Frequently Asked Question - Can you clarify lines vs. seats (user) vs. numbers vs. phones?

Can you clarify lines vs. seats (user) vs. numbers vs. phones?

We understand there is a lot of terminology involved here - and we like to make things easy to understand.

A phone line is something used to place or receive a call. It can handle a single conversation at once, and is often called a "talk path" in the industry. Some digital lines like T1 or PRI use one pair of wires (called a loop) to carry many individual lines (often called channels in this case). In the PSTN world, you might have 10 phones share a single line. But only one person would have the ability to make a call at once in this case.

A seat or user is what we use to talk about the services a "person" would use. That could include one or more phones including logins for soft phones, etc. A seat might include multiple phones, but it's intended for an individual to use. With requirements like work from home or hybrid solutions with home offices and "office offices". One of the helpful ways to think about this is to consider voicemail. If you have two people on a menu, and two mailboxes, two separate direct phone numbers, etc. you are probalby considering two seats.

Phone numbers are another consideration and related to but not always directly correlated with seats. Some companies prefer staff to have direct phone numbers or DID's. Some companies prefer all calls to come through a central dispatch like a menu or a reception team. Others have a hybrid. Numbers can be in your local are or remote (a Vancouver staff member could also have a Calgary number).

There are so many possibilities, which is why we want to work through you needs with you. We can analyze your existing bills, and look for services you may not need while enabling all those things you do need to make your phone system better!

Contact us using the form below to start the process today!