The Brooklyn College telecommunications system has 2,200 phone lines and more than 4,000 telephone instruments. Our completely modern, digital communications system is particularly reliable and provides many conveniences, including telephone handsets that provide many useful features. The digital technology allows Telecommunications to serve the Brooklyn College Community with 21st century technology. In addition to answering, installing and repairing phone voice systems, our office continuously gathers and analyzes campus telecom data to keep our communication systems up and running reliably.

Operators
The Operators answer the college's main consoles and respond to thousands of calls each week. They are on duty from 8:00am to 7:00pm, Monday through Thursday and 8:00am to 5:30pm Friday, are often the public's first contact with the college, and are prepared to handle all types of calls. The Operators have helped everyone from immigrants, about to become American citizens, who need directions to the college, to senior alumni who have received letters from the President requesting that they pick up their diplomas-sometimes sixty years after graduation.

Incoming and Outgoing Calls
Telecommunications administers all telephone calls made and received on campus, including interdepartmental, intradepartmental, domestic and international calls.

Technicians
Our technicians ensure that the vast majority of telephone repairs are completed within 24 hours. They are responsible for moving telephones and telephone unit changes. The technicians also work closely with ITS and with outside vendors whenever major changes or upgrades are implemented in the phone system.

Support Staff
Our support staff administers and manages daily operations of the department, including projects both large and small and assessment of repair priorities.

Voice Mail
The voice mail system operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and averages 1,000 incoming calls per day. Telecom uses voice mail to disseminate special or emergency messages for the campus and will record general greetings for major departments, when required. The voice mail system picks up calls in a timely manner, records messages when an extension is unanswered or busy and directs calls to individuals when the called party is unavailable. Voice mail provides the added benefit of improving internal communications, by allowing employees to send, receive and forward voice messages to each other. It has also enhanced the college's services to students.

Facsimile
Telecom administers all campus fax operations.

Teleconferencing
Telecom administers conference calls that make sophisticated use of cyberspace, for up to eight (8) internal or outside participants in any combination.

Directory
Telecom generates the Brooklyn College in-house phone directory, which is updated annually and published in book form, on the Telecommunications website site and on the main BC website. Data compiled and published for faculty, administration and staff. The book format is distributed via interoffice mail. You can also pick up copies at the Telecom office: Library, 4th floor

Verizon Yellow & White Pages
Telecom distributes the Verizon directories each year as they are published, via interoffice mail. You can also pick up copies at the Telecom office: Library, 4th floor.

CONFERENCE CALLS: VIRTUAL CONFERENCE ROOM

The "Virtual Conference Room"-VCR-is a new teleconferencing service, offered by the Office of Telecommunications, which allows users to create a high quality conference call with up to eight (8) participants. The participants can be any combination of callers on or off campus.

Please note that a VCR must be reserved in advance with the Telecommunication Office and include a specific, confirmed appointment date and time. If the reservation you request is available, it will be confirmed at the time of your call.

Follow these steps to set up a VCR:

1. Contact the Telecommunications Office, 718-951-5533, to request and confirm a date and time.
2. While making the VCR reservation, provide your Telecommunications contact with the following
   information:
   · The number of parties participating in the conference call
   · The names and contact numbers of each participant
   · The estimated length of the conference call

On the date of your VCR:

1. Immediately prior to your conference call, a Telecommunications staff member will contact all participants and transfer each to the conference. You can then start your meeting.
2. If at any time a party is disconnected, contact Telecommunications with the party's name and the caller will be reconnected.
   
3. During the meeting, you may hang up at any time without disrupting the remaining parties.

NOTE While confirming a reservation, please remember to account for different time zones. Eight-party conferencing is the maximum allowed.