Voice Mail System

5.0 Overview
5.1 File structure of second-level-messages
5.2 Structure of announcements in the files
5.3 Fax-on-demand


5.0 Overview

The Voice-Mail-System

The voice-mail-system of CoMa professional extends the answering 
machine with important functions. Instead of just 7 as much folders as you 
desire can be defined. Every message can be 
combined from up to 99 voice-files. The same applies to first-
level messages.

It can be used now as effective advertising media or for 
interactive playing around. It is possible to change certain 
parts of the messages without having to record the whole message 
again,by combining parts of the messages from various voice-
files.

	Fax-on-demand system

You can also create folders containing fax files in the first- 
and second-level messages which can be polled by your customers 
at ease.

It is possible to have a message in this folder which will played 
first to the caller. At the end of the message the fax 
transmission starts. The message could be a help text for example 
to give the caller assistance.

In short, CoMa professional simplifies the work with long 
messages in the voice-part and makes a fax-on-demand system 
available.


5.1 Folder structure of second-level-messages


The prinicple of the 99 messages is as follows: All messages 
(voice-files) have to be in a folder of which the name represents 
the PIN with which a caller has access to it.

All message folders have to be in one folder for CoMa to be able to 
find them. You adjust the path for this folder in "parameter"  
"voice".

In the dialogbox "Parameter" "Messages" you can get with "show 2nd Level" a 
list of all Folders for the second level messages. You also can see the PIN 
which CoMa has found in the folder name.

In principle you can use any number as folder name.  A message 
folder can be called with only one number, but you have to make 
shure that no other folder starts with this number. CoMa starts to 
play messages as soon as it has found a folder! If you have names 
a message folder 812 for instance a different folder with 8123 
would never be played because CoMa found number 812 first.
If you desire to take only one number as PIN, only 9 folders are possible 
(0...8)! The number 9 is reserved for the manual mailbox login.

There are the same restrictions as for all PIN!

	PIN with more than one number starts always with 8
	
	never use the same number in a row (never 44 or 77 but 474!)
	
	
The folder with the message text can then receive a name connected with the 
contents but the name has to start always with the PIN!.

All Seccond Level Folders have to be in the Folder, that has been defined in 
the dialog "Parameter" "Voice" under "2nd Level"! 

Here you find an example for the structure of a voice-mailbox as 
installed in our office computer. Perhaps you should give us a 
call and listen to the result! At first all these folders have to be in the 
folder for Second Level Messages!

		"1_INFO"
short Info about the Voice Mailbox, contents, numbers available...

		"2_PRICES"
Info about our prices

		"3_F_M_INFO"
Info about our programme FIRST_MILLION

If You use only one number, the recognition of the DTMF tone is very simple 
but you can offer only 8 announcments (0...8)!

With the function "2nd Level" in the dialog "Parameter" "Voice" you can see 
all second level folders with its PIN.


5.2 Structure of messages in the folders


All message texts had to be in folder MESS-OUT as a complete file 
in the  CoMa voice version. This was very uncomfortable with long 
messages, especially if one made a mistake and had to speak the 
whole message again from the start. It was not possible to change 
even a small part of the text. If you only wanted to change the 
price for a product for example the whole message had to be 
spoken and recorded again. We eliminated this problem in CoMa 
professional because we combined the messages from various voice-
files. The caller usually does not notice the "piecework" in a 
normal fast hard disk at all! You can store a total of 99 message 
texts in a second level message with folder structure. The 
sequence of the replay is dependant on the name of the file. The 
firsrt 2 character of the name have to be figures! The extension 
remains reserved for identification of the recording standard.

The next example clarifies how such a folder  with message 
segments should look. We want to produce a voice-folder that 
tells the caller the prices of our products. To keep the message 
short it should be possible to call the folder  with the key 2.
Obviously this means that no other folder should be stored in 
MESS-OUT starting with 2!

Because we are polite and friendly we like to start the message 
with a friendly introduction. You would record following text:

"Hello, you will hear the actual price list of XYZ"

We will call this file 01INTPR.RO4 (RO4 stands for Rockwell, 
ADCPM4). The 01 in the file name tells CoMa that this message 
should be played first.
In another text we tell the caller how long our prices are valid 
(perhaps for special offers!)

"These prices are valid till xxx"

The suitable name would be perhaps 02VALID.RO4

Then we have to record the date as voice-file

"24. December 1996"

The name would be 03DATE.RO4

In a further voice-file we will now describe our office software:

FIRST-MILLION magnum, the excellent office software....

We call this file 04MAGNUM.RO4

The price receives its own file to be able to alter it easily if 
our prices should change.

"200 pounds" =   05PRMG.RO4 (only the price of FM)

"CoMa, the best fax and ...."   = 06COMA.RO4 (only promotion 
text)

"49,50 pounds"   (Peter, setze hier die Pfund Preise ein, auch 
above!!)

07PRCOMA.R04  (only the actual price of CoMa)

etc.

If you want to change the date of the validity you only have to 
change the file 03DATE.RO4.

The same if a price changes, just record the new price. The 
operation of the voice-mail-system is easy and comfortable.

Hear you see as example the structure of our message folder for 
products and prices (DTMF tone 2). The file with the extension 
CNT indicates how often this folder has been called already. the 
count starts again with 1  if you want to delete this file. On 
the top you see the structure with the ATARI filesystem 8+3, 
below with long file name.


5.3 Fax-On-Demand


The fax-on-demand integrated in CoMa professional offers the possiblity to 
keep not only one fax page ready for polling but as much as necessary  
folders and up to 99 pages! The caller choses a certain folder for 
transmission via a relevant number code. The caller does not need to be in 
possession of a fax machine with polling facilities.Such machines are not 
standard yet.

Unfortunately only a few modems have a polling function and fax-on-
demand helps here as well.

Two conditions have to be met though

1. The caller must be able to send DTMF tones (this applies for 
calling the voice folder as well)

2. He has to be able to switch a fax machine onto the telphone 
line.

The last condition will probably always be met if a combifax 
(TAM) is connected to the telephone line. These machines can be 
switched via button from telphone to fax operation. Most other 
fax machines have the same facility and can be persuaded to take 
over the line after pressing start.

The fax pages have to be stored in a folder with numerical 
identification and be in the folder MESS-OUT like the voice-
folders.

As a speciality it is possible to have a voice-file in the fax 
folder. Perhaps to give advice on the use of this function. A 
voice-file will always be played first and only then CoMa 
switches over to the send module for Fax.

A possible text could be:

"Please prepare your fax machine for receive. If you hear the
send tone of a fax machine in your telephone, please press the 
start button on your fax machine."

The fax-file(s) have to be present in fax format (runtime Hufman 
compression) and the extension continously numbered.

i.e. XYZ.F01, XYZ.F02, .... , XYZ.F99

CoMa can be used for convertion in case you have got a file in a 
different format. In this way a IMG or ASCII file can become a 
Hufman coded fax page.

For this purpose please load the page in a CoMa window and call 
the relevant pop-up-menu.

The file-selection box  with the command "Save F??" and you can 
name path and name under which the Hufman coded faxpage should be 
stored.