MagicJack for Small Restaurant

[hellmanj85]

Hello all and thanks in advance for any help. We are currently paying very high monthly phone rates for our small restaurant that does a good amount of delivery/take-out business through the phone, using two phone lines: one primary and one fax/rollover line. We'd like to implement MagicJack to save some $ but are trying to figure out if the service is compatible with the rollover system. Obviously, if the primary line is tied up, we don't want an incoming customer to get a busy signal. Is there a way to get these incoming calls to rollover to the secondary line using MagicJack? Would we need a PBX system (like Onebox) to handle the rollover or is there a free way to set it up? Again, any help is greatly appreciated.

[Nobody beats the Whiz!]

A really bare bones, and cheap way, would be to get a Google Voice number (or any other service that offers multi-ring), then set it to ring all your available numbers when called. You just continue to pick up the line(s) that are not in use, when it is called.

[crackerjack]

Hello all and thanks in advance for any help. We are currently paying very high monthly phone rates for our small restaurant that does a good amount of delivery/take-out business through the phone, using two phone lines: one primary and one fax/rollover line. We'd like to implement MagicJack to save some $ but are trying to figure out if the service is compatible with the rollover system. Obviously, if the primary line is tied up, we don't want an incoming customer to get a busy signal. Is there a way to get these incoming calls to rollover to the secondary line using MagicJack? Would we need a PBX system (like Onebox) to handle the rollover or is there a free way to set it up? Again, any help is greatly appreciated.

Sounds like your business is dependent on phone access. Don't jeopardize your business or your sanity by the low-price allure of MJ.

There are numerous more reliable alternatives to be found. Suggest you sign up at http://www.dslreports.com/forum/voip and look up rockybb. He can literally hook you up with a solution that will save you money and aggravation.
You literally can't afford to implement MagicJack as an essential part of your business.

[Nobody beats the Whiz!]

You literally can't afford to implement MagicJack as an essential part of your business.

That's a good point, Crackerjack.

[hellmanj85]

Thanks for advice everyone, maybe MagicJack isn't the answer. Will look for a VoIP solution that minimizes costs without compromising efficiency. Just don't want to keep paying extortionate rates through regular phone service providers.

[CareZer]

I own a small restaurant too and in in case time will come that I will be encountering such problem, I would be turning to VOIP. It is easier to use. Naturally I can't afford to implement MagicJack in my business. Avon Dining

[grm]

I think if I had a to make this decision I would use Google Voice and VOIP like Broadvoice or Vonage.

[tony]

Sounds like your business is dependent on phone access. Don't jeopardize your business or your sanity by the low-price allure of MJ.

Agreed, MJ is not reliable enough to rely on for a business. How many poor connections do you think your customers will put up with before moving onto the next restaurant?

Look at VOIP solutions. I'm using www.voip.ms for business calls and it works great. I'm not sure where you are but calls are 1/2 cent per minute in Canada, 1 cent/minute in the US. Shop around and use those prices as bench marks to beat. Look for a DID (your own phone number which people can dial). With a VOIP account, you can customize what happens when calls come in. If one line is busy, the call gets forwarded to your second or third voip line. With the voip account, you can set the outgoing caller ID to your main restaurant number even if you are phoning out on line 2 or line 3. For equipment, you'll need an analogue telephone adapter (ATA) (assuming you want to talk on regular phone handsets rather than on a computer with headset).

Good luck with your restaurant.