VoiceMail Pro

VoiceMail Pro can be tailored to meet the individual needs of a business and can scale up to 40 simultaneous calls if required. VoiceMail Pro allows message handling for individuals or groups, provides information to callers, assisting the operator during periods of heavy call activity and more by including a powerful voice processing system and an easy to use graphical user interface - the ‘VoiceMail Pro Client’ which can also provide remote management over the LAN/WAN.

VoiceMail messages can be integrated into a user’s Email box and dealt with as any Email message. Through the use of Text To Speech facilities users can be provided with access to their Voice and Email messages through the telephone while in the office or remotely when away from the office. This email reading capability requires Microsoft Exchange. Additionally, users may reply to the sender of the email message. Their voice reply message would be converted to a .wav file and emailed to the sender of the email message.

Administrators can determine the order of message playback for the system of new or saved messages in either a last in/last out (LIFO) order or in a first in/first out (FIFO) order.

The VoiceMail Pro Manager application also allows far more to be achieved than just guiding a user to the group or extension they require. It allows VoiceMail Pro to dial back users, internally or externally, as soon as a voicemail message is left for them. It provides security, by prompting for a PIN code should a user wish to change their Forwarding or Follow Me number from an external telephone.

A single VoiceMail Pro server (PC-based) can provide voicemail services to multiple IP Office systems over the LAN, WAN or a Frame Relay network. This is referred to as ‘Centralized VoiceMail’ and can reduce costs, while facilitating communication between IP Office sites. Other uses for VoiceMail Pro include Whisper Announce which prompts callers for information (usually their name) which is recorded and passed on to the user's extension (if free), allowing them to choose to accept the call or not. This is particularly useful on "CLI/ANI withheld" numbers which are usually calls from telesales companies where somebody is trying to sell you something. VoiceMail Pro will not intrude onto busy extensions.

Assisted Transfer allows transfer of a call to a destination, but allows the call to return to VoiceMail Pro automatically for other options should the called party be engaged, or not answer within a predetermined time.

By testing conditions (such as whether out-of-hours), calls can be routed depending on system or user-definable criteria. Conditions are constructed from a set of basic elements. These elements can be combined within a single condition to create complex rules. For example, the Week Planner can be used to define the company’s standard working hours, and then combined with the calendar to define exception days such as public holidays / vacation.

VoiceMail Pro also offers the concept of modules. Modules allow you to create sequences of actions that you want to share between a number of different call routing scenarios. These modules can be used to create a library of vertical voicemail applications or just easy dissemination to other IP Office voicemail sites, thanks to its import and export functionality.

VoiceMail Pro can also trigger external actions such as activating the external relays on the IP Office. For example, remotely checking the status of the office heating and then turning it on from your Mobile/Cell Phone on your drive in to work.

VoiceMail Pro provides the ability to allow a caller to select the language in which they require the system to respond in.

Finally, a Speaking Clock, that takes its time from the Voicemail server, is built into VoiceMail Pro to minimize call charges.

In summary VoiceMail Pro adds:

• VoiceMail Pro Manager graphical user interface.

• Customizable voicemail services for individual business requirements.

• Personal Numbering.

• Audiotex and Auto-Attendant services (including dial by name).

• Sophisticated Queue Announcement facilities.

• Conditions (e.g. test if ‘out of hours’).

• Automatic and On Demand Call Recording.

• Voice forms/questionnaire mailboxes - "Campaign Manager".

• VPIM support for inter-working with other specific Avaya VoiceMail systems.

• Access to Database information for building Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems.

• Visual Basic (VB) Script support to allow the configuration of the Voice system through VB Scripts rather than VoiceMail Pro Callflows.

• Extended Personal Greetings to customize the information presented to a caller based upon the availability of a user.

• Text To Speech facilities to allow Emails to be read out over the telephone and the ability to reply to emails with a voicemail message. Text To Speech facilities also allow for database information to be read to a caller in 14 languages.

• Housekeeping facilities for the management of messages.

• Automatic detection and routing of Fax calls within Auto Attendants and within a subscriber's voicemail box.

• Ability to access and print Fax wherever you are. Supported on Castelle Fax Server, GFI Fax, RightFax, Zetafax, Faxination, and Avaya FaxMail Pro (Germany only).

• Forwarding of Voicemail messages to Email systems via SMTP.

• Comprehensive support of the Intuity Telephone User Interface.

• Recording of system prompts through the telephone handset or using multimedia facilities on a PC.

• Speaking Clock.

• 24 supported prompt languages – Chinese (PRC/Mandarin), Chinese (Traditional/Cantonese), Danish, Dutch, English (UK), English (US), Finnish, French, French (Canadian), German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin), Swedish, TTY.

• Centralized voicemail within a multi-site IP Office environment.

• Capacity of up to 30 ports.

• Visual Voice (available with large display phones).

VoiceMail Pro Auto Attendant

In addition to its advanced voicemail facilities, VoiceMail Pro provides an easy-to-use, multi-level Graphical User Interface (GUI) the ‘VoiceMail Pro Client’ allows network managers and system administrators to configure and construct an interactive system, based upon DTMF telephone key entry.

At its most basic, this allows an Auto-Attendant system to be built and configured to suit the way the company operates in the best interests of staff efficiency and customer service, be that on its own, or as a back-up for the regular operator when call volumes are high. Voicemail Pro also offers the ability to enter the name of the person via DTMF key entry, after which the auto-attendant offers the caller a possible name that matches or if there is more than one, a selection list is provided and allows the caller to select which one they wish to call.

As an example, VoiceMail Pro can be used to build an Auto-Attendant that prompts callers to "enter 1 for sales, 2 for support, 3 for admin, or 0 for the operator" allowing them to be transferred to the appropriate department without operator intervention. Alternatively, a list of personnel and their extension numbers could be listed, allowing the caller to directly access the person they want. For larger companies it could be department number listed first, followed by the list of employee extensions within the department.

The latter two examples are ideal where company telephone operation has changed from a central operator only based system to Direct Dialing In (DDI/DID), allowing callers to "learn" the required extension number from the prompting of VoiceMail Pro, and then in future dial the extension number directly. Auto-Attendant operation is also ideal where multiple languages are required, e.g. "Dial 1 for English, 2 for German, 3 for French”.

VoiceMail Pro – Personal Numbering

Contact-ability is important in winning and maintaining business. VoiceMail Pro offers users the ability to remotely turn their voicemail on or off, set their email forwarding, edit their call forwarding and follow me numbers. Together these actions provide a comprehensive Personal Numbering service for the user who needs to remain in contact regardless of their physical location.

VoiceMail Pro – Extended Personal Greetings

In Intuity mode the VoiceMail Pro system has the ability to hold a number of greetings within each user’s mailbox that can be played to a caller. This provides the ability to present the caller with a greeting that reflects where the call has come from (internal or external) or why the called party is unable to take the call. A mailbox user can configure the responses that are played back to the caller, based upon the reason the caller was routed to the Voicemail. The supported call states are:

• Busy/Engaged – The user is currently on a call and unable to accept a second call.

• No Reply – The user is away from the desk and unable to take a call.

• Internal – A greeting to be played to internal calls

• External – The greeting to be played to external callers

• Out Of Hours – The greeting played when the system is operating ‘out of hours’. Out of hours is defined with IP Office Manager.

Additionally, a VoiceMail Pro user, using Phone Manager Pro, has the ability to specify up to three numbers (e.g., 0 for operator, 2 for colleague, or 3 for mobile/cell) within their voicemail greeting; an incoming call can be transferred to (subject to appropriate user rights). This offers a “Find Me” facility to make it easier to contact people and allows a personal auto-attendant to be created and managed by the user without requiring assistance from the system administrator.

VoiceMail Pro supports use of a temporary greeting. This allows a personalized daily greeting valid for a single day, or a holiday greeting valid for “x” days, after which the default greeting automatically comes into use.

VoiceMail Pro – Group Broadcast Messages

With VoiceMail Pro, two modes of operation exist for the handling of hunt group messages. The method used is configured for the group through the IP Office Manager.

The first mode places the message in the hunt group mailbox and only informs those individuals configured for message waiting indication from that group. This is ideal for scenarios where only a few people such as a call center supervisor need to be initially aware of group messages. This is the default mode of operation. Any message waiting light lit by this is extinguished when the new hunt group message is accessed by a user.

In the second mode of operation, the message is not stored in the hunt group mailbox. Instead it is broadcast (copied and forwarded) to the individual mailboxes of all the hunt group members. This lights the individual messages waiting light of each user until they access their mailbox.

VoiceMail Pro – Personal Distribution Lists

Personal Distribution Lists are only available with VoiceMail Pro when operating in Intuity mode. The feature provides the ability for a user to distribute a voicemail message to a list of recipients simultaneously. Lists can be configured by a voicemail box subscriber either through their voicemail box telephone user interface (TUI) or through the desktop PC application Phone Manager. This feature operates is similar in operation to the same feature available with the Avaya Intuity Audix.

The features available to a voicemail box subscriber include:

• Create up to 20 lists with 360 members per list

• Mark a list as Private or Public. Private lists can not be accessed by any other voicemail subscriber. Public lists can be used by other subscribers but can not be edited.

• Public lists can be copied from one subscriber to another by adding the contents into a new list.

• Subscribers can ‘Create’ new lists, ‘Scan’ contents of an existing list or ‘Modify’ existing lists.

• List members can be added by using the station number or mailbox name (names are not supported for VoiceMail Pro Networked Messaging mailboxes).

• Lists can include voicemail boxes that exist on other Avaya Voicemail systems that are available through VoiceMail Pro Networked Messaging.

• Lists can be added together, duplicate members are automatically removed. This includes public lists owned by other voicemail subscribers.

• Mailing lists are accessible to the user at any ‘send message’ and ‘forward message’ option within the user's voicemail box.

When displayed within Phone Manager Pro, distribution lists can have a list description added to it; this is only visible within Phone Manager Pro.

VoiceMail Pro – Providing Queuing Announcements within the Contact Center

VoiceMail Pro provides the ability to create a voicemail and interactive voice response solution which meets the specific business needs of a customer contact center. Thanks to a powerful graphical user interface, it can easily and rapidly create and modify call flows from simple announcements to multiple single digit tone menus, to provide Audiotex services and Automated Attendant functionality. It can also be used to completely tailor the pre-connection call experience that a customer receives when making contact. In addition to the functionality provided by VoiceMail Pro’s call in-queue announcements, supervisors may create sophisticated queue and call routing plans with access to a host of features such as message taking, interview services, and the ability to play estimated time to answer and/or queue position information to customers.

The VoiceMail Pro application provides Queue Handling facilities, allowing incoming Hunt Group calls to be automatically answered when department, group or individual telephones are busy. Customers entering a queue are played a message informing them of the situation and then hear hold music (internally generated or from an external source), while being regularly updated. Two unique messages may be recorded for each Hunt Group (queue entry and queue update message). Queue announcements can also provide position in queue and estimated time to answer to the caller.

Additionally, to suit the needs of the contact center, VoiceMail Pro provides the caller with their position within the queue and an estimated time for their call to be answered. It furthermore gives the caller the option to opt out of the queue and leave a message at any time if desired.

VoiceMail Pro – Campaign Manager

An integral part of VoiceMail Pro, this application enables repetitive information gathering (such as brochure requests) to be fully automated, leaving agents free to deal with other, more complex calls which require human interaction. Campaign Manager enables round-the-clock immediate answering, offering callers a series of clear and uncomplicated questions. Callers give their response either spoken or through the telephone keypad. Recordings can be interrupted by the caller at anytime by pressing a key on their phone. When agents are busy, overflow to Campaign Manager relieves congestion and pressure on agent groups. An agent can collect the completed transaction via a web browser or via a preprogrammed Short Code representing the particular campaign. This number can be preprogrammed under a DSS key and used by agents to access the campaign. If the DSS key incorporates a BLF lamp, that lamp is lit when new campaign messages have been left. Agents then transcribe the caller’s answers into a database or other records. Once a caller has entered information via a campaign message, the agents can then check these messages, with any responses left via touch-tone played back as voice.

The powerful Windows Graphical User Interface (GUI) of VoiceMail Pro Manager makes customization and creation of questionnaires simple. Inbound call campaigns can be easily created and modified via a campaign wizard.

With VoiceMail Pro, customers are able to “break out” of a queue, or be directed in an “Overflow” situation to complete their transactions via the Campaign Manager. This ensures that a minimum of customers give up when forced to wait in a queue and therefore maximizes revenue opportunities.