cheaptrinkets-ga:
The first solution I thought of after reading through your desired
features, is the current lead product from FaxTalk, namely FaxTalk
Messenger Pro 7.0:
http://www.faxtalk.com/products/ftmp70/index.htm
Used in conjunction with a voice-data-fax modem installed in a PC and
connected to your incoming phone line, FaxTalk Messenger Pro 7.0 will
allow you to:
- set up individual inboxes for each employee/department/workgroup,
each with an individual 'extension' that the caller can select as
prompted by the main answering message;
- ability to act as an 'auto attendant' during the day so that if no
one answers an incoming call, the caller can listen to the attendant
message and select the appropriate mailbox to leave their message in;
- send a new message alert (voice-mail and fax) using e-mail;
- include a copy of the voice-mail or fax in the alert e-mail;
- uses your existing phone service so that there is no additional
monthly expense incurred after you purchase the software.
There is a long list of other features that FaxTalk Messenger Pro 7.0
has, I won't list it all here as the best place to read about them is
on the FaxTalk website. I have used FaxTalk products since my first
voice/data/faxmodem purchase over ten years ago (the company's been
around since '89), and have always returned to it after trying out
others. It is worth the $99.95 initial purchase price.
(Note: One thing that you will NOT be able to do with FaxTalk
Messenger Pro 7.0 is to be able to have a human answer a call, then
transfer the call to a mailbox. This is because the mailbox resides on
the PC behind the modem. To have this feature, you will actually need
a small PBX or key system (essentially a private office phone system)
with voice-mail support, and will need to spend a lot more money.)
To complement FaxTalk Messenger Pro, you will need a high-quality
voice-data-fax modem so that your callers can hear a crisp, clear
message, and can leave equally crisp, clear voice-mails! These days,
modems are pretty much commodity items. The most important components,
the chipset, will come from a small group of design houses (Intel,
Rockwell/Conexant, etc.) and is then incorporated into a generic
design by the actual board manufacturer. The majority on the market
today are so-called soft-modems (no onboard controller or digital
signal processing for voice) or win-modems (no onboard controller, but
onboard DSP for voice), in reference to the fact that a large part of
the processing takes place in the driver as opposed to the on-board
hardware, placing a larger demand on your PC's processor. With modern
processors often having more processing power than needed, this is
usually not a problem and helps to reduce the cost of the modem.
However, if the PC is busy with a processor-intensive task when a call
comes in, this can impact the ability of the PC to efficiently handle
the call. If you have a PC that is not tasked with heavy computing
tasks that can be assigned to the job of handling the phones, then
just go with a reasonably priced alternative like the one I'm
currently using:
Trendware TFM-PCIV92I
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=TFM-PCIV92I
It certainly gets the job done for me.
Given your criteria, an online service is not a truly viable option;
however, one to consider is:
uReach uAttendant
http://www.ureach.com/home3/uattendant_overview.htm
At $24.99/mo for five users plus one general mailbox, this option
comes with easier remote access but a higher recurring cost. (I also
use a related service from uReach, and can vouch for their quality and
service levels).
Finally, I'd mentioned the idea of a small PBX or key system. Here's
one that I would recommend if your budget can allow for it:
Talkswitch 24
http://www.talkswitch.com/telephone_systems.html#ts24
For US$695, you can convert your existing single (or even two)
incoming lines into a private system that supports up to 4 individual
phone extensions in your office, 22 voice-mail boxes, and host of
other features. A great deal if you anticipate growth in your
business, as it has room to expand to up to 8 'remote' extensions
(such as home offices).
I hope that the information here helps you. Please let me know if you
would like me to elaborate on any part of this Answer.
Best regards,
aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher |
Request for Answer Clarification by
cheaptrinkets-ga
on
09 Nov 2004 08:26 PST
We need to be able to transfer calls so faxtalk isn't a solution. Does
the online version satisfy all criteria I listed? If not, which aren't
met?
Thanks!
|
Clarification of Answer by
aht-ga
on
09 Nov 2004 09:45 PST
cheaptrinkets-ga:
Thanks for clarifying that in-call transferring is vital; in such a
case, FaxTalk Messenger Pro will not meet all of your needs,
unfortunately.
With the online services, in-call transferring would be accomplished
in a rather cumbersome manner, one that reminds me of how things
worked at a company I was working for years ago. At the time, our
voice-mail system was actually hosted at our corporate headquarters in
a different state/country. If a call came into our plant for someone,
and they were not available, our receptionist had to put the caller on
hold, flash over to a dial tone on an outgoing line, dial the
voice-mail system, pre-enter the mailbox number, then quickly connect
the two lines together so that the caller could leave their
voice-mail. It was sometimes easier for the receptionist to just give
the caller the toll-free number for the voice-mail system and the
mailbox number, and have them call it themselves.
With any online system, you would need to have the ability to '3-way
call' or 'conference call' the incoming caller and the remote
voice-mail system. It is cumbersome and not very professional. If
in-call transferring is very important to you, then that really leaves
you with two options. The first option is the mini-PBX/key-system
approach like the Talkswitch 24 I mentioned above; the second option
would be to pay your phone company a lot more money (in the long run)
to upgrade from a single phone line to five business Centrex lines
with voice-mail and transferring abilities. This second option is not
truly viable due to the dramatic increase in expense compared to your
existing phone service. Therefore, the best option to consider is the
mini-PBX/key-system approach, of which the Talkswitch 24 is the best
bang for the buck (in my opinion).
Regards,
aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher
|
Clarification of Answer by
aht-ga
on
09 Nov 2004 10:03 PST
cheaptrinkets-ga:
Upon reviewing the clarification I just posted, I noticed that I may
have been a little too negative about the online option. Let me
elaborate a bit on how the online service works, as it may very well
meet your needs.
The online service provides you with the features outlined here:
http://www.ureach.com/home3/uattendant_features.htm
You would have a toll-free number that can become your new business
number. If you still wish to have your local callers call you on your
local number, then you can subscribe to a "No Answer Call Transfer"
service from your phone company, where the call would be transferred
(to a number you designate, such as the toll-free number for this
online service) if no one can take the call in the office.
When callers call the toll-free number, they can use their touch-tone
keypad to select from up to five 'departments' or extensions, as well
as hitting the '0' key to get the receptionist (if you have one). Each
of these extensions can be either just a voice-mail box, or a
call-forward number with fallback to voice-mail if no one answers at
the call-forward location.
If a caller dials the wrong extension, then the only way to transfer
them to the right extension would be to have 3-way calling enabled on
the phone line that the call was answered on, and to use the 3-way
calling feature to call up the toll-free number, then conference the
two calls together. Cumbersome.
I hope that this is a bit more clear about why I would not recommend
the online service if in-call transferring needs to happen on a
regular basis.
Regards,
aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
cheaptrinkets-ga
on
09 Nov 2004 14:09 PST
Let me clairfy.
We do not want a service to answer our primary number. We want a voice
mail service that we can transfer calls to at the end of the day and
when a person is out to transfer to a voice mail. So does this service
accomplish this and the criteria I outlined in the original posting?
Thanks
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
cheaptrinkets-ga
on
09 Nov 2004 14:11 PST
This only has 5 voice mail and the posting mentioned 6 therefore this
doesn't satisfy the posting. Please find one that meets the criteria
mentioned.
|
Clarification of Answer by
aht-ga
on
09 Nov 2004 22:14 PST
cheaptrinkets-ga:
The uReach uAttendant service features a total of 6 voicemail boxes,
according to their online product description. 5 are for 'unique'
departments, and one is for general. This I believe is what you are
looking for.
As for using it only to answer calls after-hours, as well as to
transfer calls to voice-mail during office hours, this service will
serve your needs here as long as you have 3-way-calling/conference
calling capabilities on your office line. Here is how it would work:
- At the end of the day, you would use the call-forwarding feature of
your office line (a feature that you would have subscribed to from
your local phone company) to forward all calls to the toll-free number
associated with your uAttendant account. All calls will forward to the
account, where the caller will hear your pre-recorded message telling
them that your office is now closed, and giving them the list of
options to choose using their touch-tone phone. These options can be
"Press 1 to leave a message for sales; Press 2 to leave a message for
accounts payable....etc....Press 0 to leave a general message".
Obviously, the contents of the message are up to you, as you will be
the one to pre-record it. You can configure each of the 'extensions'
to go directly to voice-mail instead of having them try to ring
through to any other phones, so that when an option is selected, they
will get the voice-mail message of that extension's user immediately,
and can leave a message for them. The system can then e-mail the user
to alert them to the new voice-mail.
- during office hours, calls can come into your office line as they
currently do. If you need to forward a caller to the voice-mail box of
someone who is out of the office, you would ask them to hold for a
moment, then 'flash' over to a dial tone (using the 3-way
calling/conferencing calling feature that you would subscribe to from
your local phone company) and dial the toll-free access number for
your uAttendant account. You can then select the mailbox (by dialing
the extension), 'flash' again to connect the caller to the mailbox,
and let them leave their message. Depending on how your local phone
company has set up their 3-way calling feature, you may or may not be
able to hang up before they have finished leaving their message.
As I've mentioned, using an online service to transfer calls during
the day can be cumbersome. However, for all of your other criteria,
this seems like the best option.
Regards,
aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
cheaptrinkets-ga
on
09 Nov 2004 23:43 PST
So to be clear, it meets all of these criteria?
1. Ability to have multiple mail boxes, one for each employee. (There
are 5 and 1 for general. So 6 total) So the following would happen. At
the end of the day, it would pick up and allow a person to decide will
it go to a specific person or the general mailbox.
2. Ability to have a number for each employee, so that during the day
calls could be transferred to their voice mail.
3. When a voice mail is received, ideally, an email alert is sent to
let the person know they have voice mail.
4. Maybe a copy of the voice mail is sent to their computer so they
can hear it without having to call.
Thanks!
|
Clarification of Answer by
aht-ga
on
10 Nov 2004 00:31 PST
Sure, let's summarize how uAttendant meets each criteria:
> 1. Ability to have multiple mail boxes, one for each employee. (There
are 5 and 1 for general. So 6 total) So the following would happen. At
the end of the day, it would pick up and allow a person to decide will
it go to a specific person or the general mailbox.
With 5 unique extensions plus one general extension in the service,
you can set up uAttendant to do exactly what you are asking for here.
You can forward your office line to the uAttendant toll-free number
for your account, it will answer the after-hours calls, and the caller
can choose which of the six mailboxes to leave a message in.
> 2. Ability to have a number for each employee, so that during the day
calls could be transferred to their voice mail.
With five employees and five mailboxes, you can indeed use your local
phone company's 3-way-calling or conference-calling feature to connect
the caller to the appropriate voice-mailbox by first 'flashing' over
to a dial-tone, dialing the toll-free uAttendant number for your
account, selecting the right mailbox, then 'flashing' again to link
the caller to the mailbox. Depending on how your local phone company
has their 3-way-calling/conferencing calling feature set up, you may
need to stay on the line until the caller has finished leaving their
message; alternatively, you can give the caller the toll-free number
to call themselves.
> 3. When a voice mail is received, ideally, an email alert is sent to
let the person know they have voice mail.
New message notifications can be accomplished by several means
including e-mail notification.
> 4. Maybe a copy of the voice mail is sent to their computer so they
can hear it without having to call.
Voice-mails can be listened to as audio files through a web-browser
interface and a link in the new-message notification e-mail, no call
is required.
Again, the most cumbersome part of using this online solution to your
voice-mail problem is the office hours transfer; this is really more a
limitation of any phone service features you may subscribe to (or will
be subscribing to), rather than the online service. Some phone
companies offer a "Call Transfer" feature, this would work better for
this use than the 3-way-calling/conference calling feature that just
about every phone company offers.
Regards,
aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
cheaptrinkets-ga
on
10 Nov 2004 07:50 PST
I just spoke with them and they said the max is 5 including main. You
can't get 6. If we need more beyond that, they can't offer. I
appreciate your work but this company isn't going to work. Please find
some more options.
Thanks!
|
Clarification of Answer by
aht-ga
on
10 Nov 2004 10:55 PST
It's regrettable that the uAttendant service won't do, as it is a
great deal for what is included. Moving up from there, the next level
of services that will provide you with the features you are seeking is
represented by American Voice Mail Inc., powered by Segway
Communications:
http://www.americanvoicemail.com/autoattendant.html
However, in exchange for the greater flexibility comes a greater cost.
The Auto Attendant feature starts at $20/mo, and the voice-mail
services will be over and above that. One advantage of going with
American Voice Mail Inc. is that they most likely have a local access
number for you to use for after-hours call forwarding and in-hours
transferring (using the technique I previously described). I suggest
contacting them and letting them know that you are interested in
finding out if they can give you all of the capabilities of uReach
uAttendant, but with an additional mailbox.
Regards,
aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
cheaptrinkets-ga
on
11 Nov 2004 07:30 PST
It is very regrettable that they are unable to have more enough voice
mail. Can you please find out if this current choice meets the
criteria I listed?
Thank you!
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
cheaptrinkets-ga
on
13 Nov 2004 00:44 PST
Hello.
I asked two days ago if you could find out if this company meets the
criteria I listed. Look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks!
Walter
|
Clarification of Answer by
aht-ga
on
13 Nov 2004 10:19 PST
cheaptrinkets-ga:
I have requested further information from the company, and am
reviewing it to see if it matches your needs.
Regards,
aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher
|
Clarification of Answer by
aht-ga
on
14 Nov 2004 16:40 PST
cheaptrinkets-ga:
The information that they sent me in answer to my questions about
suitability did not answer the questions. I will need to get them to
clarify their capabilities over the phone. If you wish, you may also
speak with them separately, using their toll-free number at
1-800-347-2861. I will let you know what they tell me as soon as I
have the opportunity to speak with them.
aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
cheaptrinkets-ga
on
14 Nov 2004 17:19 PST
I would prefer that you call.
Thanks!
|
Clarification of Answer by
aht-ga
on
15 Nov 2004 09:29 PST
cheaptrinkets-ga:
I contacted the company to get their clarification on what their service can do.
Their hosted voice mail solution has a base cost of $19.95/mo., plus
$9.95/mo. per extension/mailbox. For your situation, with six
mailboxes (five employees plus one general mailbox), the cost would be
$79.20/mo. For this, you get the features described here:
http://www.americanvoicemail.com/voicemailsystem.html
This includes a 'Dial By Name Directory', e-mail notification/delivery
of voice-mails, the auto attendant, and many more features.
To summarize how well it meets your criteria:
1. Multiple mailboxes: you can add as many mailboxes as you need, for
$9.95/mo. each; for larger numbers, you can negotiate a volume
discount. The service will provide you with a local phone number that
you can forward your office line to at the end of the day, so that the
auto attendant can take the calls for you.
2. Transferring of calls: as I've discussed above, since this is a
hosted solution separate from your phone company, you will need to
subscribe to a conferencing calling feature that will let you put a
caller on hold, dial up the voice-mail system and predial the mailbox,
then bridge the two calls together so that the caller can leave their
message. After checking into what Verizon offers as calling features
to their business line subscribers in the Santa Monica area, I am sad
to report that they do not offer a call transfer service that would
allow you to hang up the call after connecting the caller to the
voice-mail system; therefore, you will need to remain on the line
until after the caller has finished leaving their message before you
can hang up. This is a limitation of your phone company, and not the
voice-mail service. The alternative is to provide the caller with the
local number for the voice-mail service, and let them call it directly
to leave their message.
3. E-mail alerts are available to American Voicemail subscribers in
the Santa Monica service area.
4. E-mail delivery of voice-mails are available as well (where the
voice-mail is an attachment to an e-mail).
Please note that at the price level that American Voicemail is asking
for, you would be able to purchase an in-house solution such as the
Talkswitch 24 for the same amount of money that a year's worth of
hosted voicemail would cost. The advantage of a hosted solution is
that they take care of maintenance and support issues. The advantage
of an in-house solution is that you improve your ability to transfer
callers during the day to voice-mail; with the voice-mail system
sitting in your office, you can easily transfer calls to another
extension/mailbox, freeing yourself from having to wait for the caller
to finish leaving their message before you hang up. Note, though, that
the Talkswitch 24 does not have e-mail notification, it only has
pager/cellphone notification (where it calls your cellphone to let you
know you have a message waiting).
Please contact American Voicemail at your convenience to see if you
would be happy with their service. The advisors I have spoken to have
seemed friendly and eager to help.
Regards,
aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher
|
