Overview:
Customer Line provides a Subscriber Line Service for your
"pre-paid" customers. Customer Line utilizes a unique Passcode
that’s assigned to your Customers. Passcode are programmed by you to allow access to
your service and its options. Each passcode can allow access up to 8 services separate
services. Passcodes can be programmed to automatically "disabled" itself by
using an expiration date in the future or by a quantity of calls purchased (per call).
Customer Line automatically manages your customer database from
the information you provide by prompting your subscriber to renew their service as they
begin to expire or run low of calls remaining.
Customer Line limits your subscribers to only 1 call per
message update. Should your Subscriber call to
many times or they hand out their passcode to others, they are excluded from the system
until your next update. When you update your message additional calls are then allowed.
This should keep your customers honest.
Your service is also equipped with a "Toll Saver" feature
that alerts your subscriber when there is no new message on your service by providing a
"ring tone". Your subscriber can hang-up during the ringing tone and not incur
any toll charges. Also you can have the system announce that date and time your message
was recorded, adjusted to your time zone.
All calls to your service are logged. This includes successful accesses
and those that failed. This information includes date & time of call, passcode
entered, buttons pressed, duration and the phone number of the caller. You can retrieve
this information from your email inbox. You can also email to yourself your passcode file
that provides you a "snap shot" view of your subscribers.
To get started using your service, you should complete the
"Subscriber Record Form". Make one entry for each customer. Then you will make
your "Entry Message", "Main Menu", "Exit Message" and
"No Update" message.
There are 8 messages Bins for outgoing messages to your callers. Each
Bin is associated with the touch tone keys 1 to 8 as spoken in your recorded menu. An
example of your menu might be, "Press 1 for Baseball, 2 for Football,... or press
pound to exit the systems." Should the caller press 1, message Bin 1 is played or
pressing 2 will play message Bin 2. This follows for touch tone buttons 1 though 8. Star
[*] is not used and pound [#] is used as the hang-up key. Bin 0 is used for your Main
Menu. Special messages such as your Entry, Exit, and No update message use a two
digit code beginning with a [9]. (See Table A)
A word about "Main Menus".
The "Main Menu" is a
message that provides the list of choices available to a subscriber. This menu will repeat
itself 3 times or until the caller presses one of the choices as spoken in your menu. When
the caller presses a button, they are moved to the bin that corresponds to the button
pressed. The buttons follow the telephone key pad. Pressing key pad button 1 on the
telephone will play the message in bin 1 and so on up to button 8.
If you are only
offering one service, for example baseball, and no other services, it is not necessary to
have a "Main Menu". If you do record a "Main Menu" your subscribers
will need to be instructed to press a button to hear your message. For example, your menu
message is under button 1, you would say... "Press 1 to hear today's message or
the pound key to exit the system".
If you do not record a "Main Menu",
then only Bin 1 is available to your subscribers. Meaning your subscriber will not need to
press any buttons to hear your message. The play sequence will then be message
91, 1, (2 if optioned) and then 92.
Message Bins can be "Linked".
This means Bins 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 are played in sequence. Example
might be if 2 and 4 are used as an update to Bins 1 and 3.
Table "A" lists the Message Code Numbers associated with each
type of message. If you do not record a Main Menu then only Message Bin 1 is available to
your callers.
[1] - Record a message - To make recordings.
[2l - Play a message - To play a message.
[3] - Subscriber Functions - For managing your customers.
[4] - Supervisor Functions - For special features.
[0] - Technical Assistance - To reach a "live body".
[#] - Exit the System - To hang up.
Here are detailed instructions for each menu choices:
[1] - Record a Message:
All messages heard by caller are made from this menu. The
steps to record your messages for your callers are listed below:
1. From the Main Menu - Press [1] to Record a message.
2. Enter a single digit [1] though [8] for the Message Bin number to record from the
Table "A".
3. If there is already a message recorded - the message is played. You can press [1]
anytime to re-record it or wait until the message ends.
4. Speak your message - Press the [#] key when you are finished recording.
5. Your are then prompted to press [9] to save this message. Pressing [0] will cancel.
6. Press [#] to Exit to the Record Sub-Menu.
7. If there is other messages to record, press [2] and follow steps 2 though 6 or if
this is the LAST message to record - Press [#] to exit to the Main Menu.
[2] - Play a message:
This function allows you to play any message
that has already been recorded by entering the Message ID number. Valid Message Code
Numbers are listed in the Table "A". Afterwards, you are returned to Main Menu.
[3] - Subscriber Functions:
This is where you manage you customer
database. You will be prompted to enter a Passcode to Add, Change, or Delete from your
Subscriber Form.
You will be informed if this is new a passcode or not. You are then
prompted though the options and features for this passcode. An existing passcode will ask
you if you wish to "Change" or "Delete" that passcode.
Options for a Subscriber include the "expiration date" or
number of calls and menu choices (from Table "A") allowed for this passcode.
When prompted to Enter a passcode to Add, Change, or Delete., enter a
passcode followed by the pound key [#]. The passcode is voiced-out for confirmation and a
sub menu will ask you to Press [1] if correct, [2] to reenter, or press [#] to exit to the
Main Menu. If correct, press [1] otherwise [2] to reenter.
Assuming this is a new passcode, you should hear That passcode was not
found - Press l1] to "Add it."
Now enter the expiration date for this passcode. Enter the date as 6
digits, two digits for the month, two digits for the day, and two digits for the year. An
example of a expiration date for Dec. 1, 1998 would be entered as "120198"
or
if this customer has a "per-call" service, Press only the pound key [#].
If this is a "per-call" customer - Enter the number of calls
allowed to this customer. If the customer has a Credit" - Your entry is add to the
remaining calls. To Clear the remaining calls - Entry only a [#] key.
If a date was entered, enter the "menu options" allowed to
this passcode. Enter the touch tone digits for each menu option allowed. For example - if
1 was for Baseball and 2 for Football and the customer has paid for both services, then
enter [1] and [2] and then [#].
To change an already existing passcode or feature is done just like
adding a subscriber as above. Deleting a passcode simply "zero-outs" the
expiration date calls remaining for the passcode.
[4] Supervisor Functions:
[1] - To Change your passcode.
[2] - Call counts and duration.
[3] - Change you office telephone number.
[4] - Fax usage report to your fax machine (Detailed Log).
[5] - Fax Subscriber Database to your fax machine.
[6] - Cleanup Passcode File.
[7] - Enter your Fax Telephone Number.
[#] - Exit to the Main Menu.
Most of the above options are self explanatory. But, here is brief
explanation of each:
[1] -Change your Passcode:
Allows you to change your passcode.
This is the passcode YOU use to Log-in to the service. One reason you might change it is
if someone leaves your organization or somebody "hacks" into your service. Passcodes can be up to 10 digits long to make "hacking" difficult.
[2] -Call Counts and Duration:
Will "voice-out" this
information since last reset. Total system calls is reset at midnight daily.
[3] -Change your Office Telephone number
Allows you to change your
office telephone number that's "voice-out" to your customers.
[4] - Fax a usage report: (Note: This
is now by email)
Send a detailed "call log" to
your fax machine. Warning: This can be a long report! Have plenty of paper in your fax
machine.
[5] - Fax the subscriber Database:
(Note: This is now by email)
Fax detailed information about
your customers on your service and call counts and duration. This is a short report.
[6] - Cleanup Passcode File
This function will PERMANENTLY delete passcodes from your passcode file that have been expired for more than 30 days.
Initial Setup:
Record your Entry Message. This is the message that your callers will
here when they first arrive to your service. Check the table "A" for the Message
Number ID for Entry message. A sample Entry message might be "Thanks for the call.
Here's today's message". This message is heard by all callers.
Next record your "Exit' Message such as
"Thanks for the
call, Good Luck!". This message is only heard if there is no main
menu or caller pressed "#" to exit the system.
Now record your message bins.
And lastly add some subscribers you might already have or a "dummy" customer
for testing
