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CallXpress3 With Unified Messaging

1. CallXpress3 With Unified Messaging Applied Voice Technology AVT GO 11410 NE 122nd Way Kirkland WA 98034 Ph 206 820 6000 Fx 206 820 4040 E Mail a O oi Web Site www appliedvoice com allXpress3 AVT s feature rich C voice processing auto attendant sys tem can be used with a variety of client side application modules to deliv er powerful unified messaging capabili ties These applications include Desktop Message Manager Desktop Call Manager Fax Mail and E Mail Access In this review we will concentrate on Message Manager Figure 1 a unified messaging product that runs under Windows 3 1 and later We didn t receive Desktop Call Manager with our package so we will review it in a future issue However we will list Desktop Call Manager s features We will briefly discuss the other application modules Fax Mail and E Mail Access Another unified messaging product from AVT is called CallXpress3 Desktop For Exchange It is as the name implies Exchange compliant Also available with CallXpress3 is the ability to integrate and unify your mes sages into other major e mail packages such as Groupwise and CC Mail When we reviewed CallXpress3 which runs on IBM s OS 2 operating 44 CTI May June 1997 Test Drive system AVT had not yet released their Windows NT version of the product which is called aptly enough CallXpressNT We look forward to see ing the Windows NT version soon I
2. Perplexed we called Algo Communications and they told us that although their software supports this feature PATI does not We believe that this feature could be a valuable addition to PATI 3000 For now a physical answering machine or a voice mail sys tem must be utilized to take messages We would like to see an interface into Push The Fj Testname tat Notepad File Edit Search Help From Elizabeth Windsor To PhoneKkits Customers Highlight the name at the top of this note then click on the Mini Dial icon or press the shortcut key Ctrl Shift A PC Phone will look up the name and dial the number messaging products such as Microsoft Exchange PhoneKITS should provide a 32 bit version of their software with Windows 95 look and feel Right now the pro gram can be bogged down by other 16 bit programs As a 32 bit program PhoneKITS would run in its own mem ory space OLE support would be a great addi tion to PhoneKITS For example if OLE were supported the Address Book would no longer be limited to taking user notes It could accept other infor mation such as picture voice and spreadsheet files While we re on the Envelope Call For Papers Since we launched CTI our purpose has been to provide the most objective and credible forum on computer telephony integration The response from our readers has been extremely gratifying and tells us that we are succeeding in this endeavor To enhance our s
3. not the PC you are using Statt before logon von cee eee ener to access the remote PC This problem C Start after logon Hide is especially vexing when you are view ing in full screen mode M On Disconnect Enable Interfaces i F Dial M IPX G Dont reboot or logoff current user One minor nuisance involved con A i cee F Reboot PE necting to a remote machine over a Iv ICPAP D EET TCP IP LAN connection where you i Wes finial could see the computers currently run Allow multiple instances alter disconnect M Wait for incoming connection on startup Computer Name TKEATING License number 00000 F9E 234 867 5309 ning Remotely Possible You have to select the computer name and then move your mouse all the way from the Figure 17 Remotely Possible User preference screen General tab for defining parameters such as start hide time interface startup and disconnect options 60 CTI May June 1997 Subscribe FREE online at www ctimag com top right corner to the bottom left cor ner to click on Viewer in order to con nect You couldn t just double click on the computer name to connect to the machine which we would prefer Finally as also previously men tioned we d like to see an option to turn off remembering passwords for each entry in the address book or hav ing one general password to unlock the address book for added security CONCLUSION Remote
4. S T The U interface is to be terminat ed at an NT 1 to which a Terminal Adapter or Type 1 Terminating Equipment can be attached The S T Subscribe FREE online at www ctimag com RATINGS 1 5 Installation 4 5 Documentation 4 5 Features 4 25 interface connects directly to a Terminal Adapter or Type Terminating Equipment bypassing the NT 1 To call from one device to another at least two devices must be attached to the simulator The ILS 2000 will allocate both B channels if requested by a device The ISDN ports are pre configured with Service Profile IDs SPID and Directory Numbers DN These num bers are usually requested by ISDN devices and are programmed in before these devices can operate Some devices may require an additional number called a Terminal Endpoint Indentifier TED which must be assigned a unique num ber between and 63 or set to accept an automatic assignment This latter option isn t always available The ILS 2000 configuration software is used to set up the simulator to behave as a specific type of ISDN service The configuration software can be installed on Windows 3 1 and higher versions and communicates with the simulator through one of the PC s COM ports The user can select from several stored configurations already available or create new configu rations and save them The supplied con figurations include National ISDN 1 AT amp T Custom DMS 100 and ETSI The Default
5. 1s also available CallXpress3 s multi application plat form offers a single solution for all of your faxing needs fax store and for CTI May June 1997 47 Serices gt Services Table 1 A Selection of AVT Product Packages PhoneXpress CallXpress3 CallXpressNT cleat erie benttsomotcbee blll seen Hee ests RecN ott SE aise only E se OD we ton oa ee ea TR Pee Operating System OS 2 OS 2 NT Server based Soca ari ea Capacity Port 2 12 ports 4 64 ports 4 64 ports Range TE E chalak Focooasaconoaoanoosassoasoeonoononaosaoot SES Steerer aeeerneeeruesernesersesrneserneees Add Remgre Properties Feature Set Voice mail Voice mail auto Voice mail auto Copp About auto attendant attendant audio attendant fax ser audiotext text IVR vices via RightFAX networking networking Fax server optional fax on client server demand optional graphical adminis Figure 5 CallXpress5 Desktop 2 tration screens For Exchange Microsoft A T E 0 sh a O A R ET aren es TA E N Exchange services showing Applications N A Desktop Call Desktop Call CallXpress3 added to the profile Manager Desktop Manager Desktop Message Manager Message Manager Of your e mail messages as E Mail Access Fax E Mail Access Fax Pey arrive or at a specific time of day Mail Faxtext M ail Faxtext For delivery of your e mail you can Pr eae LT ed E Yael tater tre hsrin eterna ee ee
6. PATI started to dial Mini Dialer The Mini Dialer which is configured by the setup program to load upon Windows startup shows up as a small icon on the title bar of the currently active window Figure 20 There are Figure 19 PATI 3000 Windows 95 Telephony Driver Configuration Window hony Provider 1 26 DLL Dialing Properties two uses for the Mini Dialer First you can use it as a quick way to launch PC Phone just one click Second you can highlight a number in the current appli cation and click on the Mini Dialer to dial that number We especially liked the ability to select a name from a document and have the Mini Dialer dial the corre sponding number by matching the name to the PC Phone database When we highlighted a new name and clicked on the Mini Dialer PC Phone was launched with the new name in the Name box and then it waited to be sup plied with the phone number The Mini Dialer can be disabled for the cur rent Windows session or permanently from the PC Phone Call Log And Address Book Both programs are feature rich and easy to use The Call Log program con tained all the outgoing and incoming calls we had handled We were able to view them collectively or one at a time with details such as time and date call duration and call type The Address Book had all the ingre dients of a contact management pro gram It also interfaced well with PC Phone by means of dial
7. Preferences Remotely Possible can be started automatically either before or after log ging onto Windows This is very useful since you may not want to leave your machine logged onto the network Also if your computer reboots power loss or intentionally rebooted the computer will be at the network password logon prompt Programs in the Startup group will not yet be loaded but Remotely Possible does not use the Startup group to load itself It uses its own technique for loading before you enter your net work or Windows password Thus you can set Remotely Possible to start before Windows logs on which will allow you to still dial or connect to the machine and enter both your network and Windows passwords if applicable Security Remotely Possible offers good secu rity You can blank the host screen and disable the host s mouse and keyboard We do however need to make a few comments First there is one default entry in the user accounts with the name default and a password of default We had to make sure that we changed this password right away since anyone running Remotely Possible could then access our machine We felt a warning or reminder to change this password Change User Preferences x Viewer Host TCPAP Dial Eventiog General cF TKEATING File Transfer l Local Files co my documents sae 39250 10 14 1996 14 33 04pm Select all_ CTI tidbits ideas stuff to do d
8. Trap report interface Other Features e European Safety Approval EN41003 e 65 1200hm compatible e V35 V36 RS 422 e Alarm interface e Visual LED PCM alarms e Runs in flash EEPROM e V24 or Ethernet Remote support e3 1 4 floppy disk drive e Network management interface e 200 MHz combined e Timeslot switching and hunting supported e Secured PSU optional TSDESIGN S TCP IP CONVERSION You can convert SS 7 signaling to TCP IP or vice versa with TsDesign s Milborne Gateway MSC The inter esting thing about the Milborne s con version capabilities is that multiple sockets are available Thus you have great flexibility and call management capabilities Add on products to the Milborne allow you to send short text messages to mobile handsets Users are informed of any new messages that are waiting as well as the number of new messages W Subscribe FREE online at www ctimag com SE can perform complete real time ISDN call handling without a switch or PBX We were pleased with the easy opera tion of the ILS 2000 and the ability to configure the simulator to conform to many types of ISDN services MediaPhonics Buchaux 34 Bevaix Switzerland CH 2022 Ph 413 2847 9600 Fx 413 2847 9601 E Mail support mediaphonics com Web Site www mediaphonics com honeRider 33 6 a high speed Diir modem with 16 bit sound card capabilities provides advanced telephony and unified mes saging
9. a bug in Windows 95 or that per haps using different video drivers caused the font sizes for the icons to vary but we determined that somebody must have saved over the Windows Default setting In fact one machine we looked at had a default icon font size of 5 points Function Key Question We tested a few of the function keys to make sure they worked over a remote connection When we hit F1 while in a Microsoft Word screen Remotely Possible brought up its own help screen on the local machine Hitting F1 also brought us back to the Remotely Possible main screen on the viewing machine This was not what we wanted to see We clicked on Viewer Switch to Full Screen to get back to viewing the remote computer screen Here we were a bit surprised to see Microsoft Word s help screen pop up Apparently the F1 Subscribe FREE online at www ctimag com key was also transmitted to the remote computer since F1 is the default Help screen key But we were a bit mystified as to why Remotely Possible was pro grammed so the F1 key would apply to both the local and remote machine We d prefer a user preference setting to select the default preferences For instance when the program is in View Full Screen mode we d like Remotely Possible to send the function keys to the remote end all the time not the local machine In fact we d actually prefer a setting for disabling function keys within the local Remotely Possible p
10. also make it a great tool for larger organizations Both the hardware and software are easy to install Support for a headset is provided The software modules are tightly integrated For example the Call Log and Address Book mod ules and the TAPI driver configura tion screen are available right from PC Phone If Mini Dialer is enabled PC Phone can be launched with a sin gle click Call Log and Address Book can be configured to launch upon an incoming call a feature that is espe cially useful when caller ID is pre sent PATI 3000 ships with the light ver sion of PhoneKITS You can obtain the professional version from Algo Communications at www algocommu nications com For information about free subscriptions call our customer service department at 800 243 6002 toll free or 203 852 6800 or visit our Web site at www ctimag com Contact the pub lisher Richard Tehrani or the editor Kevin M Mayer with questions or comments about CTI E mail addressed to rtehrani tmcnet com or kmayer tmcnet com is always welcome Hi Subscribe FREE online at www ctimag com
11. and firmware eData Protocols include V 34bis 33 600 bits per second V 34 28 800 bps V 32bis 14 400 bps V 32 9 600 bps V 22bis 2 400 bps V 22 1 200 bps V 42 V 42bis standard COM port emulation 56K ready via Windows 95 driver software upgrade V 80 compatible with Intel ProShare H 324 VideoPhones eSynchronous V 80 mode for H 324 videoconferencing application sharing ey MAN INE Tuesday April 08 1997 3 53 PM Lm vy Sie l VOICE MAIL e a ES zj Figure 8 PhoneRider Voice mail GUI for recording and playing messages and multi player games e Automatically regulated echo can cellation Handset Headset Speakerphone e Allows communication by speaker phone headset or telephone handset e Digital quality full duplex speaker phone e Automatic microphone gain control e Allows the PC to act as a fully func tional phone connection for personal handset and open room conversations speakerphone e Works with any analog telephone e Telephone handset functions nor mally with PC turned off e Allows the telephone handset to operate normally when the PC is turned off and the handset activates when you lift it e The application activates as you lift handset and switches naturally from speakerphone to telephone Advanced Fax Features e 14 400 bps V 17 Group 3 fax eSupports Class 1 and 2 fax com mands eSupports the following send and receive protocols V 17 14 40
12. button can be used to revert back to the default settings for the cur rently selected switch type if these set tings have been modified The following options can be set using the configuration software eD Channel X 25 Enables disables X 25 traffic on the D Channel eB Channel Provisioning Enables disables permanent channels between port 1 and port 2 or a LOOPBACK configuration ePhantom Power Used for ETSI switch type Caller ID Enables disables caller Put Your CTI Articles In Your Customers Hands ORDER REPRINTS Add credibility to your advertising efforts Support your campaign by using reprints in e Lead Follow Up ID or ANI eTerminal Display Text Enables disables formatted ASCII test delivery by the network e Electronic Key Telephone Service EKTS Enables disables multiple Directory Numbers on the same physi cal line e Multi point Enables disables mul tiple device support on the same line eCall Appearances Enables dis ables management of multiple calls at one terminal eKey Hold Enables disables hold drop transfer and conference features for EKTS terminals eAdditional Call Offering ACO Enables disables ISDN call waiting After the desired options are select ed the user can save the new configu ration under a new name To re initial ize the ILS 2000 with the new configu ration the Download button should be pressed This causes the n
13. date of the call and call duration is logged as well The logs can be viewed per individual party incoming or out going or date range The user can print the logs by summary listing or by detail e Address Book The Address Book offers the user a flexible way to store complete information on people For a 62 CTI May June 1997 a PC Phone Comdial Phone File Edt Phone Tools Help I given person it can store multiple num bers an address a company name an e mail address and more As such it can be used as a personal information manager PIM as well as an easy way to locate a party s phone number The Address Book also provides a notes field so the user can enter infor mation about a contact Of course all this information can be printed in a variety of formats We liked being able to print envelopes and labels for select ed names in the Address Book As in the Call Log module the Address Book can be configured to pop up when a call is received OPERATIONAL TESTING We successfully made inbound and outbound calls from PATI 3000 and checked with the Call Log to verify the entries Sure enough the calls were logged with their associated informa tion such as the names and numbers time and date and duration Outbound Calls We launched the PC Phone which presented us with a graphical Comdial DXP telephone Figure 18 We entered a name in the Name box Recognizing this as a new name PC mE a
14. e mail mes sages in a separate queue So if you are waiting for an important e mail mes sage you won t have to skip through dozens of voice and fax messages to find it In addition E Mail Access includes the same notification features of CallXpress3 Voice Mail When you have new e mail messages CallXpress3 will notify you at any telephone or pager number you specify You can choose to be notified of all e mail messages urgent messages only or messages from a specific sender You can also choose exactly when you want to be notified 1 30 97 12 43 PM TOS 4 44 All 1 9 11 39 AM 11 26 55 7 48 AM Pil dust a quick ore vedeopen group GoldMine RE What CTI apps Figure 6 CallXpress3 Desktop For Exchange Integration with Microsoft Exchange a R e forward your messages to the nearest fax machine using CallXpress3 s Fax Mail module Either way you can receive your e mail messages using nothing more than the telephone key pad which saves you the time and inconvenience of establishing a remote access connection to your network With CallXpress3 s E Mail Access you can e Call from any telephone to hear how many e mail messages await you who they are from when they were received and the priority status of each message eAccess your e mail messages imme diately without skipping through dozens of voice and fax messages e Manage your e mail messages using the same familiar telephone inter face us
15. icons placed next to the displayed number We were able to easily manipulate its features such as adding entries searching and modifying entries printing options and interface to PC Phone We also liked the ability to associate multiple phone numbers per person create notes per person or per company and have sepa rate business and home entries for con tacts Centrex Options PhoneKITS is able to understand special characters such as for flash hook and for pause Utilizing this capability a company can use PATI 3000 and Centrex service most phone companies offer voice mail services as well to achieve a working telephone infrastructure with CTI In this sce nario all employees will have personal extensions voice mails conferencing and of course CTI right from their desktops If you are not in the market for a new PBX with CTI features but would like to have the next best thing this should do nicely Of course PATI can function in conjunction with a PBX as well but CTI May June 1997 63 RATINGS 1 5 Installation 4 7 Documentation 4 4 Features 4 4 remember that it needs an analog con nection If your phone set is on a digital feed from your PBX PATI will not work with it ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT The PhoneKITS manual had the words Answering Machine as one of the supported features and we were excited to test it However we couldn t find any reference to it in the manual
16. phone number or extension of the message sender to reply in real time QuickConnect By pressing one key you can transfer directly to a subscriber extension from the com pany directory Ready Set Go You can ensure that all of your users can easily set up their mailboxes with this auto matic subscriber setup program CallXpress3 guides new subscribers through the process of recording their name and personal greeting and setting a security code Registered Mail You can receive immediate notification that another subscriber has received your mes sage Speed And Volume Control You can change the volume and speed at which the system plays messages to accommodate different messages and differing environmental condi tions Transaction Processing You can capture spoken information from your callers without a live agent 24 hours a day W For example callers have more options to choose from than are available with basic leave a message functionality CallXpress3 offers many other stan dard features Live Reply for example transfers you directly to the sender of a message so you don t have to spend time looking up the person s extension or going into a separate menu in the voice mail system to reply to the mes sages Another useful feature called Immediate Message Notification will call you on your cellular phone or any number you specify to deliver an important message For more details see t
17. to handle voice mail and fax messages send receive and forward the same way you would han dle e mail messages in Microsoft Exchange Outlook 97 or any MAPI compliant application eWorks over most types of networks including ordinary phone lines and the Internet Allows you to engage in multi media conferencing over POTS confer encing over the LAN Intranet is pending Call Handling Screening eDisplays caller ID information which can be used to screen incoming calls e Allows you to listen in on someone leaving a voice mail In addition you can pull that person out of voice mail if you wish to speak to them e Has aring free do not disturb mode which transfers calls to voice mail eProvides call forwarding to pager or cellular phone and remote access to messages Records handset conversations eMakes it easy to store and retrieve digital files for recorded conversations 54 CTI May June 1997 Line 1 Connected 98526800 New hail 1 Tuesday April 08 1997 3 42 PM o gt ew S ES i gt PHONE aaa 2 _ OJ z Figure 7 PhoneRider Main GUI showing call control functionality Here the display indicates the date and time and notes that line 1 is in use e Has mute capability Hardware Specifications e Analog Devices wwwMAX chipset e ADSP 2181 DSP e AD1843 Codec eAD1815 Codec in combination audio telephony voice modem fax configuration eMediaPhonics ASIC
18. 0 12 000 bits per second V 29 9 600 7 200 bps V 27ter V 21 Audio And Sound These features pertain to the PhoneRider 33 6 all in one telepho ny sound configuration Subscribe FREE online at www ctimag com 16 bit stereo 48 KHz sound and OPL3 synthesis eCompatible with Microsoft Multimedia Personal Computer II and Sound System Sound Blaster Pro and Ad Lib games eMIDI player OPL3 external wave table e Wave player recorder eCD player e Mixer table External I O Connections e Speakers out eLine out e Microphone in ePhoneset line RJ11 4 eLine in ePhone line RJ11 6 wall Internal I O Connections eCD in e Speakers out e Joystick e MIDI in out eWaveBlaster compatible connec tion eFamiliar phone interface OPERATIONAL TESTING eOutbound Calling As soon as we lifted the receiver the PhoneRider application popped up When we dialed digits into the handset phone the num ber instantly appeared on the screen thanks to DTMF detection e Headset Capabilities Next we tried to make an outbound call while using a headset with a built in microphone that was plugged into the MediaPhonics board We used the mouse to click on the phone keypad on the graphical user interface and then clicked on Line 1 The line picked up we got dial tone and we could hear the digits we entered being played over the headset Figure 7 We talked to another engineer con ferenced another call p
19. 00 by Teltone is one such device It is literally a black box see product shot and it functions in the background providing two lines of end to end ISDN BRI service INSTALLATION AND DOCUMENTATION The Teltone ILS 2000 is shipped with configuration software power and seri al cables a 25 9 pin serial port adapter and a user manual We were impressed by the attention to detail The company even included a pair of spare fuses The documentation no more than stapled together loose leaf sheets is unprepossessing but its content is more than adequate It starts out with a step by step operational summary Next it gives an informative essay on ISDN BRI Then it delves into the details of the operation and configuration of the y simulator The reference section gave cL gt adequate troubleshooting cases and the Teltone Corporation 22121 20th Ave SE Bothell WA 98021 Ph 206 487 1515 Fx 206 487 2288 E Mail info teltone com Web Site www teltone com will continue to support CallXpress3 ith interest in ISDN rising many companies are hard at work rolling out ISDN related products Indeed ISDN is appearing in a wide vari glossary section was rich and complete FEATURES The ILS 2000 supports two lines of ISDN BRI BRI service consists of two 64 Kb s bearer channels and one 16 Kb s data channel also known as 2B D Each BRI connection on the ILS 2000 has two types of interfaces U and
20. 9 Ph tight integration with Exchange When you double click on a fax or voice mail message PhoneRider doesn t bring up an e mail form with fax or voice mail attachments Instead in the case of a fax the fax viewer is automatically loaded in the case of a voice mail mes sage the sound recorder program is automatically loaded The PhoneRider software also tells RATINGS 1 5 Installation 3 25 Documentation 4 00 GUI 4 25 Features 4 75 you how many new voice mails e mails and faxes are currently located in your inbox Figure 10 Another nice integration with Exchange Outlook allows you to speed dial any of your contacts in your Exchange Outlook Address Book making it easy to quick ly dial your co workers or important contacts Figure 11 ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT The only difficulties we encountered were related to installation of the board and software Some if not all of our installation problems are attributable to outdated or incomplete instructions in the installation documentation Since we had a beta copy of the software the Figure 11 PhoneRider Speed dial interface with integration to Microsoft Exchange address book 56 CTI May June 1997 1396 items 4 Unteed Figure 9 PhoneRider Integration of voice mail and fax messages into Exchange Windows messaging documentation may be beta as well We re optimistic these problems will be resolved by MediaPh
21. Bios Display All types including Super VGA VGA EGA CGA and Monochrome Display resolutions All support ed Software Windows 95 or Windows NT savvy person Typically call durations double or even triple Using Remotely Possible a technical support person can access the user s PC and perform all the necessary steps himself The tech doesn t have to spend time explaining details Call duration is shortened thus reducing phone costs for help desks technical support cen ters and the like Remotely Possible s multitasking ability allows several remote control sessions to run at the same time and you can task switch between them The keyboards mice and screens on two remotely connected PCs act as one Both keyboards and mice are active to allow complete control of the host PC There are features however to disable the mouse keyboard and monitor on the remote end Disabling the monitor screen adds a layer of security since you may not want someone seeing what is on your computer screen Disabling the keyboard and mouse accomplishes a similar function with regards to secu rity Figure 13 Some other features of Remotely Possible include e Auto pan for viewing computers with larger resolutions e Access codes and levels for securi ty including chat access remote con trol access file transfer access call back access and others e Ability to reboot remote machine e Disable wallpaper e Inacti
22. Choose to listen to each message using Prices 3 000 20 000 8 000 100 000 9 000 120 000 text to speech conversion or you can ward fax on demand fax response fax origination fax broadcasting and fax delivery of e mail By cost effectively utilizing shared resources for all of your faxing applications CallXpress3 eliminates the need for multiple fax servers for each fax application CallXpress3 E Mail Access Call Xpress3 E Mail Access brings e mail to your telephone That is this module gives you the freedom to access and manage your electronic mail via the same phone you use to retrieve your voice and fax mail CallXpress3 is one of the first prod uct of its kind to offer multiple message types in a single list With one phone call you ll not only hear how many new voice and fax messages have inbox Windows Messaging File Edt View Tools Compose Help aje x slax ek K alaj x 9 Windows Messaging A Calhprese3 Message Store C Deleted Items 2m C Dubok C Saved 7 Sent Items Personal Folders C amuse O Computer suh _ CTI important literature H CT stuf _ Deleted Items C fends family internet LJ generalinio 1 hat birdied be i Rich Tehrari John Baird Jett Vercruse Rich Tehrani 48 CTI May June 1997 arrived you ll also hear how many e mail messages are waiting CallXpress3 E Mail Access transforms your telephone into a truly universal messaging tool CallXpress3 stores your
23. NSTALLATION The CallXpress3 server we received arrived with the software already installed The server was one of their testing machines So all we needed to do was configure a few user accounts on the server On the client side we installed CallXpress3 Message Manager and CallXpress3 Desktop For Exchange as well as AVT s faxing software We completed the software installa tions without any problems We should note that a technician from AVT visited our site when we were setting up He helped us get up and running pretty quickly He also took us on a tour through some of the software features We encountered only one problem CallkXpress EE s3 Message Manager E Wapa Message Recorder To Window Help we were missing a special adapter to connect a phone line to one of the ports on the CallXpress3 server We cut up one of our spare RS 232 serial cables and jerrybuilt our own device to con nect to the CallXpress3 system CallXpress3 provides several soft ware settings that allow you to choose the appropriate PBX for integration to the CallXpress3 system Our own switch a Comdial was included in the list of options Overall installation earned a 4 75 rating DOCUMENTATION The CallXpress3 documentation was good The reference guide was particu larly helpful We should also mention that CallXpress3 comes with a multime dia training program called Coach which familiarizes new users with CallXpress3 Coa
24. Software Next we installed the PhoneRider applica tion software which gives you inte gration to Microsoft Exchange Outlook and your phone The instal PhoneRider 33 6 System Requirements he PhoneRider requires an IBM or compatible personal computer running Microsoft Windows 95 with Microsoft Exchange and at least e 486DX2 66 e 8 MB of system RAM e 10 MB of free hard disk space e One currently unoccupied 16 bit ISA slot e Speakers headphones and or a phone handset e CD ROM for bundled soft ware e 3 5 diskette drive for driver installation e Analog telephone line hookup e Two DMA channels one IRQ two for telephony audio e Sound card for the PhoneRider 33 6 telephony only configuration W lation of this software proceeded without a hitch Overall we gave the installation a 3 25 rating DOCUMENTATION The documentation was very good but for the installation instructions It appeared these were out of date Which is a shame since the instructions appeared well organized and easy to follow Yet the directions didn t corre spond to what we needed to install the software drivers For example the dri ver names were different and directo ries for loading the drivers specified by the documentation differed from those on the CD ROM We suppose the documentation may already be updated by the time this review is printed we worked with beta version software Thus we didn t coun
25. TCP IP Ethernet or Token Ring Client Microsoft Windows version 3 1 or greater Windows 95 e 2 MB available disk space e 4 MB or more RAM Version 4 0 or greater KNOW IT Circle No 165 on Reader Service Card CTI May June 1997 49 RATINGS 1 5 Installation 4 75 Documentation 4 5 GUI 4 90 Features 4 90 differentiates the different message types with different icons fax icon phone icon etc All the same we d still like to see a patch to have one mes sage store for Exchange users who are not running Exchange Server and who don t plan to upgrade to Exchange Server in the near future We tested the record and playback of voice messages with the telephone and the PC sound device and found that the Desktop Message Manager s playback controls allowed us to switch between the two interfaces with ease Both inter faces worked flawlessly We also liked the controls for changing the speed and volume of message playback The abil ity to give each message a written title and create notes summarizing the mes sage information was very useful ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT We were unable to find the cross hairs on the column headings within Desktop Message Manager to change column width We fiddled some more and discovered you can find the cross hairs when you put your mouse cursor on the black lines on the rows where your messages are located Then you can resize the columns This approach wa
26. ae a ee a ee ee el E ames Milks NUMBER eszes H Speed Dial Figure 18 PATI 3000 PhoneKITS s Graphical Telephone Phone prompted us to confirm it before proceeding further We then moved over to the Numbers box entered the number for a second phone in our lab and hit Return We were prompted to pick up the handset to complete the call as the PATI 3000 was dialing the num ber We picked up the handset and the call was completed successfully There are several other ways to dial the number through PATI 3000 You can dial the number directly from the telephone you can mouse click the push buttons on the graphical tele phone or you can place the cursor on the Numbers box and type the num ber on your keyboard We found the last method very convenient since our hands didn t have to leave the keyboard to dial the number We observed that the new call was added to the history list which can be referred to at a later time to redial the number Inbound Calls Next we made an inbound call to the PATI 3000 PhoneKITS immediately recognized the incoming call and prompted us to answer the call or Subscribe FREE online at www ctimag com ignore it The caller ID information was displayed on the second ring so we knew right away the number that was calling us Better yet when we added the calling number to the Address Book under a name the caller ID number was matched with the name and the name was d
27. ages E G Personal Folders I TomEeaing Voice recording from Tom Keating 4 8 97 3 54PM 120K J amuse Unknown Caller Id Voice Mail from Unknown CallerId 4 1 97 3 40 PM IE into the same inbox We should note ip Calendar S TECH MARKETI Fax from TECH MARKETING 0 4 8 97 4 29 PM 7K that unlike many other unified messag J Computer stuli a TECH MARKETING i Fax from TECH MAREE TING 1 41 9 4 17 Pei JE PO E Contacts Bevin Maye RE Scteenehols renamed arara 4 17 Phil dr ing products PhoneRider uses distinct J CTI important literature Fich Taksan Vasy inportant info 4 9 97 3 19 PH 15K CTI stuf Rich Tehani RE Voice over AT hi 4 9 97 2 57 PM E icons for voice and fax Messdzes to dis C Deleted Items BQ Rich Tebeani RE Voice over ATM 4 8 97 257 PM EK tinguish between the different message C fiends familyintemet EJ Kevin Mayer FW Voice over ATM 4 8 97 222 PM K s O generatinio i Gregoii Galtzine F SUPERCOMM logo 4 8 97 1 33 Pt 1HE types that is e mail voice mail and E hot inked to ow page TJ Kevin Maye Fw Fress Release To Be Printed 4 8 97 11 55 AM 56 fax Figure 9 Inbox t Michelle Tekani RE was just thinking 4 8 97 11 45 AM cK gt LJ Joumal 2 Michele Tekiani ARE Iwas just thinking Aag 11 33 4M 4E Integration With Exchange What s CI Notes Kevin Maret Fy Chepenne Solteare 4 7 97 4 41 Ph AK nice about this software product 7 ake F Quitters Far Kevin baren RF Chauanew Snituair AT P97 A3
28. be FREE online at www ctimag com and fax messages as standard graphics files and embed them in other docu ments for true multimedia messaging e Create and send mixed documents you can easily combine voice and fax media to other subscribers on your system e Edit distribution lists directly on your computer screen e Institute preferences for call screen ing and call blocking change your security code record your personal greeting and set other options from the Settings menu Figure 4 Desktop Message Manager also allows you to access a variety of fax fea tures For example you can create docu ments for your Faxtext library in any Windows application and fax them directly into CallXpress3 from your workstation In addition with the Fax Mail module discussed below you can e View fax messages directly on your screen while simultaneously listening to the attached voice comment e Print your fax messages on a net worked laser printer as well as any fax machine e Create fax documents in any Windows application and send the fax directly from your workstation to any subscriber or outside fax machine without adding expensive hardware to each PC CallXpress3 Desktop Call Manager Desktop Call Manager brings real time call control to your desktop com puter You can see who s calling and why call screening before you answer the phone Basically you are given the information you need to decide how to bes
29. ch interactively guides new users through the many features of CallXpress3 s telephone and graphical Figure 1 CallXpress3 Message Manager Main screen Now Messager 0 3 Note the variable speed slider bar fast forward rewind and play controls volume control and message folders such as those for new messages and saved messages GES user interfaces We expect that Coach will save system administrators and MIS personnel hours of user training Overall we gave the documentation a 4 5 rating FEATURES CallXpress3 Server Each CallXpress3 system provides audiotext and transaction processing which allow you to automatically dis seminate and capture information to and from your callers as well as caller queuing and extension specific pro cessing Such features are appreciated by callers when they find that a sub scriber is unavailable to answer a call aliXPress3 Server Features selection of CallXpress3 Server features is as follows Alternate Personal Greeting With a special personal greeting you can notify callers that you are on the phone Audiotext You can provide your callers with commonly requested information without a live operator 24 hours a day Use Audiotext to provide information such as direc tions to your company or a listing of upcoming events AutoCopy You can automatically forward a copy of specified mes sages to another subscriber or fax machine Caller Qu
30. ders We were told that the idea behind separate stores was to ensure compatibility with Microsoft Mail as well as Exchange client We tried inte grating all the message stores into one to get a true unified messaging solu tion While we were working with Applied Voice Technology we learned that a patch exists that would allow us to combine the two message stores However we did not receive the patch in time for this review We found that you could move all the messages from Personal Folders into the CallXpress3 Message Store but that you would then lose password pro tection We couldn t find a password option for the CallXpress3 Message store which suggested to us that other people could read our e mail The version of CallXpress3 Message Store we used runs on the client side A newer version which should be avail able by the time you read this runs on Microsoft Exchange Server This ver sion provides for one message store and System Requirements For Server CallXpress3 e AVT CallServer Model 6 12 20 or 20XC or equivalent hard ware platform e One available slot in the CallServer for the network card e 16MB RAM Network one of the following network operating sys tems Novell Netware version 3 11 or greater Microsoft NT version 3 51 or greater IBM LAN Server version 2 0 or greater Lantastic for OS 2 version 6 0 or greater Banyan Vines version 5 52 or greater with TCP IP support
31. during initialization right before the wwwMax modem port was detected We rebooted the PC and then received the infamous blue screen with a VXD error before it even loaded Windows g 95 So we had to go into Safe Mode to get back into Windows and try to solve the problem We decided arbitrarily to remove the wwwMax Accelerator in the System folder We rebooted and then Windows 95 Plug and Play kicked in and re added the wwwMax Accelerator It also asked for a file which the instructions did not specify we would be asked about We browsed the CD ROM and found the file the computer was asking for eInstalling The Wizard This part of the setup includes setting up PBX set tings testing the line and speaker phone as well as the detection of when the handset if off hook All of these tests performed flawlessly on the first attempt e Verification Procedure Next the installation instructions give you direc tions to verify that the board is installed properly in the System folder We fol lowed the instructions but found that the entry names were quite different from what was in the manual For instance the manual said Double click on PhoneRider DSP Device but we saw Digital Audio Telephony Accelerator with wwwMax Accelerator under neath it We decided to skip the verifica tion procedure since the manual didn t match our system settings and continue with the installation process eInstalling The
32. e faxes we received could be routed to our Exchange inbox Distinguishing Between Voice And Fax Once we got the fax working we wondered if the product was intelligent enough to distinguish between an incom ing voice call and an incoming fax Now we knew that if we left Microsoft Fax on Auto Answer after two rings there was no way we could receive voice mail mes sages since Microsoft Fax would take control of the phone call If our test was going to work the MediaPhonics soft ware would have to answer the line and determine whether it was receiving a voice call or a fax We decided to change Microsoft Fax Back to Manual Answer and then send a fax When we faxed into the MediaPhonics board the voice mail system picked up after three rings The board detected the fax tone and intelli gently routed the call to Microsoft Fax Similarly when we called in by voice we were able to leave a voice message Thus we had voice and fax capability all on the same line We were able to play and record voice mail messages from Exchange or TS DESIGN Circle No 159 on Reader Service Card CTI May June 1997 55 the PhoneRider product Figure 8 In addition we were able to fax into the board and leave fax messages and call Fils Edt View Toole Compoie Help oe l S R x elele aj x EA Windows Messagng PAC ee Ce oe into the board to leave voice mess
33. e did read the manuals we were glad we did since we picked up a few things about the product that we had overlooked This experience lends credence to the motto read the darn manual We gave the documenta tion a perfect 5 0 rating FEATURES The newest version of Avalan s Remotely Possible 32 version 3 1 fea tures session recording which provides training centers help desks call cen ters and support centers with the abili ty to record every detail of calls made to the host computer during a remote control session This allows you to monitor the session in real time as well A technical support representative can install Remotely Possible onto a user s machine in order to troubleshoot a particular computer and fix any prob lems that are found This is particularly useful in instances when a caller has limited computer expertise Any MIS person knows that troubleshooting with a computer novice is more time con suming than working with a computer Montreal Label s Figure 12 Remotely Possible Microsoft Word being remotely controlled in Windowed mode Windowed mode displays menus and icons that can be used to access file transfer chat discon nect and other features Mer stening fee a call System Requirements Hardware IBM PC or compati ble 2MB hard disk space 3 5 floppy drive Optional Hayes AT compatible modem RAS PPP or SLIP server Network WinSock TCP IP IPX Net
34. e features make Figure 10 PhoneRider Voice mail folder screen Here the display indicates the number of new voice mails faxes and e mails the product suitable for the SOHO mar ket as well as VARs OEMs telecom munication service providers and TAPI developers Remotely Possible 32 Avalan Technology Inc P O Box 6888 Holliston MA 01746 Ph 508 429 6482 Fx 508 429 3179 BBS 508 429 3671 E Mail avalan avalan com Web Site www avalan com emotely Possible 32 a 32 bit a access communications program allows you to remotely control one or more Windows PCs to exchange files and to have an interactive chat session all at the same time This program supports up to four differ ent protocols simultaneously including TCP IP IPX Netbeui NetBios and asynchronous connections With Remotely Possible telecom Subscribe FREE online at www ctimag com muters home office workers and busi ness travelers can access their corporate e mail and work on the corporate LAN This kind of access opens up myriad possibilities For example you can even print 500 copies of a word proces sor file to a laser printer before leaving for work and find the pages waiting for you when you arrive at the office Figure 12 INSTALLATION Before installation Remotely Possible recommends removing any other remote control applications resid ing on your computer We ve read from computer magazines t
35. eKITS manual was also adequate however we would have liked to have seen a more complete index It also lacked sufficient detail on what to expect during the installation phase Nonetheless the rest of the man ual was complete and easy to follow The sections summarizing the applica tion s major components PC Phone Mini Dialer Call Log and Address Book were most useful We must mention that the PhoneKITS software is so user friendly that many users will get away with skipping the user manual In a way that s a shame especially since the manual includes some good information on caller ID and Windows telephony FEATURES The PATI 3000 device has a headset connection Of course using a headset is a big plus when you are using CTI Losing the handset means your hands are free for the keyboard and mouse The other features of the PATI 3000 lie within the accompanying software PhoneKITS which consists of four main components e PC Phone This is the heart and CTI May June 1997 61 soul of PhoneKITS The user is pre sented with a graphical telephone from which a number can be dialed Actually the user can choose from sev eral graphical phones There is also a construction kit that lets the user create his her favorite tele phone designs There are countless ways to design and accessorize the graphical telephone to best suit individ ual tastes You can have a simple screen with push buttons or a complex t
36. ecurity Change User Preferences x Viewer Host TCP IP Dial Event log General Always force these options on connect Hide Remotely Possible Viewer can monitor only WW Disable Host mouse F Don t blank screen Use method 1 Don t flash Host screen Disable wallpaper I Disable Host keyboard C Use method 2 Map Viewer redirected printer ports HP Lasenet 4V 4MV PostScript on NTSERVE HP Lasenet 4V 4MV PostScript on ANTSERVE HP Lasewlet 4V 4M PostScript on WNTSERVE HP LaserJet 4V 4MV PostScript on NTSERVE Figure 14 Remotely Possible User preference screen Host tab for enabling host operation printer redirection and security options dis able mouse and blank monitor options Font Size Matters As luck would have it the same engi neer had one other problem with his computer setup When he viewed from a remote computer he found that his Desktop icons had their descenders cut off The truncated type was bearable but nevertheless a nuisance so we called Avalan again to try to find a solution While we were on the phone we had their tech call directly into our machine and watched as he poked around We tried going into the Display set tings and changing everything to the original Windows 95 default values For instance under the Appearance tab we set the scheme to Windows Default and clicked on the Apply button We still had the descenders cut off Ne
37. ed to manage voice and fax mail e Save or discard your e mail mes sages just as you would save or discard a voice mail message e Forward your e mail with a voice annotation to one or more voice mail subscribers e Reply to an e mail message with a voice message e Listen to your e mail text messages as CallXpress3 reads them to you over the telephone using text to speech con version e Use the same playback functions that are available with voice mail including start stop resume backup Subscribe FREE online at www ctimag com and advance e Take advantage of CallXpress3 s Fax Mail module by forwarding your e mail text messages to the nearest fax machine If you want the full range of e mail access capabilities you will need to augment the CallXpress system with the following text to fax two avail able slots in CallServer for network card and fax card and text to speech four available slots in CallServer for network card text to speech card and two required Dialogic cards OPERATIONAL TESTING CallXpress3 is easily integrated with Microsoft Exchange You simply add two services to Microsoft Exchange These services are the CallXpress3 Address Book and of course the CallXpress3 Message Store which allows you to hold various message types Figure 5 The main graphical user interface Figure 6 provides two separate mes sage stores one in the CallXpress3 Message Store and one in Personal Fol
38. ele phone displaying multiple options You can add buttons that will launch favorite applications and or display var ious kinds of information current time and date the caller s time and date call length etc In addition the user can opt to have the application pop up when the phone rings or when the handset is picked up Also ringing options can be set to play a WAV file when an incoming call is recognized e Mini Dialer This is a small icon that appears in the title bar of any active window allowing instant dialing of a selected number or a name pro vided that the name is recognized in the address book The icon can be moved horizontally in the title bar to a desired location If a new window is activated the Mini Dialer icon will jump onto the new window To access this smart and convenient feature the users selects a phone number or name on the active window and clicks the Mini Dialer once to dial the number The Mini Dialer launches the PC Phone application and dials the num ber automatically e Call Log This feature which gath ers information about incoming and outgoing calls is useful for periodic call analysis and follow ups It can also be set to pop up on an incoming call identifying the calling party provided caller ID is available Call Log allows the user to enter notes regarding the phone conversation which can be accessed at a later time or during the next call to the same party The time and
39. euing You can give your callers the option to hold for you while you wrap up another call Cascade Notification You can receive your messages at any of nine telephone or pager numbers you specify CallXpress3 will con tinue to call your specified list of numbers until it successfully deliv ers the message to you Coach You can save training time for the system administrator and users by using this multimedia interactive tutorial Daily Message Reminder You can set your clock to receive your messages at the same time and the same place each day Extension Specific Processing You can give your callers a unique set of options in addition to that for leaving a message when you are not available to take their calls Fax Follow Thru You can save money and improve customer ser vice with this feature When CallXpress3 detects fax tone it automatically routes the fax to a fax 46 CTI May June 1997 machine If the fax machine is busy CallXpress3 stores the fax provid ed you have the Fax Mail module until the fax machine is available Your callers never hear a busy tone and you never miss a fax Flexible Message Ordering You can listen to your messages in the order you want them oldest newest or urgent messages first Group Processing You can save time by processing multiple mes sages simultaneously with a single command Live Reply While listening to a message you can transfer directly to the
40. ew configura tion to be downloaded to the simulator followed by an automatic restart The Query button can be used to inter RARI e New Business Correspondence Trade Show Hand Outs Call Today 800 243 6002 x 152 CTI THE VOICE OF INTEGRITY ON THE INDUSTRY S FRONTIER AN Circle No 184 on Reader Service Card Circle No 168 on Reader Service Card CTI May June 1997 51 CT 5 rogate the ILS 2000 and display the cur rent configuration of the simulator OPERATIONAL TESTING For a short test we used two U S Robotics Sportster ISDN 128K modems to make a RAS connection between a Windows 95 client and a Windows NT server We configured the ILS 2000 to simulate an AT amp T switch and attached the Modems to the U interfaces of ILS 2000 We were able to easily establish a connection using one and then two B channels ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT We suggest the following improve ments an integrated LCD screen for status display a more robust help file with search capability for the config uration software and automatic device detection on the PC COM port CONCLUSION The Teltone LS 2000 ISDN simula tor eliminates the trouble and expense of obtaining ISDN service for testing demonstrating or developing ISDN products designed for either U or S T interfaces With the ILS 2000 users On Site Demo Okeford Intelligent Networking T Protocol Switch 7 TsDesign Inc 4340 Georgetow
41. features on the Windows 95 platform PhoneRider 33 6 is also a powerful voice mail server and auto mated attendant that provide an unlim ited number of mailboxes According to MediaPhonics the PhoneRider stands out because it uniquely integrates two Windows 95 standards 1 TAPI the PhoneRider can be used with any telecommunications pro gram in compliance with the TAPI standard for telephony devices 2 MAPI the PhoneRider can be used with any mail program in compli ance with the MAPI standard for mes saging servers and clients By working with both of these stan dards PhoneRider allows you to send and receive messages speed dial talk or transfer calls from Microsoft Phone Address Book Schedule or Outlook 97 In addition you can send and receive and forward voice mails or faxes from Microsoft Exchange or Outlook 97 Subscribe FREE online at www ctimag com All of PhoneRider s functionality derives from a single plug and play ISA board Using the PhoneRider 33 6 you can have telephony voice 33 6 kbps modem 14 4 kbps fax modem and sound card capabilities Users can upgrade the modem to 56K or opt for a lower end version that omits sound card functionality INSTALLATION Installing The Board We had some snafus during the installation of the PhoneRider board We were instructed in the manual to go to the Install Drivers directory when actually it was wwwMax Then we received an error
42. g Record Hane Call Screening Call Blocking Extension Specific Call Processing Telephone Preferences Message Notification Options Becord Play Options Folder Columns Figure 4 CallXpress3 Message Manager Drop down menu dis playing some of the call manag er s functionality including call screening and call blocking how long they have been holding etc e Decrease call durations and hold times by automating the process of identifying who is calling and why they are calling e Take advantage of AVT s SmartScript technology which helps you identify callers through ANI or caller ID capture caller screening or DTMF responses to the questions you devise In addition SmartLink inter faces with most popular PIM and con tact management software applications including Act Ascend Ecco Day Timer Organizer Goldmine Metz Phones Microsoft Access and Sidekick Once you accept a new call your favorite contact management pro gram PIM or database application can automatically pop up on your screen with a display of the caller s informa tion conversation history etc e Direct calls to the person most qual ified to complete the call without bouncing the caller from one extension to another e Request that the caller hold until you complete your current task e Set hold time thresholds to ensure all calls are handled professionally and courteously e Direct callers to voice mail when
43. hat remote access programs interfere with each other so Avalan s Remotely Possible is not the only program which recommends un installing other remote access pro grams As such we did not let this affect the installation rating Installing the software was straight forward It was a one disk setup which simply required that you choose the destination directory as well as enter the serial number For the 30 day free trial version on the company s Web site 10 default serial numbers are provided Remotely Possible does not modify your autoexec bat config sys or any INI files which enhanced its installa tion rating Overall the product earned an installation rating of 4 98 DOCUMENTATION The documentation was superb The Ea Remotely PozssiWle 32 LAPTOP Viewer File View Cornect Disconnect Switch window Viewer Help 8b 08 E W Microsoft Word Document fF Em Edt View met Foma Joo Tabl Delmas window Help This ts the remote machine which I am typing inte Subscribe FREE online at www ctimag com table of contents was well organized and the text within the chapters was easy to follow The manual was filled with helpful screenshots The index too was excellent and the trou bleshooting appendix was helpful Actually Remotely Possible was so easy to use and so user friendly we didn t even look at the documentation until it was time to write this review Of course when w
44. he sidebar entitled CallXpress3 Server Features CallXpress3 Desktop Message Manager Desktop Message Manager provides a visual approach to managing your messages Since you can see what s in your mailbox you can easily discover who sent each message when the mes sages were received and which mes sages are most important Several mes sage notification methods are available You can decide whether you want a tone to sound a window to pop up an icon to flash etc Figure 2 With Desktop Message Manager you can e Instantly see all of your voice and fax messages and all pertinent message information e Sort your messages by any catego ry and prioritize the information to respond to the most critical messages first e Place a call to any telephone num ber or extension by using LiveReply on any received message e Archive messages on your local hard drive network drive or medium of your choice for long term or perma nent storage of vital messages e Record and playback voice mes sages with the telephone or PC sound device using the application s play back controls Figure 3 e Control the speed and volume of message playback e Give each message a written title and create notes summarizing message content e Create custom folders to organize your messages into specific categories e Request return receipt notification on voice and fax messages you send e Save voice messages as audio files Subscri
45. ication Remote File clmy a eae a a a aye a 1 Curent File All Files File size 39 250 180 002 Remaining ni e Speed cps 17 332 Ara Time left 00 00 07 Complete SESERERGEE BORER RRRE sending c my documents finalzp Figure 16 Remotely Possible File transfer screen displaying options on local as well as remote machines information we d like the ability to record mouse movements as well as the entire screen This would be useful for recording sessions which could then later be used for training Avalan men tioned they are working on just such a record and playback utility We d like to have the ability to save system settings and preferences to dif ferent configuration files which can then be loaded on the fly as well as the ability to change settings on the fly after connecting to a remote machine Currently you cannot change settings such as disabling or enabling the host keyboard mouse or monitor after you have connected Once you choose cer tain settings you are stuck with those settings until you disconnect change the setting and then reconnect Following this procedure can be incon venient especially if you are connected over a long distance connection As mentioned earlier pressing the F1 Start galanin eai haini stats as application on startup key should effect an action on the C Don t start automatically Don t hide PF Dant Fads Wace ae remote PC
46. isplayed This feature would be a real time saver especially for users who need to screen incoming calls Also if specified the Call Log or Address Book applications are automatically launched upon an incoming call displaying the informa tion on the caller Driver Options There are two ways to access the TAPI driver window First you could use choose the Setup Driver menu item from the Tools menu in the PC Phone application Second you could bring up the Control Panel in Windows and choose the Telephony applet which brings up the Telephony Properties window containing a list of telephony Telephony Properties Telephony Drivers on this computer Algo Communications Unimodem Service Provider Add Dialing Preferences are dialed Subscribe FREE online at www ctimag com The following telephony drivers are installed ATI Telep Remove Setup Use Dialing Properties to modify how your calls drivers including Microsoft s own Unimodem and the PATI driver Figure 19 Double clicking on the PATI driver brings up the Comdial Telephony Configuration screen From here you can set some of the driver options including timing headset and handset options We wanted to see how TAPI compliant this product was so we launched the Microsoft s Phone Dialer a simple telephony application that is bundled with Windows 95 We typed in the phone number clicked on Dial and voila
47. lXpress3 really is we suggest you look at Applied Voice Technology s demo program Choosing CallXpress3 as a single solution for your voice mail auto attendant unified messaging remote messaging access and fax pro cessing needs has many advantages including the product s wealth of fea tures and admirable cost effectiveness The product recently became avail able on the Windows NT platform This version of the product called CallXpressNT does not signal the end of the version that runs on OS 2 Applied Voice Technology indicates it ILS 2000 ety of products from modems to video devices Although all this activity should be exciting one cannot help but feel a lit tle resigned After all so much of the work associated with this technology is more complicated than it should be The problem is that ISDN itself 1s more complicated than it should be With almost two dozen types of order ing codes several switch types and esoteric options ISDN poses quite a challenge to product designers If you designed a modem that was compatible with a Nortel switch how could you be sure it would be compatible with the AT amp T switch Enter the ISDN simulator a many in one black box capable of accommodat ing several types of ISDN service It is a perfect tool for developers who need to test and demonstrate their ISDN products as well as end users who need to verify the functionality of their ISDN devices The ILS 20
48. ly Possible is powerful and user friendly We were very impressed with the throughput it demonstrated The speed and 32 bit architecture help make Remotely Possible a top notch remote access program In fact due to the unsurpassed speed and throughput of this product we have chosen Remotely Possible for our employees who frequently travel giving them access to their corporate e mail and personal files Remotely Possible is absolutely perfect for telecommuting We highly recommend that you try this product A free 30 day trial is available from Avalan s Web site so check it out PATI 3000 Comdial 1180 Seminole Trail Charlottesville VA 22901 Ph 804 978 2200 Web Site www comdial com ewe hen Comdial is mentioned what usually comes to mind is a PBX system for a small or medium sized business This preconception may disappear now that Comdial is attempt ing to assault the SOHO market with its PATI 3000 product Don t get us wrong PATI 3000 is also an option for larger companies Nonetheless it really shines as a SOHO solution All the Subscribe FREE online at www ctimag com equipment is on the user s side and there is no centralized device or server such as a PBX If you already have a Comdial PBX say a DXP you may want to consider Comdial s WideOpen suite For our review of the WideOpen products see the March April issue of CTl The PATI 3000 brings CTI capability to the deskt
49. n Square Suite 601 Atlanta GA 30338 Ph 770 454 6001 Fx 770 452 0130 E Mail tsdusa mindspring com We the privatization of the PSTN application developers need to be more flexible when it comes to con necting their equipment to and inte grating their services with various telecommunications networks More specifically development engineers need to be concerned with SS 7 and PRI ISDN connectivity The underly ing problem is that so many protocols have emerged that it is very difficult for engineers to develop applications that will work throughout the world Fortunately there are products that allow engineers to concentrate on pro viding new features rather than fuss ing with underlying protocols One such product the Okeford Intelligent Networking Protocol Switch was recently demonstrated by an Okeford representative at our offices The Okeford Intelligent Network Protocol Switch is a generic device that supports a variety of SS 7 and PRI ISDN protocols The Okeford uses generic messaging between all protocol modules which makes it possible to mix PRI protocols within a single Okeford gateway Okeford s intelligent networking is designed to allow you to 52 CTI May June 1997 e Analyze data and make protocol decisions based on this data eFxamine all protocol messages and fields on both sides of the switch e Manipulate data to accomplish such things as digit analysis and translation and t
50. o set fields within telephony messages FEATURES The Okeford has onboard switching matrices which support standard drop and insert or deploy cyclic hunting and timeslot hunting algorithms Using your current SS7 or PRI proto col you can connect between your hardware equipment and the Okeford If you have a slight variant in the pro tocol that you use TsDesign also pro vides custom solutions to address your needs Capacity The Okeford can support up to 240 active calls simultaneously The base system supports 60 active calls with growth options in groups of 30 cir cuits Speech Circuits The Okeford offers the option of termination or non termination of E1 Speech Circuits If speech circuits are connected directly between the two networks the Okeford will support just the call control and mainte nance for these circuits Protocols The Okeford supports multiple SS 7 C7 protocols ETSI ISUP CCITT TUP ANSI ISUP BTNR BTNUP I TU ISUP and SSUT2 FTUP and multiple primary rate ISDN protocols DPNSS1 DASS2 Euro ISDN Q Sig It also supports multiple CAS amp R2 protocols Dutch CAS ALS70D Belgian CAS Mercury CAS CCITT Blue Book R2 Interfaces e 8 x El PRI ports supporting TS16 signaling 30 circuits e2 x El C7 SS 7 links each support ing TS16 signaling 30 circuits e6 X El C7 SS 7 links each support ing 30 circuits e RS 232 Network Management inter face e RS 232 Alarm
51. oc EDIFY ZIP Rich Edify s Electronic Workforce bak doll temp E dify s Electronic Workforce more 2 PHONER TXT r Refresh R erage fle eo er ei Refresh T ni Remove ci Remote Files chmy documents documents C 351328 KB free 2096160 KB total Search Select al App gen review critena doc a chart for CTI application generators chat for CTI application generators CT product review status if ordarec CTI Review compari equlpanet Files in Queue 1 Local clung documents FINAL ZIF Options should have been displayed to the user Another thing we would like to see is an option to turn off remembering pass words for each entry in the address book If a laptop running Remotely Possible is stolen a thief could access anyone s computer using the entries in the address book since both the phone number and password are always remembered in the address book Thus a thief could double click on an address entry and log onto a machine Of course the odds are pretty slim that this would happen and you could always change the passwords if a lap top was ever stolen assuming you were aware of the theft in time for you to change the passwords Another option might be to have one general password to unlock the entire address book ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT In addition to logging File Transfer Host Viewer Chat and Commun
52. onics before the next version is released Another source of frustration was that closing the program seemed more difficult than necessary We had to click on the telephone with a slash through it from the Phone folder screen We were unable to close the program from any of the other folder screens fax voice mail speed dial We feel that you should be able to exit the program from anywhere One other thing that could be improved is the icons which weren t very intuitive however bub ble help is available The easiest thing to fix in this beta version is the spelling mistake we saw The word Incoming was spelled Incomming in the display area when a call is received Admittedly pointing this out is nit picking but the product gave us so few flaws to discuss as it 1s CONCLUSION The PhoneRider product with its board and accompanying software gives you a very inexpensive means of attain ing unified messaging With PhoneRider which is very tightly integrated with Microsoft Exchange and Outlook you can have all your faxes e mails and voice mail messages in one e mail store In addition to its unified messaging functionality PhoneRider provides a voice enabled modem for dialing from your PC as well as a 33 6kbps transmis sion modem for connecting to the Internet BBS or other online services The built in sound card functionality is a nice plus since it saves an ISA slot PhoneRider s impressiv
53. op by without dragging the user through a technical quagmire It hooks up to a PC running Microsoft Windows 3 1 or higher on one side and an analog phone line on the other Since itis a TAPI compliant device the PATI 3000 lets users choose from a multitude of TAPI conforming software products to achieve their CTI objectives In addi tion CTI software developers can use the device as a tool to test their new applications INSTALLATION When we opened up our PATI 3000 package we found it included the device itself installation instructions PhoneKITS software from Algo Communications and a telephone wire We plugged one end of the PATI 3000 into the parallel port of our test PC a generic Pentium 90 with 32 Megabytes RAM running Windows 95 We plugged the other end into a regular phone line Then we plugged in an ana log phone into the phone socket The Status light glowed green and the hard ware setup was finished Incidentally the PATI 3000 device has a parallel port interface where a printer can be attached As stated in the documentation there is no interference with printer operation through PATI 3000 but Gust in case a printer trou bleshooting program is provided to rec tify any printing problems We knew we had to install the soft ware driver TAPI driver and in fact the documentation called for it but the PATI software diskette was nowhere to be found A call to Comdial revealed that the TAPI softwa
54. peed Internet connection You d be getting high speed Internet access over a 28 8 kbps modem Long Distance Runaround Not content with dialing long dis tance to remotely access our comput ers we decided to try to get cheaper access to our computers using the Internet We knew the static IP address es of our machines which are always on the Internet and we also had host operation enabled on these machines Figure 14 We have file sharing enabled on the Dial Up adapter Ggnor ing the Microsoft warning about securi ty in the Network settings which allows you to ping or access a Windows machine over the Internet So all we had to do was enter a user name pass word and the correct TCP IP address and we were all set We were now remotely controlling a Windows 95 machine located in Connecticut from a laptop in California all for free It was free because we dialed into a local ISP in California This kind of access has profound and obvious uses From anywhere in the world you can remotely control your PC for just the cost of accessing the local ISP To see the product s dialing options including data compression see Figure 15 During our Operational Testing on the road we were also able to download RATINGS 1 5 Installation 4 98 Documentation 5 0 GUI 4 95 Features 4 99 CTI May June 1997 59 CTI LABS some files using Remotely Possible s File Transfer feature Figure 16 User
55. re was bundled with the PhoneKITS software for which we chose the full install option After entering some basic informa tion including our name and telephone number we breezed through the three disk installation We noticed a message regarding modifying the AUTOEX EC BAT SYSTEM INI and WIN INI such a message is usually indicative of a 16 bit program We were also asked about whether we wanted the Muini Dialer activated we did A quick reboot and we were ready to give PATI a workover DOCUMENTATION The PATI 3000 came with two man uals one for the PATI 3000 hardware and one for the PhoneKITS software The hardware manual was concise well organized although it did lack a table of contents and friendly to users who are not necessarily computer experts Directions for interfacing the PATI box with the PC and the phone as well as other peripheral equipment such as an answering machine or a fax machine were well illustrated The PATI 3000 software documenta tion was adequate However we feel it should have explicitly indicated that the TAPI software was bundled with the PhoneKITs package This omission caused us some difficulty during our installation We also consulted the PhoneKITS manual but this documen tation was also silent about the TAPI software There was a single brief ref erence to installing the PATI 3000 oth erwise the manual discussed the PhoneKITS application exclusively The Phon
56. rogram to prevent Remotely Possible from interfering with our remote viewing Function keys are always important but even more so if you are using a ter minal program You don t want Remotely Possible switching to its screen every time you hit the F1 key We tested some of the other function keys and Remotely Possible worked fine so it appears that the Fl key was the only one with this minor problem Remotely Surfing To satisfy our curiosity we dialed from a laptop into another computer s modem running Remotely Possible and tried to browse the Internet over the remote computer You see we were ina hotel on the road and didn t know any local ISP numbers to access the Internet Being without Internet access for too long makes you think of inge nious ways to get connected We thought that we could connect to the Internet using Remotely Possible We dialed into the machine launched Internet Explorer on the remote end and actually started browsing the Web Now using a 28 8 kbps modem to connect to another 28 8 kbps modem isn t exactly the best or most efficient way to browse the Web but we were online nonetheless We scrolled through some graphical sites and the performance was surprisingly good The fonts didn t seem to be exact but the difference was hardly distracting Accessing the Internet by accessing another PC could be a nice feature if you dial into a machine which has an ISDN ADSL or other high s
57. rox to no avail Avalan Technology told us they have a few Matrox Millennium cards working in their office so we were optimistic but running out of options The engi neer was going on a road trip and want ed access to his PC using Remotely Possible and so we couldn t give up It began to look like remote access to his PC would not be even remotely possi ble pun intended We decided to go back to basics and change to an older video driver In fact we switched to the original driver that came with the Windows 95 CD ROM version 4 0 This solved the problem and the engineer has since been happi ly accessing his PC remotely Of course the drawback has been that his machine doesn t redraw as fast as it used to without the advanced features of the Matrox card 58 CTI May June 1997 Change User Preferences x Viewer Host TCP IP Dial Event log General Redirect Host Printer Port T Disable Host s keyboard Disable Hosts mouse M Hide Host s Remotely Possible Window T Monitor only l Toggle Monitor mode M Auto pan mode on I Start in full screen mode F Simultaneous printing on Host IY Mouse exits remote control Blink during remote control I Disable Host wallpaper Don t fash Host screen M Use Host s standard cursors l Blank Host s screen Figure 13 Remotely Possible User preference screen Viewer tab for chang ing viewing preferences including blanking the host monitor for s
58. s not very intuitive Since most peo ple expect to adjust column width up at the column headings we d like to see this capability in the next version One time we logged onto the CallXpress3 server and accidentally entered a blank for the password The system displayed an hourglass icon and hung Windows 95 Curious we repeat ed this procedure Sometimes we d see the same response sometimes not Perhaps there is a bug here that needs to be worked out Finally we d like to be able to prede termine whether clicking on a message brings the application into the edit mode or the play view mode For example if you double click on a voice mail message you could be brought into edit mode where you could add a subject or note to the voice mail mes 50 CTI May June 1997 sage rather than into play view where you would listen to the voice mail message The user should be able to decide the default functionality CONCLUSION CallXpress3 a very powerful voice processing system can be enhanced with software modules to provide fax and e mail functionality as well These modules include Desktop Message Manager a great unified messaging solution Desktop Call Manager an excellent call handling product and E Mail Access which gives you true remote access to all of your mes sages voice fax e mail with its text to speech conversion capabilities If you would like an idea of how good Cal
59. t handle each call You may choose to take the call ask the caller to hold ask the caller to leave a message or transfer the call to a co worker Users in a workgroup or call center who draw calls from a common queue can view displays of pertinent informa tion such as hold time the caller s name and phone number account status and call history acquired via interactive voice response With such information call centers can route calls to the most appropriate agent minimize call dura tion improve overall call throughput and provide better customer service With CallXpress3 Desktop Call Manager you can e See all incoming calls you can see who is calling why they are calling Subscribe FREE online at www ctimag com Message Notiication Modes Notify of New Messages by Flashing program frame of icon E A tone X Making icon visible on top of other programs X Display a pop up window fs 5 Pee Figure 2 CallXpress3 Message Manager Message notification modes k Recornd Play Options Playback Preference Alwags over PC audio device Record Preference Abvags over telephone x PC Audo Sample Rate 11E Samples sec x GF Sa ee E Samples sec Figure 3 CallXpress3 Message Manager Record play options Here you may designate your preferred recording and playing device phone or PC audio peet poe oe SAPs Folume ved Messages _ Change Secunty Code Record Personal Greetin
60. t shortcomings in the documenta tion too heavily we assigned a rating of 4 0 All the same we hope all the wrinkles are ironed out These include the absence from both manuals of MediaPhonics phone number fax number Web address and technical support e mail address FEATURES PhoneRider comes in two plug and play ISA card configurations CTI May June 1997 53 CTI LABS eA telephony only solution all tele phony voice 33 6 kbps modem and 14 4 kbps fax features eA combination telephony audio solution an all in one card including all telephony functionality plus audio features with full SoundBlaster Pro compatibility PhoneRider is also available as a turnkey manufacturing kit and low cost chipset solution The wwwMAX chipset available from Analog Devices allows any card or system OEM to ship new Windows 95 telephony modems at a price equal to that for ordinary modem solutions PhoneRider is basically a voice mail server with auto attendant and answer ing machine capabilities A selection of features is listed below General eProvides an unlimited number of mailboxes and an unlimited number of speed dial entries with optional pass words e Able to transmit many media types including voice data fax and in the future video e Allows you to speed dial confer ence and transfer calls from Microsoft Phone Address Book Schedule Outlook 97 or any TAPI compliant application e Allows you
61. tanding as the voice of integrity in the CTI industry we are mak ing every effort to represent the broadest range of industry experts We invite you to consider contributing editorial technological treatises unique case studies application developments etc Acceptance of contributed pieces will be based on whether our readers would find the articles relevant to their interests If you are interested in submitting articles please contact us for editorial guide lines or simply send outlines and story proposals to our editorial department E mail editorial tmcnet com Snail mail CTI 1 Technology Plaza Norwalk CT USA 06854 Send articles on a 3 5 floppy Microsoft Word compatible diskette Ph 203 852 6800 ext 165 Fx 203 853 2845 cT The Voice Of Integrity On The Industry s Frontier 64 CTI May June 1997 Figure 20 PATI 3000 Mini Dialer Demo subject of the Address Book we would like to see export and import capabili ties to and from popular database for mats Finally we would like to see a security option possibly a password protection scheme to safeguard infor mation CONCLUSION Comdial s PATI 3000 brings CTI to the desktop by establishing a simple connection between the computer and the telephone The connection a TAPI compliant device and the PhoneKITS software fits well within the SOHO environment However the tools that are provided with PATI 3000 such as the Address Book
62. ut the call on hold and tested the muting capability We accessed all these capabilities with out difficulty At first the sound was muffled but then we switched to anoth er headset which gave us much better sound quality Such problems are all too common with microphones plugged into sound cards To get ade quate power some microphones need an amplifier which is plugged into the joystick port of a sound card e Faxing Capabilities We sent a fax to the MediaPhonics board to test its Subscribe FREE online at www ctimag com unified messaging capabilities We set Microsoft Fax to pick up on two rings When we dialed into the board the Microsoft Fax software wouldn t pick up the line even after 6 rings Evidently the machine for some rea son didn t detect and add the modem The instructions gave no indication whether we needed to add one Regardless we added one manually The Microsoft Fax picked up the phone on the first try after five rings even though it was set to two rings We went into Exchange then Tools Microsoft Fax Tools and Modem Tab and we saw two slightly different modem fax entries One of them was named wwwMAX Modem 33 6 Data fax and the other entry was called wwwMAX SpeakerPhone Datat Fax Voice The latter entry was the default so we switched to the former After this change the Microsoft Fax program picked up on two rings and was able to receive faxes perfectly In addition th
63. vity time to disconnect a ses CTI May June 1997 57 CTI LABS sion e Printer redirection to allow printing both on the Host and Viewer PC e Option to reboot machine after a disconnect at a user specified interval Overall Remotely Possible earned a nearly perfect features rating of 4 99 OPERATIONAL TESTING We tested Remotely Possible on sev eral machines on the advice of one of our testing engineers who felt that the video drivers could be finicky and per haps buggy Since Remotely Possible is dependent on the video driver for inter cepting painting of the video screen we were compelled to pay attention to his advice Just because Remotely Possible works with a particular video card does n t necessarily mean the program will work with all of them The ensuing tests confirmed our suspicions We found that the first three video cards we tried worked fine Then we tried using Remotely Possible on a PC which was using a high end Matrox Millennium card with 4 MB of RAM It worked but the throughput was painfully slow Just moving a window took an unbelievable 30 to 40 seconds over a 10 BaseT connection When we tried it over a 28 8 kbps connection it took 2 to 4 minutes or Remotely Possible would hang We downloaded the latest Matrox video driver and BIOS and attempted it again It still didn t work We gave Avalan s technical support a call They told us to disable all the advanced fea tures of the Mat
64. xt we to turned off all the Microsoft Plus settings in the Plus tab Stll the same problem So we went into the Control Panel and then the Desktop Themes program We Subscribe FREE online at www ctimag com Change User Preferences x Viewer Host TCPAIP Dial Event log General Answer calls or f Ringis DT Options Data Compression M Error Detection Cormection f M Data Encryption Wait for connection for 60 r Allow incoming calls To allow an incoming call select one of the following modems or direct cable connections C Sportster 28800 Internal 2 V1433VQH 33 6K Intemal Voice Dats C TSAPI Bridg Dial Prefix Pulse Dial Direct connect on COM1 Configure Figure 15 Remotely Possible User preference screen Dial tab for selecting modem dialing methods and data transmission options chose Windows Default which is sup posed to change all the settings to their original Windows 95 defaults We thought this would work for sure but alas it did not We returned to the Appearance tab screen in the Display Properties win dow and clicked on the drop down box Item and selected Icon Here we saw the default font size was set to 6 points We thought this was a bit strange since the default size was supposed to be 8 We changed the size to 8 points which fixed the problem At first we thought it was
65. you are unable to take their call directly e Initiate screen pop data transfers that are simultaneous with call trans fers e Track call statistics on every call User defined fields could include date and time of call connected or aban doned call group hold time call dura tion wrap up time and called party e Monitor agent activity within a workgroup to determine the availability of each agent You can track idle wrap up and busy status conditions e Establish an unlimited number of call groups to help manage and track incoming call traffic CallXpress3 Fax Mail Module When CallXpress3 is augmented with AVT s Fax Mail module you can easily create and send faxes from any Windows application You can send faxes to outside fax numbers or other subscriber mailboxes directly from your workstation computer CallXpress3 Desktop Message Manager includes a feature rich fax print driver that allows you to send faxes from your workstation using any of the message sending features of CallXpress3 such as specifying future delivery requesting a return receipt notification sending to a distribution list and recording a voice annotation when sending to another subscriber When you receive a fax message CallXpress3 Desktop Message Manager displays the document portion of the fax message directly on your computer screen so you can view your fax message and listen to the voice annotation simultaneously Printing the faxes

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