may now be as long as 4 minutes.
- Call History now available for last 18 months
Previously you could only view Call History for the past 3 months. You may now view calls placed and received on your account in the Call History report for the last 18 months.
Your Call History report is available here.
- Account Statements now provided in Adobe PDF format
Previously Account Statements were provided as an HTML web page only. We are now providing Accounts Statements in both HTML and Adobe PDF format.
The Account Statement for May 2010 is provided in both HTML and PDF formats, and going forward we will be providing all Account Statements as both HTML and Adobe PDF files.
Statements prior to May 2010 are available in the HTML format only.
Account Statements can be viewed here.
- Account Statements now available for last 18 months
Previously you could only view the last 3 months of Account Statements on your account. Account statements from May 2010 back to March 2009 are now available on your account. Going forward we will be providing the last 18 months of Account Statements within your account. Please note that going forward when you do not have any billing or calling activity on your account during a month - no statement will be generated for that month, and the text "(No activity)" will be placed next to the month.
Account Statements can be viewed here.
- Maximum call duration now configurable
Previously all calls to/from your Callcentric account were limited to a maximum of 2 hours.
The maximum call duration is now configurable from between 30 minutes and 480 minutes (8 hours) in the Preferences page on your account.
Unless you regularly make calls greater than 2 hours we suggest leaving the maximum call duration limit set to the default of 2 hours.
Please note that this setting will only specify the maximum call duration, but if your rate plan or phone number is billed on a per-minute basis you still must have enough funds in your account balance to cover the cost of the call.
Please also note that many international carriers we hand off calls to (particularly for calls outside the USA and Canada) restrict maximum call durations to values that are lower than you may configure. For example many international carriers will disconnect a call at 120, 180, or 240 minutes (2, 3, and 4 hours respectively).
- Play voicemail messages inside your browser
We've added the ability to listen to new and saved voicemail messages within your browser instead of downloading a message to your computer first.
This feature requires Adobe Flash to be installed on the computer you are using to listen to voicemail messages.
Voicemail messages may be viewed on your account here.
- Voicemail message quality improvements
We've recently made changes that improve the quality of voicemail messages played in the browser, downloaded to your computer, or emailed to you as attachments. The changes generally improve quality and clarity of voicemail messages left on your account.
- Canada 911 service availability
911 Service is now available in Canada. As per Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regulations Callcentric must provide 911 service to all
customers located in Canada that purchase rate plans and/or phone numbers from us.
911 Service may be activated on your account by visiting the My Callcentric Dashboard.
Please see our 911 Service Description page and our 911 FAQ's for important information on our 911 services.
A 911 Cost Recovery Fee of $1.50 setup and $1.50 per month is charged to all customers in the USA and Canada purchasing a rate plan and/or phone numbers.
- Import / Export Phone Book entries
You can now import and export phone book and speed dial entries to your account. Phone Book entries may also be used to replace incoming Caller ID,
such as replacing "Jane Smith" with "Mom" for example. See the Phone Book page on your Callcentric account for details.
- Price reduction on phone numbers in Tbilisi, Georgia
Numbers in Tbilisi Georgia are now available for $6.95 Setup, $8.95 Monthly which is reduced from the original price of $12.95 Setup, $15.95 Monthly.
Tbilisi numbers can be ordered here.
- Wildcards added in Call Treatments
Now you may use wildcards along with explicit numbers to match caller ID information in a Call Treatment.
For example you can now setup a Call Treatment to send all calls with caller ID "1800*" to voicemail. Both * and x are supported with different functionality.
Please see the help icons within Call Treatments for additional details.
- Send to my phone option added in Call Treatments
You may now setup a Call Treatment to forward matching calls to your phone. This option is useful for "whitelisting" specific numbers or ranges of numbers (using the wildcard feature).
For example you might have setup Call Treatments to send all inbound calls to voice mail at specific times of the day, by adding additional Call Treatments you could
force calls from family members to ring through to your phone even during these times. Please see the help icons within Call Treatments for additional details.
- Caller ID with Name (CNAM)
Caller ID with Name (CNAM) on incoming calls has been one of the most requested features over the years. We've struggled for many years trying to find the right partner to add CNAM to our service, which would allow us to offer the service as we wanted under contractual terms, and at the right price. We're happy to announce that CNAM is now available for all Callcentric customers on any paid phone number for FREE!
CNAM information including the callers name (when available) will be presented on incoming calls. When the caller name is unavailable, the city and state will normally be listed. CNAM information is available for incoming calls that contain a Caller ID Number from the United States and Canada. CNAM information is presented in the following locations:
- Inbound calls to your phone
- In your Calls Received list on the My Callcentric Dashboard
- In your Call History reports within My Callcentric
- In your Voicemail messages box on the My Callcentric Dashboard; and in Voicemail email and text alerts
- In your Fax received box on the My Callcentric dashboard; and in Fax email alerts.
CNAM is available to all Callcentric customers for any paid phone numbers on your account; including all of our phone number products:
- Pay Per Minute
- Dirt Cheap DID
- Toll Free
- Personal Unlimited
- Office Unlimited
- Service Provider Unlimited
- International Unlimited
As always, should you enter a phone number and name in your Phone Book; the name listed in the Phone Book will over-write the CNAM data. So for example if CNAM is displaying "Jane Smith" for the number 1-212-555-0100; if you enter this number into your Phone Book with the name "Mom", "Mom" will appear as the Caller ID Name for incoming calls from 1-212-555-0100.
To Enable Caller ID with Name (CNAM) on your account please:
- Go to the Preferences page on your account
- Click the EDIT link next to the option "Caller ID with Name:"
- Select the ENABLE option
- Click the SAVE button
- Pass Caller ID in SIP INVITE message
This feature primarily applies to business customers and customers running their own IP PBX system. Using this feature you may include the Caller ID number to send on your outbound call within the SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) INVITE call setup message. You may pass Caller ID numbers for DID's already on your Callcentric account; and you may also pass a Caller ID number for number(s) that do not belong to your Callcentric account (such as a cell phone) once you have verified those numbers with us.
This feature is useful if you have many extensions behind an IP PBX and wish to pass unique caller ID (such as the DID) for each extension. It is only available for sending Caller ID of numbers in Country Code 1 which includes the USA, Canada, and some other countries primarily in the Caribbean.
We've long offered the ability to have a number that is not attached to your Callcentric account sent as the Caller ID on outbound calls from your account after the number has been verified. We are now adding the ability to pass the Caller ID you would like to send within the SIP INVITE message that establishes an outbound call.
This is accomplished by:
- If you want to pass a Caller ID number of a DID already on your Callcentric account, you may simply send it as described in point D below.
- If you want to pass a Caller ID number of a number NOT on your Callcentric account - Get your number(s) verified. From each of the lines/numbers you would like to use as outbound Caller ID, get them verified by calling from each of them: 1-866-346-0222 and you will hear an error message, then hang-up.
- Open a Trouble Ticket on your Callcentric account asking to get your number(s) verified.
Include with in the Trouble Ticket the numbers you would like verified on your account, and the approximate date, time, and time zone you placed the verification calls to the Toll Free number listed above. Once we verify we received your calls we will add these numbers as verified numbers on your account and update your ticket.
- Send the Caller ID number of a DID on your account or an already verified number within the SIP INVITE message of an outbound call. To do so, have your IP PBX attach any of the following headers which are supported by most IP PBX's (check your vendor's documentation for support) to your outbound calls:
P-ASSERTED-IDENTITY
P-PREFERRED-IDENTITY
REMOTE-PARTY-ID
When we receive an outbound call from your IP PBX with any of the above headers, and that header includes a Caller ID number that is a DID on your account OR has been verified on your account we will pass that as the outbound caller ID for that call; over-riding any settings on your Callcentric account preferences.
- Additional new phone number coverage in Canada:
New phone numbers in Canada can now be purchased in 45 additional ratecenters (cities) within Canada under the following products:
- Pay Per Minute
- Personal Unlimited
- Office Unlimited
- Service Provider Unlimited
To view our phone number coverage and purchase a new number please visit this page: DID Coverage
- Additional phone number porting (LNP) coverage in Canada:
Coverage for porting existing phone numbers in Canada to Callcentric is now available in over 160 additional ratecenters (cities) within Canada under the following products:
- Pay Per Minute
- Personal Unlimited
- Office Unlimited
- Service Provider Unlimited
To verify if your number is portable to Callcentric please visit this page: LNP Check
- iNum numbers now available:
We are happy to offer iNum numbers to all Callcentric customers for FREE!
iNum numbers are issued in a new global country code (+883-5100) which was created by the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) - the standards body that issues country codes worldwide. iNum numbers are global in nature and do not belong to a specific country or city.
iNum numbers are reachable from access numbers in over 45 countries; and can also be called by directly dialing an iNum number from some Carriers worldwide (calling costs may apply). iNum numbers are not yet reachable by calling directly from all Carriers, but are expected to be reachable from any carrier worldwide in the future.
iNum numbers can be added for free to any Callcentric account by ordering them here: http://www.callcentric.com/coverage/international_phone_number by selecting the country "iNum".
Please note: The iNum numbers provided by Callcentric may not be used by telephony service providers including calling card applications, call centers, and other similar applications.
For more information on iNum please visit the iNum website here: http://www.inum.net
- iNum calling now FREE!:
Now you can call any iNum number worldwide for free from any Callcentric account. To call an iNum number simply dial the number in the format: 011-883-5100-xxxx-xxxx or 00-883-5100-xxxx-xxxx
- Voicemail now accepts up to 100 messages:
You can now receive up to 100 messages, each up to 2 minutes long, in your Voicemail box on your Callcentric account. Please see our FAQ's for Voicemail retention times.
- Blank Faxes reduced:
We have made a modification to our fax reception feature to reduce the number of blank faxes received. Frequently when a number that had our fax reception feature enabled received a wrong-number call (such as a hang-up), a blank fax would be created. Blank faxes from hang-ups should no longer occur.
- New Call Treatment option added for annoying callers / telemarketers:
We've added a new Call Treatment option to send calls matching the Call Treatment to an error message stating the number is not in service.
When you setup a Call Treatment to match a specific Caller ID of a Telemarketer for example, and set the Redirect call to option as "Error message: Number disconnected"; we will play a SIT (Special Information Tone) indicating the number has been disconnected, as well as an error message that the number dialed has been disconnected. SIT tones are detected by some auto-dialers used by Telemarketers to determine when a number is disconnected.
When callers are connected to this new Error Message the call is not answered, and your account (if using a Per-Minute priced DID) nor the caller will be charged for the call.
- Additional options in Call History Reports:
You can now filter your Call History Report with additional options including:
- Show only paid/charged calls
- Show All Calls, or only Inbound or Outbound calls
- Show inbound calls received on specific number (DID)
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