This guide shows you how to get the most from your BT Softphone

Transcription

1 This guide shows you how to get the most from your BT Softphone For Windows 2000, XP and Vista (32 bit)

2 CONTENTS Introduction What is BT Broadband Talk Softphone. 3 Getting Started Minimum requirements. 4 Additional requirements.. 4 Downloading BT Softphone 5 Topping up BT Softphone.. 8 Using BT Softphone Starting BT Softphone 10 Automatic Equipment Detection Phone Layout. 12 Making a Call. 13 Displaying your Number Call Display 14 Sound Receiving a Call. 15 Authorised Calls 16 Ending a Call.. 17 File Menu Preferences View Menu.. 19 Contacts Menu.. 19 Actions Menu.. 20 Help History.. 21 Find a Number.. 22 Closing BT Softphone. 22 Blocking a Number.. 23 Managing Contacts Contacts Add/Delete a Contact. 25 Creating / Deleting Groups ing Contacts 28 Features Conference Calls 30 Speakerphone 30 Using webcam 31 Ring tones. 32 Uninstalling BT Softphone 33 Further Information Online Help. 33 2

3 Introduction Please use this guide to find out about BT Broadband Talk Softphone, including making and receiving phone calls online. This guide should provide you with everything you need to know to use BT Softphone, but if you have any further questions, please visit What is BT Broadband Talk Softphone? BT Broadband Talk Softphone transforms your computer into a phone, helping to keep you in contact with your friends and family by making and receiving phone calls online. With BT Softphone you can use webcams so that people on the call can see each other, have three-way conference calls. You can also build a list of your contacts' details. 3

4 Getting Started Minimum requirements BT Softphone is compatible with Windows computer systems only. Please check the table below for minimum computer requirements. Minimum Optimal Processor Intel Pentium III 1.3 GHz or equivalent Pentium GHz or equivalent Memory 512 MB RAM Hard Disk Space 50MB Operating System Windows 2000 Windows XP Windows Vista (32 bit) Connection IP network connection (broadband, LAN, wireless) Sound Card Full duplex, 16bit Browser Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later Additional requirements To make and receive calls, you will need a microphone and speakers, a headset or a handset. If you would like to make video calls you will also need a webcam. If you do not have any of these, you can order them at 4

5 Downloading BT Softphone To download Softphone click on the following link: Before clicking download, please make sure you exit all other programs. At the download page, click the Download now button. This should open up the file download box. Click Save to save the file to your computer, or Open to begin the installation immediately. When clicking Save, please choose a suitable and memorable location for your download e.g. your computer's Desktop. Your download will start in a new window. Once it has finished, please click Open to launch the BT Softphone Installation screen. Once you have downloaded the file, you are ready to start the BT Softphone installation process. After downloading the file, the installation should start automatically. If it doesn't, double click the file where you saved it previously. 5

6 Please note that if you try to install BT Softphone while you have Outlook running you will be notified of this and asked to close Outlook before continuing. Once you have closed Outlook, press Ok to continue. If it is not a suitable time to close Outlook, then click cancel to exit the installer. You will be able to access the installer at a more suitable time by finding where it was saved on your computer and opening the installation file. This does not apply to users of Outlook Express. If you try and exit installation before it has completed, a pop-up window will appear, informing you that Setup is not complete and if you choose to exit, BT Softphone will not be installed. If you do however exit, you can run Setup again by finding where it was saved to your computer and opening the installation file. Before starting installation please close all other programs. As part of the installation process you will be asked to agree to BT Softphone License Agreement. Please read the information within the License Agreement and, if you agree, accept to be bound by the terms and conditions in order to use the Softphone. 6

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8 Topping up BT Softphone (For existing Pay-as-you-go/Call out account users registered before 28 May 2008) To top up your BT Softphone account visit and enter your Softphone username and password. You will then be presented with an option to Top up your account. Simply enter your payment details and press confirm and your account will be credited. You will receive an online receipt which will inform you of how much you have topped up by and the date of the top up. You must restart BT Softphone on your PC for your credit to take effect. You will also be sent a confirmation . Please note that you can only top up by 10, 20 or 30 each go and your account may only be topped up to a maximum of 100. You will be able to see how much you have in your account when deciding to top up. To view your recent BT Softphone account transactions visit talk/youraccount and log in with your BT Softphone username and password. Then follow the links to view your transaction. 8

9 Whilst using BT Softphone you have the option to view your account balance or top up your account at the top of the client. 9

10 Using BT Softphone Starting BT Softphone If BT Softphone does not start automatically when you switch on your computer, then use the Windows Start Menu or double click the desktop icon. BT Softphone will then load. You can set BT Softphone to launch automatically when Windows starts by clicking on File and opening Preferences. Then tick Auto launch when Windows starts. You will then be prompted to enter your BT Broadband Talk telephone number or BT Softphone username (if registered for BT Softphone before 28 May 2008) and password. Then click Log in to proceed. By ticking in the box next to Remember my name and Remember my password, you will no longer have to input your credentials. Automatic Equipment Detection Once you start BT Softphone and sign in to the service, an automatic tuning wizard will run. This means that you do not have to manually select each piece of equipment you have (such as microphones and speakers) as BT Softphone does this for you. While BT Softphone is checking your equipment, a pop up balloon will appear above your task tray to inform you that BT Softphone is automatically configuring your devices. Click on this pop-up balloon if you wish to configure the devices yourself. 10

11 If you want to look at the settings for your devices, you can do this by opening File and clicking on Preferences. A box will appear giving you a range of options. To view your settings, choose Devices. You will be able to select a range of different options for your headset, speakerphone, ringing device and camera. 11

12 Phone Layout You will see this window when you first open BT Softphone,. Access to Minimise to Desk Bar Add / Delete contacts Access to various options depending on which tab is in focus Minimise Minimise to deskbar Access to Preferences and My Account Hide to system tray Help BT Answer 1571 View and manage contacts View call history Search through directory listings for personal and business numbers Start a Video call Start a Voice call 12

13 Making a Call Making a call through your internet connection with BT Softphone couldn t be easier. Once you have signed in, Softphone is ready to make or receive calls. When you can see the message, just enter the phone number in the display panel. There are several ways to dial a phone number: Keying Press Clear, if necessary or click on the icon in the blue box. Enter the number on the display and click Call or press Enter on your keyboard. To enter a number, use the BT Softphone dial pad or the computer keyboard. Redialling Press the Redial button to call the last number you dialled. Alternatively, you can click on the drop down tab next to the redial icon and select a number to redial from a list of historic numbers called. Contact list Click a Contacts name to start the call History Click a name or number within the received or dialled calls list to start a call When you have entered a phone number, press the green call button to start an audio call, or the Video icon to start a video call.. Displaying your Number BT Broadband Talk customers using BT Softphone will have their BT Broadband Talk number displayed to the call recipient when calling out. Pay-as-you-go/Call out account users will have displayed to the call recipient when calling out (Please note that the person you are calling will not be able to return your call by dialling this 0800 number. Any one who does try to call this number will receive an automated message informing that the number is unavailable). If you are a BT Broadband Talk customer you also have the option to place a call anonymously by clicking on Action and then Hide my number for this call. The number withheld icon will appear in the blue box. You can unhide your number by clicking Action and then Hide my number for this call again. You will need to enable/disable this for each individual call. 13

14 Call Display While you are on a call you will be able to:- Add the person you are on the call with to your contacts Hold the call Start a conference call View the duration of the call Sound If you find you are having difficulty hearing the other person then there is a volume slider you can use on the call panel. The Volume slider is on the left. In addition, you can view, but not adjust, the Microphone volume on the right. The default sound setting in BT Softphone is to enable Softphone to adjust the master volume on your PC. In order to change this setting so that BT Softphone does not adjust the master volume please follow these instructions: - Select File from the main menu then click on Preferences - In the Preferences box select Advanced - Under the Volume Control section select Volume changes in BT Softphone won t affect any other volume settings on this computer - N.B. These options are not available for Vista OS users as it is already set up for optimum volume. 14

15 You can mute your microphone by clicking the un-mute then simply click the button again. button under the microphone slider. If you wish to If you have your microphone muted, the Mute icon will change colour. The mute icon will also be displayed in the blue box. Receiving a Call Only BT Broadband Talk customers (with a 056 number acquired after January 2006 or a geographic number) can receive calls on their BT Softphone. Friends and family will be able to contact you by ringing your BT Broadband Talk number. When you receive an incoming call the following icon will appear in the bottom right of your PC, where you can accept or reject the call: You can also answer the call within BT Softphone by clicking on the green Answer voice button Unanswered calls will be diverted to your Voic service if this has been set up. 15

16 You will be notified in the caller display if you have an incoming call, additional tabs and pop ups will appear for more than one incoming call. You will also be able to see the number of the person calling you if they have not withheld this information prior to calling. Authorised Calls In addition to being able to call local, national and international landline and mobile numbers, you can also call: All 08 numbers (including 0800, 0845, 0870) Premium Rate numbers (090) Speaking Clock (123) Chargecard calls BT directory enquiries /505 Calls to non-mobile personalised numbers (07) Emergency services 999/112 (please note that if you are dialling emergency services from abroad, the call will connect to UK emergency services You cannot call the operator, non BT directory enquiries and dial-up Internet service providers. In case of an emergency, your BT Broadband Talk Softphone will not work if there is a power cut or broadband failure. This is a voice service provided over a Data Network service and, as such, service availability is not guaranteed. Therefore if your broadband connection fails, your voice service will also fail. Your service may cease to function if there is a power cut or failure. Power cuts or failures may be caused by reasons outside our control. We strongly recommend that you keep a standard phone on a standard line and advise anyone in your house to use this phone rather than your BT Broadband Talk Softphone service, in the event of an emergency. Please be aware that if you are Pay- as- you- go /Call out account user, no Emergency Location Information will be captured if you make a call to the Emergency Services. We DO NOT recommend the use of this service in the case of an emergency call. 16

17 Ending a Call To end an audio call, simply click End on the display. To end a video call, simply click on either the End icon as above, or on the End icon in the video call screen. File From this menu you will be able to select: Preferences where you can manage Application, Alerts and Sounds, Devices, Network, Diagnostics and Advanced Settings. Access My Account Or choose to Logout or Exit BT Softphone altogether. 17

18 On logging out of BT Softphone you will see the login window automatically appear. To change it so that the login window goes to your System Tray, please complete the following: - Select File from the main menu and then click on General - Under General uncheck the box next to Display login window after signing out Preferences The Preference option can be accessed through the File menu From here you can choose a range of different options: General Decide on basic option of launching when Windows starts Alerts and Sounds Import ringtones or adjust Call notification Devices Adjust your headset, speakerphone, ring device and camera 18

19 View Under the View menu, you are given the option to minimise BT Softphone to the desk bar Contacts Contacts can also be from the Contacts menu in the top panel. For more information on managing contacts please see the Managing Contacts section on page 25. You will also see the option to Import Contacts and Export Contacts BT Softphone supports the import of contacts via a comma separated file (CSV). You must first create a CSV file. Within MS Outlook this can be done by referring to the Help file where full information is given on exporting to a CSV file. From the menu at the top of BT Softphone, click Contacts and choose Import Contacts. The Contacts wizard starts, please follow the instructions. As soon as you click on Finish on the wizard, the Contacts panel is updated to show the imported entries. You have the ability to export your contact list to an alternative location within your computer. From the menu at the top of BT Softphone, click Contacts and choose Export Contacts. The Export Contacts wizard starts, please follow the instructions. As soon as you click on Finish on the wizard, your BT Softphone contacts will be exported to Microsoft Outlook. 19

20 Actions The options available to you under the Actions menu vary depending on which tab you have in focus. Please note that there are no Actions options for the Find a Number tab. When you select a group in the Contacts tab the Actions menu displays the following options: Add Contact to Group Add a Group Rename Group Delete Group When you click on a call entry in the History tab the Actions menu displays the following options: Call Video Call Add as Contact Delete Delete Dialled Calls (this final option will change depending on which type of calls you have in view i.e. if in missed calls the option will show Delete Missed Calls) When Dialpad is in focus, the Actions menu displays the following options: Redial (if you have made a call from your account) Hide My Number for this Call (this option is only available to those using their BT Broadband Talk account with Softphone) 20

21 Help If you need help at anytime, you can access this through BT Softphone by clicking on the Help menu at the top of BT Softphone. This handy help menu will give you a variety of options. You will be able to access the help website by clicking on Help. You can also view Call charges If you have abuse to report, click on Report Abuse which will take you to the correct location in order to submit your issue. You can also find out about the Softphone you have installed onto your computer by selecting About. History You can view a list of your received, dialled and missed calls within the History tab on Softphone. You can view All calls, Dialled calls, Missed calls and Received calls If you right click on any of the calls lists you can Delete all calls. Received calls are illuminated in green and missed calls are illuminated on red. All new missed calls are bold until viewed. Dialled numbers remain grey. 21

22 If you click on the call entry a pop up box will appear with the call details Find a Number If you would like to find a personal or business contact number, then there is a link in this tab to BT Exchanges. Closing BT Softphone You can exit or log out of BT Softphone in two ways: Exit This is located in the File menu at the top of BT Softphone. This will exit you completely from BT Softphone Logout This is located in the File menu at the top of BT Softphone. This will exit you from BT Softphone and show the log in box for you to re-enter BT Softphone. - This is located on the BT Softphone window (next to the minimise and help button). This will not enable you to exit BT Softphone, but will minimise the phone to your system tray. This will not cut off a call if it is in progress. If you do click on this icon, the following message will be displayed: 22

23 When you try to exit BT Softphone you will be presented with the following pop up box, even when you are on a call. Please note, if you try to exit BT Softphone while you are on a call the pop up box will also appear. If you select yes, BT Softphone will close down and all calls will be ended. If you minimise BT Softphone, you will still be able to receive calls. Simply click on the minimise button. Once you have minimised BT Softphone, you will see the green icon on the icon, you can choose whether to Show the phone, or Exit. in your taskbar. If you right click If you minimise BT Softphone with the video window open you will notice that when you minimise Softphone, the video window will remain on the computer screen. You will need to minimise this separately. Similarly if you have the Video window open, you will notice that you will have two separate task bars on your computer. Please note that you will need to click on each option on the task bar to open all components of Softphone. Blocking a Number BT Broadband Talk customers have the ability to block specific numbers anonymous calls under the My Account option in the File menu. Simply log into your account with your Broadband Talk telephone number and password. 23

24 Under the Incoming Calls heading Click on View or change your settings under Calls from withheld numbers are allowed section to change anonymous call settings. Alternatively, click on View or change your settings under the No numbers are refused section to add numbers to your blocked list. 24

25 Managing Contacts Contacts To display your BT Softphone contacts, click the Contacts tab Add/Delete a Contact To add a contact click on the Add contact button Populate your contact details then click on Save & Close Alternatively, you can add contacts in the following way: A) Click on a received, dialled or missed call in the History tab and Add as Contact. B) While you are on a call, the option to add a contact appears. Simply select this option to add. 25

26 Once you have added your contacts, click on a contact's name within the group for a list of options: Call This will show all contact numbers available. Simply click on the number you wish to call to start the call (this will start an audio call) Video Call This will show all contact numbers available. Simply click on the number you wish to call to start a video call. View Profile This will open up your contact properties, where you can change your contacts details, you can insert their , fax, home and mobile details View History This will show all received, dialled and missed calls from this contact Delete Contact This will delete the contact To delete a contact simply right click on the contact name in the Contacts tab and select Delete Contact You will see the following warning box before being able to proceed with the deletion. Please note all contact details will be lost, so it is advised to note these down first should you wish to keep the information else where. Creating/Deleting Groups You can categorise your contacts by groups. Friends and Work groups have already been created. You can create new groups in two ways: You can create a new group when adding a contact. In the drop down menu under the Group section select New: 26

27 In the following pop up box enter the name of the new group and click OK You can also create a group by right clicking on a group name in Contacts tab and selecting New Group You can delete a group by right clicking in on the group name in the Contacts tab and selecting Delete Group. If you have any contacts in the group, you will see the following warning box Clicking on the one of your contact categories (such as Friends) will hide the contacts you have in that list. Clicking it again will make your contacts reappear. If you right click on the category you have the option to Add contact to group, Rename the Group, New Group or Delete group 27

28 ing Contacts When creating a contact you are given the option to add an address. When you click on the option to your contact it will start up your application pre-populated with your contacts address. This can be don in the following ways: When you hover your cursor over the contacts name a new box will appear. Click on the address to start up an in your default application. Please note this does not work for web-based applications i.e. Hotmail. Right click on the contacts name and select Send to start up an in your default application. To send an to multiple contacts highlight all contacts you want to simultaneously and right click on Send 28

29 s are separated by commas as default. If you are using a semi-colon separation application, for example Microsoft Outlook, you can change the default setting as follows: Click on the File menu, choose Preferences and then Advanced. Select Use semicolon as address separator under the When sending to multiple recipients section. 29

30 Features BT Softphone has a number of features to make communication easier. Conference calls With BT Softphone you can set up conference calls allowing three people to talk at the same time. Each person in the conference call can hear and speak to every other participant. Simply follow these instructions to set up a conference call: With an active call on one of the lines: A) Click on the start a conference call icon and in the new blue box type the number of the person you wish to join the conference (please note the first call will be on hold and hear music) B) After informing the arriving participant about the three-way call, click the Conf button to include all participants in the conversation To end a conference call, simply click the End button. To remove a participant from an existing call simply click on the arrow next to the number you want to remove from the conference and click on End call To remove a participant from the call, click on the arrow next to their number and click on Separate Call from conference. You will be able to speak to them privately while the other party remains on hold. To swap between the calls, click on the appropriate tab with the number you wish to speak to. To end the call with one of the participants ensure their number is the selected tab and click on End. Speakerphone BT Softphone can also work as a speakerphone. In order to activate your speakerphone you will need to do the following: 30

31 - Select File from the main menu then click on Preferences - Click on Devices and select the appropriate Speakerphone Mode from the Speaker and Microphone drop down menus Once you have enabled the Speakerphone Mode in Preferences, simply click the speakerphone button within BT Softphone to activate or deactivate. If you are using a headset you will need a secondary sound device such as a sound card. If you do not have a secondary sound device installed this button will remain greyed out and will not activate. Using a Webcam If you have a webcam installed, click start on the Video button to send video to the other person. A new pop up window will appear in which the video streaming can be viewed. BT Softphone will show both you and your caller in the Video chat screen. To set up the video call enter the number you wish to call and click on Video Call. In order for video the work, the person you are calling needs to be receiving the call on their BT Softphone service or on a BT Broadband Talk Videophone (To find out more about the Videophone please click here) Please make sure you have configured your webcam correctly through the tuning wizard. Please note that only users with Windows XP will be able to use the Video chat function. 31

32 Ring tones BT Softphone allows you to import your own ringtones from your own files in a.wav format (Wave files). Once you have imported a compatible file you will be able to set it as an active ringtone. You can access this by accessing the File menu, then choose Preferences and then click Alert and Sounds. 32

33 Uninstalling BT Softphone If you are experiencing problems with your BT Softphone please visit our support site at Please note that by uninstalling the software, BT Softphone will no longer work and you will have to reinstall the software at If you wish to uninstall BT Softphone, please access ADD/REMOVE programs within your computers Control Panel and select uninstall next to the BT Softphone logo. Further Information Online Help Please visit our online support section at should you require any further help or information. This section has been designed as a comprehensive user-friendly resource with easy-tofollow instructions on a range of topics. If you re affected by someone misusing the service, you can find help at 33