All you need to know about FMU

Questions about Fixed Mobile Unification?

Then click here for the answers to the FAQ:

1. What does FMU do exactly?

With FMU or Fixed Mobile Unification you can always be reached with a single call. All functions of your IPBX switchboard are also available for your mobile devices. This means you benefit from a total solution for unified communications. You can manage everything yourself via your (existing) IPBX switchboard, whether or not it is a cloud IPBX. Discover all the benefits and functionalities of FMU in this video.

2. I have fixed devices, DECT devices (= cordless fixed devices) and mobile devices, laptops, tablets, etc. Managing all these separate systems efficiently is no easy feat. Does FMU make this easier?

With Fixed Mobile Unification you can easily cut down on the number of devices and still guarantee optimum reachability for your business and staff. Thanks to FMU, all functions available on fixed devices are now also available for mobile devices and vice versa. You no longer need to use DECT devices because your mobile phone is perfectly capable of replacing them. Also, your customers will have no idea of the kind of device you are using as reachability is always the number one priority. You personally manage your devices centrally via the IPBX switchboard, which includes myriad automation options to simplify the management of your devices.

3. What if my staff cannot be reached on their mobile? I don’t want to miss out on any opportunities.

With FMU or Fixed Mobile Unification you can always be reached with a single call. For instance, you can opt for a standard setting where all incoming calls are received on one fixed and one mobile device “dual ringing”. This way you don’t miss any calls. Or when you or your staff are in transit and can’t pick up, your customers still get someone on the phone. If the call cannot be answered, then you determine how it is forwarded: to reception, to the mobile number of a colleague via a short code number, to your voicemail with a welcome message and, possibly, an options menu. All these options can also be linked to a calendar and/or a work schedule. In short, with FMU you can set up your own ideal telephony solution, where your fixed and mobile devices have identical functionalities.

4. Does Fixed Mobile Unification also work when my staff are abroad?

Yes, all functions of Fixed Mobile Unification are available across the EU. And thanks to the abolition of roaming costs in the EU, you don’t have pay a supplement. You simply use up the national volumes of your Belgian rate plan. Do you also travel outside Europe? Then read all about our solutions for connectivity abroad.

5. How do I respect the work-life balance of my employees?

Your staff must be easy to reach for both customers and prospects but not 24/7. To maintain a healthy work-life balance you can manage the mobile devices of your staff centrally through the IPBX switchboard. When their mobile device is connected with the switchboard, calls to the central landline number can be forwarded to the mobile number of an employee. This means their mobile device is in “work mode”. When their mobile device is disconnected from the switchboard then they are calling in “private mode”. If this is the case, you decide how professional calls are dealt with through the configuration of your switchboard. You can forward them to reception or to a colleague, for instance. Your staff can also connect their mobile to or disconnect it from the switchboard, or this can be done automatically based on a calendar.

6. How can I maintain control over phone use by staff?

Looking for an efficient way of splitting the costs between professional and private telephone conversations? And you want to determine what kind of calls your staff can make? It’s possible! Your staff’s mobile phones can either work in private or business mode. In private mode the device is not connected to the IPBX switchboard, in business mode it is. And this double use provides the perfect basis to split the bill for private and business calls between staff and employer (thanks to the shared bill of Invoice Split). You can also use the switchboard to manage or block certain phone numbers on your staff’s mobiles.

7. Can FMU help me ensure the continuity and professionalism in my communications, even when an employee is leaving the company?

With Fixed Mobile Unification all your customers have to do is call one centralised number to talk to someone from the company. Also, your staff only have to list a single telephone number on their business cards. Whether they’re calling from a landline or from their mobile, your customers only get to see the telephone number you wish to display. This approach contributes to the recognisability and continuity of your business. If one of your employees leaves the company the line of communications remains unchanged. You can link the mobile telephone number of his or her replacement to the centralised telephone number. This gives you permanent control over all of your telephone numbers.

8. How can I meet MiFID guidelines?

Are you active in the financial sector and does your company have to meet the MiFID guideline for the protection of investors? Then it is important for your staff to be able to record their conversations with customers, even when they take place via mobile phone. Until recently only landline conversations could be recorded because the recording function is linked to the IPBX switchboard. Thanks to FMU this recording function is now also available for mobile numbers.

9. I only use mobile devices but I would still like to have all the benefits of a switchboard. Is this possible?

Yes, it is, because FMU now also makes all the benefits of a switchboard available to mobile telephone numbers, such as call groups, cues, options menus and different voicemail messages depending on the time of the call. You simply manage all functionalities for your mobile numbers in your (cloud) IPBX switchboard, the same as with your fixed telephone numbers. Be sure to watch the video on FMU.

10. How can I ensure redundancy when the switchboard doesn’t work? I don’t want to miss any calls.

FMU can be linked to two different IPBX switchboards. If one isn’t available the system automatically switches to the backup IPBX. In the event neither the IPBX switchboards nor a VPN line is available, your staff can still use their mobile device in “private mode, i.e. disconnected from the switchboard.