Gigabit Plans Launched and other new Cloud PBX features

It's been 3 months since our last update and a lot has happened since July. Aside from another partial lockdown we have been growing the Hero customer base and partner network and continuing to add more features to our products and services as well as preparing our network to be fully 10Gb connected across all of our handover points and peering points in preparation for our Gigabit Broadband Plan offerings.

Here is a rundown of the main changes we have made in more detail below:

Gigabit Plans

From 1st November we have started accepting orders for our Unlimited Gigabit Fibre Max Broadband Plans. Our 500 Megabit plan will remain as an option but we will also now be supporting the Fibre Max product wherever fibre is available. As with all of our other plans there are no data caps and we support simple DHCP requests for connecting clients. Our retail pricing for the Gigabit plan option is $115+GST in our direct handover coverage area (currently Auckland and surrounding areas) and $125+GST for the rest of the country. We will continue to work on adding other regions to our direct coverage area (without the need for tail extensions) over the coming months. The Fibre Max plans should be available in the web portal when you add a new connection in the 'Order Broadband' page. If you wish to upgrade the speeds on an existing circuit then let our team know by sending through an email or a ticket with the connection details. We will also be offering a Small Business Max option for an additional $10+GST which will offer better SLA response times for customers.  For Wholesale Pricing please contact our sales team.

Shop and Fanvil Phone Supply

Hero can now supply the full range of Fanvil handsets and accessories to our customers and partner network at very competitive prices. We also have auto-provisioning available in our portal allowing customer to provision handsets easily using our web portals instead of having to do this manually. You can also see a new 'Shop' page under the Account tab in your portal were you are able to order handsets and other hardware.

Queue Enhancements and Call Back feature

Our Cloud PBX Queue feature now has 'exit' options. You can now allow a caller to exit a queue by pressing a digit on their keypad and then program up what to do when exiting the queue. You can choose to send the caller to Voicemail, Forward the caller to another number or request a 'Call Back'. The CallBack option will then prompt the caller for their call back number and then once confirmed you will be sent an email with the call back request details allowing your staff to call back the caller at a more convenient time when you are less busy perhaps. This is a popular option for callers these days who don't like to be left in a queue for long periods. Future enhancements will be an auto call back option to your agents once they are available.

Call Barring

At the request of several of our partners we have added a call barring feature which allows customers (or wholesalers) to restrict which type of calls an account or line can make. You can bar non-local calls, mobile calls, overseas calls and more. The call bars can be applied on a per line basis or across a whole account.

Blind Transfer Recall

We have also added the ability to do a 'recall' on a Blind Transfer from a phone. If the phone send us a SIP REFER using the Blind Transfer method on their handset then you can now have that call returned back to the person who transferred that call if it is not picked up by the recipient of the transfer. This is very useful for receptionists who do not want to perform a full attended transfer but would like the call returned back to them if the blind transfer is not successful.

Attended Transfer Caller ID improvements

Hero now supports Caller ID pass-through when performing an attended transfer. Now when the transfer is completed the original Caller ID information is passed through to the recipient of the transfer giving them the Caller details and also serving as a visual indicator that the transfer has completed.

Message Playback

We have also added a very simple message playback option allowing users to upload an MP3/M4A file which is played back when a call first connects to their line. This is simpler than having to setup an auto attendant with no options as was previously the case.

Tech Support Team

We have added a new member Jordan to our Tech Support team.  Jordan has a wealth of experience working in the ISP/Telco sector for the last few years so can hit the ground running with his knowledge.  Having Jordan on board is a great boost to the team and will ensure we continue to offer the best service and support we can for our customers and partners.

Broadband and Porting Status Pages (Wholesale Only)

Wholesale White Label customers will now see under their Manage tab 2 new pages to monitor their Broadband and Number Port Requests to better keep informed of the status of the orders for their customers. You can also go back and look at completed/cancelled orders as well. Related to this we are now also sending Broadband email updates whenever there is a status change on a broadband order to keep you fully informed during the order process. We will continue to improve these tools to give you more control and visibility of connections as we develop these.