Using One Grandstream System with Two Businesses

There are many applications where one phone system is needed to cover two entities.  Someone may have a home business and needs to keep the calls separate.  Or, a company may have two divisions that need to keep the calls separate.  For incoming calls, they need a separate light to blink and a distinctive ring.  They also need to separate outgoing calls for billing purposes.

 Note:  Because these are “Trunk” buttons, it does not give line status lights.  It will not allow picking up a line on hold from the Trunk button.  That would require a more advanced set-up called “SLA Station Set-up”.  That documentation is provided and supported by Grandstream.

In this example, the customer requires the business trunk to ring on house phones also, but have a distinctive ring.  He also wants to make business calls on the business trunk, so his customers do not return calls on his personal line.

This will require another account on each phone.  Remember that you are limited by the accounts available on each phone.  In addition, another extension number needs to be added to the system for all phones that will receive calls from the business trunk.  To reduce confusion, put this series in a different group of numbers (add 150 to the extension number and name them all “Business”)

Log onto the phone’s UI and add the second account.  (Note: The layout varies by model of phone, but the locations should be the same)

Go to the “Call Settings” for Account 2 and change the “Account Ring Tone” to a distinctive  ring.  Go to “Dial Plan Prefix” and enter “92”.  The phone will automatically dial this prefix when calls are made using this account.  You would use “91” in Account 1 and change the ring if you prefer.

The next step is to assign a “Ring Group” to send business calls to the second account.

Each line or group of lines associated with the home would be in one “Trunk Group”.  The Business Lines would be in another.

By using the “Dial Plan Prefix” set in the phones, you can direct calls to go out particular trunks based on the button chosen on the phone.

Using the system is fairly automatic.  The phone displays the two trunks as separate buttons.  Incoming calls will be sent to the appropriate accounts and the corresponding LED and ring will alert for the incoming call.  Out going calls are accomplished by choosing the button for the account you wish to make the call from. Then, dial the phone number.