How to Fix My Phone System

How can the average person fix their phone system?

You walk into your office Monday morning and the lights on the phones are all blinking, there are error codes on the screen, or, worse of all, they are just completely dead. What do you do? Believe it or not, there are some simple steps that you can perform that may solve the problem or at least provide some diagnosis to the service company you call on.

• Google. Believe it or not, if you type in the manufacturer name, generally found on the handsets or the main phone system cabinet (such as Nortel, Avaya, Toshiba, etc.) and then follow that with the symptoms you are seeing you may be able to come to some sort of conclusion with what is going on.
• After a quick search, the number one thing to do is to perform a reset. There may or may not be an actual power button or switch on the pone system, if there is not, then simply unplug the box in the closet, called the KSU (key service unit). Wait ten minutes (there is often an internal battery) and then turn back on or plug back in. The system will then reset itself and resurrect in a few minutes. Hopefully your problem is solved!   Be warned, however, that if your phone system is very old, there is always the chance that it may be completely dead, or if you unplug it that it does not turn back on.
• Swap phones around. If your problem is only affecting a few phones, swap them with others and see if that helps. If it does, your problem is likely on the card in the system that operates those phones. If the problem follows, it may simply be a bad phone.
• Check the battery backup unit. If your phone system is plugged into a battery backup unit (BBU), and it should be, it is possible that the battery is dead and therefor the telephone system is not receiving power. Unplug the phone system from the battery and plug directly into the wall. If the system comes up as normal, then simply replace the battery.

CSM is here to help! If the above troubleshooting ideas do not work or you are not able to perform them, then give us a call to speak with a tech or to schedule service. Let us know!

[formidable id=”2″ title=”1″]