ESI eCloud eCloud Commercial Telephone Systems User Guide

ESI eCloud eCloud Commercial Telephone Systems

Specifications

• Product Name : ESI eCloud
• Model Number: 0455-0381 Rev A
• Functionality: eFax service and ATA traditional fax device setup, sending and receiving faxes, viewing fax history

Product Usage Instructions

Setting up ESI eFax via eConsole

ESI eFax via eConsole allows users to send and retrieve faxes through the eConsole platform. Follow these steps:

1. Ensure you have been assigned a fax number from the Office Manager or shared by the Primary user.
2. Navigate to the Fax Tab in the main Menu of the eConsole.
3. Click on the Settings button to set individual preferences for managing faxes. You can control sharing options, enabled methods, and inbound fax handling.

Sending a Fax

To send a fax using ESI eFax via eConsole:

1. Access the fax panel in the eConsole.
2. Compose your fax and attach any necessary documents.
3. Select the recipient’s fax number and send the fax.

Receiving a Fax

To receive a fax using ESI eFax via eConsole:

1. Check your inbox in the eConsole for incoming faxes.
2. Download or view the received fax as needed.

Introduction

• There are two types of ESI eFax for eCloud users, ESI eFax via eConsole which is integrated directly into your eConsole user login, and ESI eFax which is a separate portal and Windows application for faxing. Please see the table of
• contents for your specific ESI eFax service. You may determine your fax service by if you are using your ESI eConsole login for faxing, or not. If you are still unsure, please contact your office manager or support for assistance.

ESI eFax via eConsole

• Users
• ESI eFax via eConsole users can send and retrieve faxes from their eConsole. This section describes the procedures for individual users to set up their fax preferences, send and retrieve faxes.
• Prerequisite: Users must be either assigned a fax number from the Office Manager or shared by the Primary user.

Fax Settings

• These procedures are intended for the user for which the fax number has been created.Navigate to the Fax Tab in the main Menu of the eConsole.

The fax panel will look like this (initially the inbox will be empty):

Click on the Settings button to open the panel where the user can set individual preferences for managing faxes. The Settings modal includes similar options as the management interface but these are controlled by the user rather than the Office Manager.

1.  Number Sharing: Select whether this number can be shared with other users, with an entire site or with everyone. Select disabled if this number should only be used by the Primary User. For more information, please refer to the section titled “Sharing a fax service” in this document.
2. Enabled Methods: These settings are informative for the user and cannot be changed.
3. Inbound Fax Handling: When a fax is received for this account, select whether the fax should be emailed with an attachment or emailed without an attachment. Additionally, select whether or not the fax should remain in the portal.
4. Delivery Notifications: Select whether to send an email notification when an outbound fax through the portal is successful and/or select whether to send an ATA notification to the fax machine when an outbound fax through the portal is successful.
5. Failure Notifications: Select whether to send an email notification when an outbound fax through the portal fails and/or select whether to send an ATA notification to the fax machine when an outbound fax through the portal fails. Click on the Save button to save your settings.

Send a Fax

console

Click on the Send Fax button to open up the panel to select what you want to fax and optionally include a cover letter.

Select the file you want to fax using the Browse button (Acceptable file types are listed under the file field).

1. Phone Number: Enter the phone number of the fax recipient.
2. Add Cover Letter: Checkmark this option if you want to add a cover letter to your fax. Fill out the cover letter fields and click on the Send button to send you fax.

Email
You can also send faxes using your favorite email application from the email address associated with your eCloud PBX account.

1. In the To field, enter the fax number of the destination of the fax as follows: faxnumber@esihostedfax.com
2. In the subject field, enter the subject of the fax, as you want it to appear in the fax cover letter.
3. In the body of the fax, enter any text you want to appear in the body of the cover letter.
4. Attach the desired file to be faxed.
5. Press Send.

The recipient will see the cover letter looking something like this:

The From field(s) will contain the name of the sender of the fax as entered in your iCloud PBX profile rather than a fax number. The Subject field and body of the cover letter will contain whatever you have entered in the email where the fax was sent.

Fax to Fax (ATA)

• Customers with Fax to Fax ATAs may go to the fax machine to send faxes out as normal. See the Fax to Fax ATA Network Diagram for network and fax machine connections.
• Receive a Fax

eConsole

• Depending on your selection in the Inbound Fax Handling field in the Fax Settings, you could receive an email notification with the attached fax file, a simple email notification without an attachment or the fax will show up in your fax
• inbox in eConsole. The following steps describe how to retrieve a fax in the console.
• The inbox in your fax section of the eConsole will look something like this when faxes have been received.

The magnifying glass icon allows you to have a sneak peek of the first page of the received fax. Just hover your mouse over that icon to get the preview.
To retrieve the received fax, Click on the Download icon. Check the bottom left corner of your browser and click on the downloaded file to see its contents.

Once you have the actual .pdf file of the fax, you can save it to your own computer and proceed to delete the fax from your inbox. Simply click on the delete icon to the right of the fax to delete it from your inbox.

We recommend saving your faxes to your own computer and keeping your inbox with a minimum number of faxes in it as there is a limited amount of storage (set for your account and which is shared with emails received). This will also eliminate the risk of accidentally deleting a fax from the inbox and permanently losing its contents. You can also see the contents of faxes already sent. This will allow you to verify that the intended content was included in any given fax. To do that, simply click on the dropdown menu for the inbox and switch to the Sent option.

The procedures are similar to those used in the Inbox. To get a preview of a sent fax, simply hover the mouse over the magnifying glass icon.

To retrieve the sent fax, click on the Download button.

Check the bottom left corner of your browser and click on the downloaded file to see its contents.

We recommend cleaning up the Sent faxes area to keep sufficient storage space for future faxes.
Fax to Fax (ATA)
Sites with Fax to Fax ATAs may receive faxes at the following locations.

1. At the fax machine.
2. Email sent to the designated email address with a PDF attachment of the fax.
3. Both, at the fax machine and via email.

ATA must be purchased from ESI as it is preloaded with custom firmware.
Sharing a Fax Service
Sharing the fax service may be useful in some business environments. Some considerations need to be taken into account when sharing the fax service with other users. There are two options to share the fax service:

1. Service shared by the service owner
2. Dedicated Fax extension accessed by multiple users

These options are explained in the following sections.

• A user owning the fax service can share it with other individual users, all users in a site or all users in a domain. Sharing fax service means that other users will be able to send faxes using the fax number of the person sharing the service with them. These users will not be able to change the settings of the fax service though. The top portion of the fax panel of the user sharing the service will look something like this:

While the top portion of the same panel of the user with whom the service is being shared, will look like this: Incoming faxes and their corresponding notifications will be received by the owner of the fax service. If other users have given the fax number of the service owner to someone else to receive faxes, then the owner of the service will have to download the fax himself and forward it via email to the appropriate recipient.

The following figures illustrate this option

SENDING FAXES

RECEIVING FAXES

Option 2 – Dedicated fax extension accessed by multiple users
In this option, an extension number is set up exclusively for fax service. There are no other features associated with this extension. The credentials for that fax extension can then be shared with users who need to send/receive faxes. Each user will then need to log in to that extension’s console and
send/receive faxes from there. The following figures illustrate this option.

SENDING FAXES

RECEIVING FAXES

Privacy needs to be considered in both options as more than one person can see other people’s faxes. Option 2 gives the possibility for each user to delete their own faxes, but that needs to be managed by the enterprise.
Office Manager
Adding Fax Numbers
This is an Office Manager’s procedure and the eConsole User must be logged in as an Office Manager. Navigate to Inventory in the main menu, and then select Fax Accounts. Click on the Add Fax Number button.

When the Add a Fax Number modal is presented, select an available number. These numbers are pulled from the domain’s inventory. Only DIDs that have the treatment set as Fax Server or Available DID will show in the dropdown. When adding as a new fax number, only select an available DID.

Finish selecting the following options in the Add a Fax Number modal. Click Add when finished.

1. Phone Number: Select an available number.
2. Primary User: Who will own this fax account number? This user will have faxes available in their portal and allowing them to manage inbound settings for this account.
3. Number Sharing: Select whether this number can be shared with other users or with everyone. Select disabled if this number should only be used by the Primary User. For more information, please refer to the section titled “Sharing a fax service” in this document.
4. Enabled Methods: Select the applicable handling methods for this DID. If using an ATA, then a serial number must be entered.
5. Inbound Fax Handling: When a fax is received for this account, select whether the fax should be emailed with an attachment or emailed without an attachment. Additionally, select whether or not the fax should remain in the portal.
6. Delivery Notifications: Select whether to send an email notification when an outbound fax through the portal is successful and/or select whether to send an ATA notification to the fax machine when an outbound fax through the portal is successful.
7. Failure Notifications: Select whether to send an email notification when an outbound fax through the portal fails and/or select whether to send an ATA notification to the fax machine when an outbound fax through the portal fails. Then Click on the Add button.

The account will now be created on the server. The DID number will also be updated in the DID table to the “Fax Server” treatment.

Fax to Fax ATA Network Diagram

Hooking up the Fax ATA

1. Connect the Ethernet Connector labeled “WAN” to your network.
2. Connect the Telephone Port labeled PHONE 1 to the Fax Machine. Check with your provider whether the second PHONE 2 port is enabled for use.
3. Connect the Power. There is no ON/OFF (I/O) switch so the Fax ATA turns on as soon as you connect the power. The POWER LED is lit (green) and when initialization completes (~1 minute), the STATUS LED changes from red to green.

ESI eFax
Account Login
Access your user account by going to https://secure.ipfax.net/, and then enter your Username and Password. Your initial login credentials will be given to you by ESI. We recommend changing it after you log in. You can also select Forgot Password? to receive a temporary password. If you have forgotten your Username, please contact ESI support for assistance.

Change your password
To change your password select Change my password, then enter your new password and click Save.

Account Settings
Go to My Account Info to change your personal information, and fax delivery and receive confirmation settings.

Personal Information

Fax Send and Receive Confirmation

1. Fax to Email – Email: Enter the email destination for incoming Fax to Email faxes. Multiple email destinations may be separated with a comma.
2. Fax to Fax – Email: Enter the email address that Fax to Fax is to be sent to.
3. Queue Fax When ATA is Offline: Customers with ATA for fax machines may have an incoming fax Queue for seven days while offline. After 7 days faxes will be deleted and cannot be recovered.
4. Delivery Options: Select to have faxes delivered to only the fax machine, email, or both.
5. Fax Confirmation On Select to receive confirmation for failed and successful Fax to Fax faxes.
6. Confirmation Email: Enter email address to send confirmations.
7. Email Confirmation On Select to receive confirmation for failed and successful Fax to Email faxes. You can also select to receive the first page or all pages of the fax.

Send a Fax
Web to Fax
From the main menu select Send Web to Fax option.

1. Recipient’s name: Enter the recipient’s name.
2. Fax Subject: Enter fax subject.
3. Fax Number: Enter the desired fax number, then click Add
4. Up to 10 destinations may be added.
5. Cover Page: Set cover page priority.
6. Cover page message: Add additional text to the cover page.
7. Attach Documents: Click the Attach up to three documents for faxing, then select the files to be faxed
8. Click Send Fax Now! to send the fax.

Fax Activity Report
Various detailed status and history reports are available. From the Main menu select the Fax Activity Report option.

1. Report Option: Select between a full Detailed Report, Summary by Country, Summary by Fax Number, or Summary by User.
2. Date Period: Select the Date Period for the report. Manually Select period, Month to Date, Last 30 Days, Last Hour, and Today
3. Enter Manual Period for the report.
4. Fax Status: Select what Fax Status to show in the report. All Faxes, Successful Faxes Only, Fax to Email Only, Fax to Fax Only, Processing Faxes Only, and Failed Faxes Only
5. Report Type: Select what type of report to display or download. Show on-screen, Download in EXCEL, Download in EXCEL zipped
6. Click Show Report to view or download the report.

Sample Detailed Report

1. Click the Refresh button to refresh the current report.
2. Status: Show current incoming and outgoing fax status and fax type.
3. Download/View/Resend: Allows you to Download, View, and Resend faxes
4. Dest No.: Destination number of Sent and Received faxes
5. Caller ID: Caller ID of Sent and Received faxes
6. Time: The time the fax was processed
7. Cost: Total cost of the fax.

PC to Fax (Windows Only)

• You can also send a fax directly from your computer.
• If you have not installed the software, visit the ESI Resource Library to download the PC to Fax software zip file. Then unzip and run the setup.exe file to install the software.
• Once the software is installed, first-time users will need to enter their account information to log in. If you do not know your account login information, see the Account Login section for recovery procedures.

1. Cover Page Information: Enter your information as it would appear on the fax cover page.
2. Authorization: Enter your Username and Password. If you do not know your account login information, see the Account Login section for recovery procedures.

Send a Fax

From the document application you have created your content in go to the File Menu and select Print. Select the Internet Fax from the list of printers from the Printer drop-down menu, and then select Print.

1. To: Enter the recipient’s name.
2. Subject: Enter fax subject.
3. Fax #: Enter the desired fax number, then click Add Recipient
4. Up to 10 destinations may be added.
5. Cover Page: Set cover page options.
6. Preview Icon: See a preview of the fax to be sent
7. Config: ESI eFax Account Information and Password login settings.
8. Click Send to send the fax.

Cover Page Options

1. Select Cover Page
2. Select Cover Page priority
3. Add additional text to the cover page.

Realtime Notifications

• After sending your fax, real-time notifications will keep you up to date on whether your faxes were sent successfully or not.

Secure Fax File Cabinet

• The Secure Fax File Cabinet allows you to see sent fax status details, resend faxes, delete faxes from your file cabinet, save fax history as a .xls file, view sent fax pages and cover letters, and user settings.
• To open Secure Fax File Cabinet, in your System Tray open Secure Fax File Cabinet. It will look similar to this.

Secure Fax File Cabinet

Fax to Fax (ATA)

• Sites with Fax to Fax ATAs may go to their fax machine to send faxes out as normal. See the Fax to Fax ATA Network Diagram for network and fax machine connections.

Receive a Fax
Fax to Email
Fax to Email faxes are sent to the designated email address from vinfax@esi- estech.com with a PDF attachment of the fax. The emails will look something like this.

Fax to Fax (ATA)
Sites with Fax to Fax ATAs may receive faxes at the following locations.

1. At the fax machine.
2. Email sent to the designated email address from vinfax@esi-estech.com with a PDF attachment of the fax.
3. Both, at the fax machine and by email.

Billing

• The Account Balance option does represent your total amount billed. Your monthly subscription fee includes 200 minutes and anything over is an additional fee

Fax to Fax ATA Network Diagram

FAQ

ESI eFax via eConsole

fax cover pages.
Can multiple people be added to receive email faxes?| No, but the Primary user fax account email address can be set to a distribution mailbox to distribute to other recipients.
How many users can receive inbound fax emails?| Only one user per fax account (primary user).
How do I find older faxes?| Go to your fax inbox of the Primary user’s eConsole portal.
How secure is internet fax?| All data is TLS encrypted and cannot be read if intercepted by anyone outside of the recipient.
Is the ESI fax HIPAA compliant?| Yes, all faxes are only viewed by HIPPA sites and those covered under HIPAA through contract.
What do the lights on the ATA mean?| No Lights: Light Make sure power is connected

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Red Status: If the Status light remains solid red for longer than 5 minutes, contact your provider.

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Flashing Green Lights: If multiple green lights are flashing on the Fax ATA, it is downloading a firmware update or getting its provisioning settings. DO NOT remove or disconnect power from the device at this time.

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WAN Status and Power lights are all green / 3 green lights: Normal Idle Status.

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Multiple Red Lights / Mixed Green / Red Lights: The Fax ATA is rebooting. This typically takes about 60 seconds before going back to solid green.

How do I find the IP address of the ATA?| Find your device IP Address in your DHCP Server.

Dialing and Sending Faxes

911, if not enabled by your provider, will only produce dead air.
Error reported from a fax machine| The Fax Machine is unable to connect or communicate with the Fax ATA. Check phone line connection and state of Fax ATA. Please gather the fax machine model and error message.
No Dial Tone| The Fax ATA is rebooting or not powered on. This can also be caused if Line 1 or Line 2 is not activated or does not have a phone number attached to it. The Fax ATA provides a dial tone for faxing. It should always give you a fax tone when dialing out.
Fast Busy| The Fax ATA does not have network or internet access. Check this entering

2 # from a phone or fax machine handset. An audible IP address should be played back to you. Additionally, connect a notebook’s Ethernet port to the LAN port on the Fax ATA and verify that the notebook is getting an IP address, network, and Internet access. Advanced: You can also log into the Fax ATA’s web interface to look at the network settings. See the Fax ATA’s user guide supplied with the Fax ATA.

Dead Air| There can be a delay after dialing before you hear fax tone. If you hear silence or “dead air”, your dialed number might be blocked. If you dial 911 and your provider has not enabled support for E-911, you will hear a long period of silence or “dead air” after dialing.

Receiving Faxes

and is set to auto-answer. Also, make sure it is not out of paper. If all looks normal please contact your provider. Please have the make and model of the fax machine available.
Fax Machine rings but never answers| We have seen some fax machines not accept calls from the ATA. To determine if this is the cause. Please try another fax machine attached to the ATA. If this resolves the issue you should contact the fax machine’s manufacturer.

ESI eFax

Why can’t I log into the fax portal (or the Print-to-Fax application says I’m not authorized?| There may be an issue with the login information you are using. Please see the Account Login section on how to reset your password.
What is the maximum allowable size for the fax file?| 3 files @ 4.8 Megabytes each
What is the maximum allowable number of pages that can be faxed?| PC to FAX (Print to Fax): 100 pages FAX to FAX (ATA): No Limit

Web to FAX (user portal): 3 files @ 5 Megabytes each

Email to FAX (##########@ipfax.net): Limited by email server

How do I create a custom cover page?| See Send a Fax section on how to create fax cover pages.
Can multiple people be added to receive email faxes?| Yes, Multiple email destinations may be added.
How many users can receive inbound faxes to their email?| up to 250 characters of email addresses
How do I find older faxes?| Go to Fax Activity Report in the user web console
How secure is internet fax?| All data is TLS encrypted and cannot be read if intercepted by anyone outside of the recipient.
Is ESI eFax HIPAA compliant?| Yes, all faxes are only viewed by HIPPA sites and those covered under HIPAA through contract.
What do the lights on the ATA mean?| POWER – Is the ATA powered

WAN – It is reaching the local network equipment ONLINE – Is the ATA able to reach the internet FAX – It is processing a fax (this will be off most of the time)

How do I find the IP address of the ATA?| Hook up an analog phone to the ATA and dial 2#

References

• secure.ipfax.net/

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