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UNIFIED MAILCALL - DETAILED DESCRIPTION & MENU OPTIONS
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The standard configuration of Unified MailCall is as follows:

Note: The following sections provide many details and examples how Unified MailCall can be configured and used. It is NOT an exhaustive list of all product capabilities. Unified MailCall is an advanced voice mail system which has evolved over the years with many special features. The descriptions below explain the most commonly used system features only. If you have a specific need or requirement that you do not see below, please contact our sales department.

Flexible Autoattendant and Call Answering
Unified MailCall provides a simple means to configure answering your phones the way you want, and provide callers with options that you select. All greetings, prompts, and menus can easily be modified or re-recorded by the system administrator.

You may want Unified MailCall to automatically answer all calls - both during business hours and after hours. A typical caller greeting might be "Thank you for calling ABC company, maker of the best widgets. If you know your party's extension you may dial it now. To speak with someone in our sales department, press 2. For customer support, press 3, To spell by name, press 1. To speak with an operator, press 0, or simply stay on the line.". Different greetings and call handling can automatically be enabled based on time of day (business hours, after hours, etc.).

Or you may want Unified MailCall to answer calls only after hours. During the day maybe you want your operator(s) to answer calls and forward them to users desktops or to Unified MailCall for taking messages, etc. If you wish, Unified MailCall can even handle any "overflow" when your operators are too busy.

Or maybe you will be using Unified MailCall in a DID (Direct Inward Dial) environment where each of your users has a separate phone number. In this case, you may want calls to ring right through to the user's desktop phones, and forward to Unified MailCall only if the line is busy or does not answer. However you want to configure your voice mail system, Unified MailCall will accommodate you.

Configurable Menus and Prompts (Easy to Learn, Easy to Use)
All system menu choices can easily be re-configured by the system administrator. This feature allows redefining which actual telephone keys a user can select to choose a given program action. The system administrator can even choose to individually enable or disable particular menu selections. A simple graphical user interface allows defining and enabling these options and menus with just a mouse click.

If your users are already trained to using any another voice mail system, you can configure the Unified MailCall touch-tone prompts to exactly match the touch-tone keystrokes they are accustomed to. This saves time in learning the system, and avoids learning errors such as accidentally deleting a message when the user actually meant to forward it. And since all system prompts are simply WAV files, the system administrator can easily re-record, edit, or replace any prompt with wording they prefer.

*** Note that since menu options are configurable, the choices show in this document are simply the installation defaults. ***

Supports any Fax or Pager Gateways
Although a fax or pager gateway is not required to run the Unified MailCall software, all Notes compatible Fax Gateways and Pager Gateways (including Alpha and Numeric pagers) are fully supported. Users can be automatically paged when new messages are sent to them. Callers can be given an option to page users if they have a pager. Users can call in and have any document in their mailbox faxed to any number they select. Using this capability, Unified MailCall also supports a "Literature Out-fax Feature" for users to fax out company literature, brochures, contracts, etc. from any configured Notes database.

Outside Callers and Subscribers
To more easily describe Unified MailCall functionality, we will explain the system from two different perspectives. We will first examine the system and menus available to "outside callers" calling in to reach a given user or mailbox. These callers may or may not be company employees and may or may not own a mailbox on the system. We will then examine the system and special menus available to "system subscribers" (who actually have a mailbox on the system) calling in to access their Notes mail, to change personal options, or to leave messages for other subscribers. See System Subscriber Access. As described later, a caller can immediately identify himself as a system subscriber by pressing the # key at the main menu. He will then be prompted for his mailbox number and password, and will then have access to the private mail reading and personal configuration portions of the application.

Typical Main Menu (Autoattendant) Options
After playing your company greeting such as "Thank you for calling ABC company, maker of the best widgets" is played, callers can be provided a menu with several transfer options. For example, "If you know your party's extension you may dial it now. To speak with someone in our sales department, press 2. For customer support, press 3, To spell by name, press 1. To speak with an operator, press 0, or simply stay on the line." Note that the system administrator can redefine which keys perform which function. For example, with the click of a button, the spell by name (option 1) could be changed to "To spell by name, press 9". An explanation of these typical menu options follows:
  • XXXX - Transfer by entering the user's extension. If the caller knows the desired extension, it can be directly entered. Note that this action will transfer the caller to the user's desktop phone or even automatically forward the call to his home, his cell phone, etc. The extension can be any number of digits, or even different numbers of digits for different extensions
  • 0 Transfer to the operator. Callers can transfer to the operator by pressing the 0 key from most menus. Note that rotary phone callers who cannot enter touch tone selections will automatically time-out and be transferred to the operator. Behind the scenes, the operator can be transparently configured at any company extension or phone number (not necessarily 0)
  • 1 Spell by name. Transfer to a user by spelling the user's name. This can be the configured to be by first or last name, and any number of letters may be entered
  • DID environments. Of course if your company uses Direct Inward Dial extensions, callers can automatically be forwarded directly to the user's mailbox options after a busy or no answer at the user's DID desktop number. This typical autoattendant main menu and subsequent transfer to the desktop actions can be automatically bypassed.
  • Checking your messages. System subscribers who have a mailbox on this system can jump directly from the main menu to reading their messages by pressing the # key from this main menu. The caller will then be prompted for his mailbox number and password. These special subscriber options are described in detail later in this document.
  • Quick-Message feature. The operator (or any other user) can also quickly leave a message for any user without trying his extension. By pressing the "*" key and entering any mailbox number the caller can jump directly into that mailbox to leave a message. This feature is often used by an operator (or any other user) when an caller wants to leave a message for a subscriber who does not want to be disturbed or is not at their desk. Using this feature bypasses the desktop transfer and jumps the caller directly to leaving a message.
Call Transfers
Unified MailCall works with any PBX or phone system. Transfers are performed by the application by a combination of touch-tones and other PBX signals. These transfer parameters are specific to your PBX and phone system. These settings can be found in your PBX or phone system manual, or PhoneSoft can easily help you determine your proper settings. PhoneSoft has experience with a wide range of PBX and phone systems, and the software comes configured with most standard settings. Following are the typical menu choices after a call is transferred to a given extension.
  • If the extension answers, the caller is connected and the transfer is complete. The application then releases itself from the line and waits for another call.
  • If the extension is busy, the caller is informed the line is busy, the user's personal greeting message is played, and the caller is typically given the following options.
    • 1 Leave a voice message.
    • 2 Transfer to another extension.
    • 3 Page the user. This option is only presented if this user is configured with an enabled pager.
    • 4 Hold for this extension to become available. The application will wait for a configurable time, and then automatically try the extension again.
    • 0 Speak with the Operator.
  • If the extension does not answer, the caller is informed there was no answer, the user's personal greeting message is played, and the caller is typically given the following options.
    • 1 Leave a message.
    • 2 Transfer to another extension.
    • 3 Page the user. This option is only presented if this user is configured with an enabled pager.
    • 0 Speak with the Operator.
Call Pursuit Feature
Unified MailCall can intelligently attempt to find you and transfer calls to you, even when you are out of the office. Users can be configured with any number of forwarding phone numbers, and the system will sequentially try each of these numbers "looking for" the called person. For instance, if a user is waiting for an important call, he can tell the system to first try his desktop extension, then his cell phone, then his home phone. Between each attempt, the caller is informed that the system is trying another forwarding number, and can select options to stop trying and leave a voice message, try another extension, page the user, transfer to the operator, etc.

Vacations and Extended Absences
Subscribers can define and enable an "Absence Greeting". When this greeting is enabled, any calls for that user's extension will be played the user's absence greeting message (instead of his regular greeting message) and then be provided with the normal "no answer" options. The call will not ring at the user's desk, since the system "knows" the user is away. This feature can also be used as a "do not disturb" capability.

Leaving Messages
After a caller leaves a voice message for someone, he can simply hang up the phone, or stay on the line for additional options. If the user hangs up, the voice message is immediately mailed to the subscriber's Notes mailbox. Voice messages are standard Notes memo forms with the fields automatically filled in by Unified MailCall. The voice recording is automatically inserted into the document "Body" field as a graphical voice message icon representing the attached voice object.

The file format for recorded messages can be configured by the system administrator to be industry standard WAV files or industry standard VOX files. The file format (WAV, VOX), compression type (PCM, ADPCM), and the sampling rate (6K, 8K, 11K) can all be configured by the system administrator. The administrator can also set a maximum recording time for messages.

These voice messages are accessible from the desktop as well as the telephone. On the desktop, voice messages will appear as attached graphic voice message icons in the body field of the message. If the user has a multimedia PC, he can simply double click on the icon which represents the voice WAV file, and it will play over his speakers. If the user does not have a multimedia PC, he can click a "PhoneSoft Desktop" button which will ring his desktop phone and play the message to him over the telephone. And of course users can always simply pick up any phone and call into the application to hear any messages.

Message Waiting Indicators
If your phone system and PBX supports Message Waiting Indicator (MWI) signalling, Unified MailCall can send a signal to set the user's desktop telephone indicator. The MWI indicator is a function of the PBX and phone system. On some systems this is a blinking light on the phone. On others it is a warble tone when the user picks up the phone. Likewise when a user listens to all his messages, his MWI will be automatically cleared.

After Leaving a Message
After a message is recorded, the caller can either simply hang up the phone, or stay on the line for additional options. The following options are the typical presented to the caller after leaving a message if he does not hang up.
  • Hang up.
  • 1 Send the message. When the user manually selects "Send", another menu presents options to send the message "Normal" or "Urgent" priority. Notes uses the priority field during mail routing. These priorities can also affect the display and review order of messages.
  • 2 Review the message just recorded.
  • 3 Re-record the message.
  • * Cancel recording and return to the previous menu.
System Subscriber Access
The sections above described the Unified MailCall options and functionality available to outside callers trying to reach a desired user or extension. The next sections in this document describe the special options and functionality available to system subscribers. Subscribers are users who own a mailbox on the system. They may be calling in to access their mail, to send messages, or to configure various personal options. As described above, a caller identifies himself to the Unified MailCall system as a subscriber by pressing the # key from the main menu.

Subscriber Authentication
Subscribers must identify themselves to the system by correctly entering their mailbox number and password. The mailbox number is assigned by the system administrator. Although this number is usually the user's extension, it could actually be any number desired (employee ID, social security number, etc.). The mailbox number does not have to match the corresponding extension number. A subscriber is given three attempts to correctly enter his password when he calls in.

Like most voice mail systems, the password for a new user can be initially set by the system administrator. After the user calls in, however, he should change this to a password only he knows. Note that no one can read the user's password, even the system administrator. Its value is stored in Notes using a one-way encryption. Again like most voice mail systems, the system administrator has a mechanism to recreate a mailbox and redo the process if the user forgets his password.

Subscriber Main Menu Options
After a subscriber calls in and correctly identifies himself by entering his mailbox number and password, the following special subscriber options are available.
  • 1 Review your messages.
  • 2 Send a new message.
  • 3 Personal Options. Change or review your personal options.
Selection of Messages to Review
One of the advantages of a unified messaging system over a simple voice mail system is the ability to get exactly the information you want, when you want it. Not only can you review your NEW messages with the push of a button, but you can also search your messages by date, by number of days ago, by originator, and by subject.
  • 1 Review all new messages. Unified MailCall will look through your Notes Inbox and read all your new messages to you. Some users like to hear all their voice mail messages before their e-mail messages. Some users like them interspersed in exact date order when they arrived or when they were sent. Maybe you want any messages from the boss to come first. Whatever your preference, Unified MailCall can support it. Unified MailCall supports a customizable Notes view to allow messages to be sorted and reviewed in any order desired by the user.
  • 2 Review new voice messages. Unified MailCall will look through your Notes Inbox and read all new voice messages to you.
  • 3 Review new emails. Unified MailCall will look through your Notes Inbox and read all new email messages to you.
  • 4 Review new faxes. Unified MailCall will look through your Notes Inbox and read all new fax messages to you.
  • 5 Review messages by date. There are two ways to select the date from which to start reviewing messages. A specific date can be entered in the form of "MMDDYY", or a specified number of days ago to start reviewing can be entered. For example, enter "7" to read all messages received in the last week (7 days). Enter "0" to read all of today's messages (0 days ago), or enter "010197" to listen to all messages since the beginning of the year (01 January). The messages selected for review will be ordered and played back using the user's preferred telephone access view order. Note that a date selection is simply the starting date. All messages forward are then returned. This allows a user to look for a message without having to guess exactly what date they received it.
  • 6 Review messages by subject. Any search string can be entered using two telephone keypad digits per character. The first digit specifies which group of three characters contains the letter and the second digits clarifies which of the three characters is desired. For example, the "2" key on the telephone keypad contains "ABC". In order to select the letter "C", the user would first press "2" to select the "ABC" key, and then press "3" to specify "C" is the desired letter (the third letter in the group). Therefore "C" is always entered as "23". The word "TAXES" would be spelled as "81", "21", "92", and "73". "Q" is defined as "77", "Z" is defined as "99", and a space can be entered as "11". As each letter is spelled, it will be read to the user to confirm they have entered the correct combination. Once the desired partial subject string has been spelled, MailCall will look for this string of characters anywhere in any subject field in any document in their view (not just at the start of the subject) The selection is not case sensitive. If "TAXES" was spelled, a document with subject "Taxes for FY98" and one with subject "Have you finished our FY98 taxes yet?" would both be returned.
  • 7 Review messages by originator. The spelling of the originator follows the same rules specified above for spelling by subject. The entered string is searched for in the "From" field of the message. Again, this string can be anywhere in the From field, not just at the beginning. This allows the user to enter the first or last name as desired. Unified MailCall completely supports the standard 16 Notes forms, and can handle most of your custom forms. Depending on the form type, typically the "From" field will be read, then the "Subject" field, and then the "Body" field. If your environment has custom message forms or added fields, Unified MailCall will play the fields it understands. As described below, additional "envelope" information is also available during message playback.
Quickly Review a Long List of Messages
Note that the subscriber can press the # key at any time to skip to the next message. To quickly review a list of messages, simply press the # key after hearing the subject line, and the system will then immediately skip to the next message and start playing it. Using this technique a long list of messages can quickly be scanned.

Controlling Message Playback
Following are the typical options while listening to a message.
  • # Skip immediately to the next message. This skips to the next message without marking it as "read".
  • 1 Rewind the message 5 seconds. Pressing 11 will rewind to the beginning.
  • 2 Pause playback. Pressing 2 again will resume playback.
  • 3 Forward. Jumps forward 5 seconds in the message. Pressing 33 will jump to the end of the message.
  • 4 Speed Up voice message playback. 44 Slow Down playback.
  • 5 Louder voice message playback. 55 Softer playback.
  • 0 Options. This key will jump to the end of the message and play all available menu options.

Message Action Options
Following are the typical options after hearing a message.
  • # Skip immediately to the next message. This skips to the next message without marking it as "read". Use the "Save"option (4) to actually mark the message as "read".
  • 4 Save the current message and mark it "Read" in Notes.
  • 5 Replay the current message from the beginning.
  • 6 Delete the current message from the database.
  • 7 Reply to the current message. The user will be prompted for his voice reply and then the reply will be sent to the originator of the message. The normal review options will be presented before the reply is sent (send, review, re-record, cancel).
  • 8 Forward or Send FAX. If the user selects forward, they will be asked to record a voice introduction and then enter in the recipients. The current message, along with the newly recorded voice introduction will then be sent to each recipient selected. If a fax gateway is installed, the user will be asked if they want to forward this message to the fax gateway. They will then be prompted for the desired recipient fax machine number. The current message will be forwarded to the fax gateway as "<User Name> @ <Entered Fax Number> @ <Fax Domain>".
  • 9 Envelope. The Notes From field and received date fields will be played. The menu options will then be repeated.
  • 0 Options. This key will jump to the end of the message and play all available menu options.
Sending New Messages (Option 2 From the Subscriber Main Menu)
The user is prompted to record a voice message. When they are satisfied with the message (send, review, re-record, cancel), they will be prompted for a destination. The user can either enter the recipient's mailbox number directly or spell the recipient's last name using the numbers on the telephone keypad. The recipients name is spelled using one key per letter. For "ABC", press "2", for "DEF", press "3", etc. For "Q", press "7", and for "Z", press "9". For example, "SMITH" would be spelled "76484". The complete name need not be spelled. If multiple names are found that match a given spelling, the user will be presented with the list of matching names and allowed to chose from that list. After the message is recorded, it can be sent with the standard Notes "Normal" or "Urgent" delivery options.

Personal Options (Option 3 From the Subscriber Main Menu)
Many personal configuration options can be changed either from the PC or by telephone. Note that since subscribers profile information is stored in Notes, macros can also be used to automatically change parameters based on time of day, etc.
  • 1 Record Greetings. All subscriber greetings can be recorded, reviewed, and changed by telephone. Since all greetings are standard WAV files, a subscriber can also record, edit, and switch greetings directly from his Notes desktop as well.
    • - 1 Record Name. This recording is played to verify the correct destination before messages are sent, to identify the correct mailbox, and when using the spell by name feature. The name recording will typically just be the subscriber's name such as "Mary Smith".
    • - 2 Record Greeting. The subscriber's greeting is played to an outside caller when a transfer to the subscriber failed and before taking a voice message. A typical greeting might be "Sorry I missed your call. Please leave me a private message after the tone, or if this is urgent, either page me or call Bob Jones at extension 1234".
    • - 3 Record Absence Greeting. This recording is typically used if the subscriber will be away from their phone for an extended period of time, such as on vacation or on a trip. It can also be used as a "do not disturb" capability. For example when out of the office, a typical absence greeting might be "Hi, this is Mary Smith. I will be out of the office until Monday, but will be checking my messages daily. Please leave me a private message and I'll call you back as soon as I can. If this message is urgent, please call Bob Jones at extension 1234". The absence greeting will be played to an outside caller instead of the subscriber's normal greeting, and the caller will then immediately be offered the "extension did not answer" options without ringing the user's desktop telephone.
  • 2 Change Password. This option allows the subscriber to change his mailbox access password. Note that all password protections discussed above still apply (one way encrypted, etc.). The user is prompted to enter the new password twice to prevent accidental entry mistakes.
  • 3 Greeting Control. This option allows the user to enable or disable an absence greeting.
  • 4 Paging Control. This option allows the user to enable or disable his personal pager. If enabled, the user can be paged whenever he receives a new message and will allow an outside caller the option of paging the user when a call transfer to this extension fails.