User's Guide to Computer Appointment Verification

• Introduction
  • Overview
  • Terms
• The Elements of Computer Appointment Verification
  • Client Directory
  • Client Form
  • Calling List
  • The Message
    • The Opening Speech
    • The Variable Information
    • The Closing Speech
    • Chain Application Options
  • Billing Your Clients
  • Reports
• Computer Appointment Verification and Business Manager
  • The Elements of Your Business Manager Program
• Starting Computer Appointment Verification
  • Using Windows 95
  • Using Windows 3.1
• Windows 95 Vs. Windows 3.1
  • Program Title Bars
  • Program Menus
• Ending Your Computer Appointment Verification Session
  • Windows 95
    • The X Button
    • The Exit Button
    • The File Menu
    • The Keyboard
    • The Window Control Bar
  • Windows 3.1
• Using the On-Line Help Function
  • Starting Help
  • Exiting Help

Chapter 2: Computer Appointment Verification

Introduction

Overview

Computer Appointment Verification, CAV for short, is a program that can be used by anyone who needs to deliver a message to several parties. The program was originally designed to generate calls for your clients who schedule appointments on a regular basis. The program calls the people on your client's schedule and delivers a prerecorded message to notify those people of their appointments. The program also tracks the results of these calls and bills your client for the service.

A standard message would usually be a notification of an appointment, including the client name and the time and date of the appointment. You do, however, have the capability of customizing and delivering very specialized messages that can include additional information, with or without a time and date added.

Anytime your client needs to deliver a message to several people, you can use CAV to make the calls and deliver the message. Wherever you can find a calling committee, or a business or organization that routinely makes many calls for a single purpose, you can implement CAV. Some of these applications include notification of a payment due, such as for credit collections, dues and subscriptions. Your Computer Appointment Verification Sales and Marketing Manual includes other specific applications.

This chapter introduces you to Computer Appointment Verification and covers the basic information you need to begin to use the program.

Specifically, we explain:

• The elements of the CAV program

• How to start CAV

• How to end your session

• How to use On-line Help

Terms

We use the following special terms in this chapter.

Business Manager	Business Manager is a program that allows you to control and monitor your phone applications. You must have Business Manager installed to run any of the phone application programs such as Computer Appointment Verification.
Calling List	The list of calls you are making for a client. This list includes the time and date of the appointment, and the name and phone number of the person with the appointment. The list is presented in order by appointment date, and can optionally be reordered by name.
Client	The person for whom you are making the notification calls. The client is the person who is billed.
Client Directory	This is a list of the clients for whom you are making calls. The Client Directory is the set of client forms, that you have entered into the program.
Database	A database is simply a collection of related material or information within your computer's memory. This is where your program stores all of your client information.
Icon	An icon is a graphic representation of a program in Windows. The icon is typically composed of a small picture along with the name of the program below it.
On-Line Help	On-line means that help is accessible at any time in the program, unless you're already inside the help function itself.

The Elements of Computer Appointment Verification

Computer Appointment Verification consists of a few essential elements that work together to create a useful service for you and your client. We have designed Computer Appointment Verification to appear as uncomplicated and straight forward as possible. The elements that make up the program include:

• Client Directory

• Client Form

• Calling List

• Messages

• Billing

• Reports

These elements are explained in the following sections.

Client Directory

The Client Directory is an alphabetized record of your Computer Appointment Verification clients. As you develop a clientele for your business, you will enter information for each client into the Client Information form of the Computer Appointment Verification program.

The program builds a list or directory of the client names. Then when you have any Computer Appointment Verification business to conduct, you first access the appropriate client from the Client Directory.

Client Form

The Client Form contains the information you need to run your business. The information includes:

• Name

• Your primary contact at the client's office

• Client's complete address

• Phone and fax number (optional) for the client

• Usual interval between client appointments (optional)

• Billing information

• What notification lead time the client wants

Calling List

From the Client Information form you access the Call Entry form. Here you enter the information to create a Calling List for each of your clients. The essential information you need for each call entry is:

• appointment date

• appointment time

• phone number of person who has the appointment

• name of person who has an appointment

The program will calculate the date the notification call is to be made based on the information you entered in the Client Information form. The program also translates the time and date of the appointment into speech that can be included in the message.

The Message

A primary reason that Computer Appointment Verification is a cost effective and efficient method to make calls, is that messages are not recorded individually. The message that is delivered when a call is answered is composed of several different recordings.

You record a generic Greeting Speech when you first set up your business. Then when you add a client, you record the client name as the Closing Speech. At the same time, you specify if you want the time and date included in the message. The program supplies the time and date recordings and then combines these segments to make a complete message. There is no additional recording needed for the time and date segment of the messages.

If a client's purpose is better served by using a speech other than the Greeting Speech to begin the message, you have the option of recording a specialized Opening Speech for the client at the same time that you record the Closing Speech. When there is an Opening Speech recorded, the program will automatically use it instead of the generic Greeting Speech recorded in the Settings menu. You can also use the Closing Speech to record a more lengthy message than just the client's name.

The three parts that make up a complete message are:

• Opening Speech - Usually the main speech used in the message, the opening speech introduces and states the purpose of the call. This is either the standard Greeting Speech that can be used for all client messages, or it can be a customized speech for one client only.

• Variable Information Speech - This includes the time and date of the appointment. The files that produce this part of the message are already included in your program.

  The time is stated as 'hour, minutes and am or pm'; such as, 2:30pm.

  The date is stated as 'day of the week, month, day and year'; such as, Saturday, April 1st, 1995.

• Closing Speech - This is the part of the message that identifies the client for whom you are making calls. As it comes at the end of the message, you can add any other information your client would like to convey in this part of the message.

All of the speeches that make the notification messages are recorded and are saved in your computer. The procedures for recording these speeches are included in Chapter 5 of this manual.

The Opening Speech

You can select and record a custom opening speech for a client in that client's information form. If you do not select a customized speech, then the standard Greeting Speech becomes the opening speech by default.

The Opening Speech is the first part of the message. It introduces the call and states the purpose of the call. This speech can be either the universal Greeting Speech that fits most client messages, or it can be a custom speech specific to that client alone.

The universal Greeting Speech is prerecorded and supplied with your program. However, we encourage you to record it again so that it will be in the same voice as the Closing speech.

A suggested Greeting Speech is:

"Hello, this is an appointment verification system calling with a reminder of the following appointment."

The standard Greeting Speech is addressed in the section of this manual called "Greeting Speech" on page 140 of Appendix B: Personalizing CAV.

When you need a specialized Opening Speech for a client, you record it from the Client Information form. The procedures for recording are found in "Appendix C: Recording and Playing" on page 143 of this manual.

The Variable and Closing speeches are attached to the greeting speech to create the complete reminder message.

The Variable Information

The Variable information is the time and date of the appointment. Your program includes the files that produce the recordings for the times and dates. These files are matched to the information that you enter when you enter the time and date on the Call Entry form.

The time includes the hour, minutes, and whether the time is 'am' or 'pm'. An example of the format of the time is "8:00 am".

The date includes the day of the week, the month, day of the month, and the year. An example of the format for the date is "Monday, May 15, 1995".

For each client you can select whether to include both time and date, either time or date, or neither the time and date.

When you use both the time and date, the message then becomes:

"Hello, this is an appointment verification system calling with a reminder of the following appointment, at 2:00pm on Monday, May 15th, 1995.....

The Closing Speech

This is the portion of the message that identifies the client for whom you are making the calls. This portion of the message can also include any additional information your client wants to convey.

When you set up a client, you will record the clients name as you want it to be spoken in the messages you generate for that client. This recording becomes the closing portion of the message. If your client is Dr. Van Pelt, the message would then be:

"Hello, this is an appointment verification system calling with a reminder of the following appointment, at 2:00pm on Monday May 15th, 1995, with Dr. Van Pelt."

The procedures for recording are found in "Appendix C: Recording and Playing" on page 143 of this manual.

Chain Application Options

Each CBSI telephony program has its own unique features. After the Closing Speech is played, you have the option of chaining to other CBSI telephony applications so that you can take advantage of features in other programs that are not available in Computer Appointment Verification. The Chain To controls are also located at the bottom of the Closing Speech screen.

Billing Your Clients

Computer Appointment Verification allows you to customize the billing and charges for each individual client. You enter the fee per call and the billing cycle for each client on an individual basis in the Client Information form. You can generate all client bills at once, or you can generate bills individually.

When you are ready to bill, Computer Appointment Verification will calculate your bills, generate a report of all calls entered for the billing period, print the bills and the mailing labels for all clients billed. Chapter 9: Client Billing addresses billing in more detail.

Reports

To help you more effectively manage accounts and plan your calling activities, Computer Appointment Verification generates reports and prints them when you need them. Chapter 8: Management Reports" addresses these reports in more detail. The reports that are available are:

• Summary of a single client's information

• Summary of all clients' information

• Client information and detail of call activity for a single client

• Client information and detail of call activity for all clients

• Client mailing labels

Computer Appointment Verification and Business Manager

Computer Appointment Verification uses the resources of your computer and the voice/telephone card to place calls and leave messages. However, without Business Manager, you cannot run Computer Appointment Verification.

While the Computer Appointment Verification program specifies days on which each notification call is made, the program doesn't manage the calls. This is done with the Business Manager program. The main purpose of the Business Manager program is to allow you to control and monitor your phone applications, such as Computer Appointment Verification.

There are a number of elements that make up the Business Manager program, and each performs a special task. Whether you want to schedule an application to run at a certain time, change the structure of an application, create a new phone application, or test an application, Business Manager is the place to be. Business Manager gives you command of editors, monitors, test programs, schedulers, and even a phone line finder -- all in one program. Mastering Business Manager means mastering a program that contains all of the tools you need to use your CBSI phone applications -- like Computer Appointment Verification -- effectively.

The Elements of Your Business Manager Program

These elements are the parts of Business Manager that allow you to perform the functions necessary to schedule and make Computer Appointment Verification calls.

• Application Scheduler - This is the part of Business Manager that allows you to schedule applications to run at certain times on the available phone line (or lines). The schedule includes time cells for each hour of each day of the week, and a listing of the phone applications available for scheduling. If you have more than one phone line connected to your computer, then you will also have more than one schedule (i.e., each line has its own schedule).

• Monitor - This is the part of Business Manager that processes the schedule created in the Application Scheduler, then runs the application or applications. Monitor associates an application with an available phone line, acting as a 'traffic cop' for applications on the phone lines.

• Telephone Activity Reports - These are reports that tell you what takes place in the system. You decide what information you want in the report using the Report Generator, then you print the information using your printer. These reports provide useful information on just about every aspect of the running of your phone applications.

• Management Option Settings - These are settings for the general management of your phone applications, and also some special controls for phone characteristics. You do not normally have to use any of these controls, but they're good to know about in the event that you have non-standard phone characteristics. For more information on the management option settings in Monitor, refer to Chapter 7: "Using the Monitor Program" in your "User's Guide for Business Manager."

Starting Computer Appointment Verification

Using Windows 95

If you have Windows 95, you use the Start button and menu to run most of your programs.

To begin, click on the Start button. When you click on the Start button, you see a list or menu similar to the one in the next figure.

Figure 1--The Start Menu

The Start menu allows you to choose from several different options. As you move the mouse pointer over the options on the menu, you will see that each option becomes highlighted, that is, a bar of color appears over the option. The highlighted option is the one that will be selected when you click with the mouse.

As you can see, the Programs option displays a small arrow on the right edge of the menu. Whenever you see this small arrow next to a menu option, you are being told that another menu displays when the option is selected. You will also notice, that just leaving the mouse pointer on the option will display the next menu without requiring you to click at all. This is a common feature in Windows and program menus.

Now, click on the Programs option.

When you click or just highlight the Programs menu, you will see the next menu as shown in the following figure.

Figure 2 --The Programs Menu

Again, you can see that some of the options display more menus. If a menu option does not show the arrow, then clicking on that option will immediately open a window or start a program.

Click on the Business Applications option. You will see another menu as shown in the next figure.

Figure 3--The Business Applications Menu

Notice that none of these options show the arrow. Therefore, selecting one of these options will immediately start that CBSI program. This is an example only. Your computer will show the list of CBSI programs you currently have installed. The programs will be listed alphabetically, from top to bottom.

Now, click on the Computer Appointment Verification program option.

Using Windows 3.1

To open the Computer Appointment Verification program through Windows 3.1, double click on the Computer Appointment Verification icon in the CBSI Business Applications group window. Alternately you can select the icon by using the arrow keys to highlight the icon title and then pressing eto open the program.

Windows 95 Vs. Windows 3.1

Program Title Bars

In general, programs that are written for Windows 3.1 and are run under Windows 95 will behave and look the same. Most will run a little faster under Windows 95 though. However, in two areas you will see a different appearance and slightly different operations. The next two figures show, in order, a typical program title bar in Windows 3.1 and the same program in Windows 95.

Figure 4 --Windows 3.1 Title Bar And Menu

Figure 5 --Windows 95 Title Bar And Menu

Although at first glance they look the same, look closely at the upper right corner. You will see two buttons under Windows 3.1 and three buttons in Windows 95. Also note that in the upper left corner, Windows 3.1 shows a button whereas Windows 95 shows a small picture (icon). The following chart explains the similarities and differences.

Win 95	Win 3.1	Function
		Maximize Window--Increase the window size to fill the desktop.
		Minimize Window--Remove the window from the desktop but leave the program running
	NA	Close Window--Close program
		Restore from Maximize--Return Window to last size.
		Control Menu--Display Control Menu or Double Click to Close. In Win 95, a small icon is used

Program Menus

Another difference you will see is in the menus used in the programs. This is only a visual difference. The menu works the same way in either Windows 95 or Windows 3.1. The menus shown are typical program menus and may not be used in Computer Appointment Verification.

Figure 6 --Windows 95--A Typical Menu

Figure 7 --Windows 3.1--A Typical Menu

Ending Your Computer Appointment Verification Session

Now that you know how to get into the program, you will want to be able to get out as well.

Windows 95

Warning: Avoid turning your computer off when the program is displayed. Turning your computer off when any program is displayed or when Windows is running can result in lost information.

If you're using Windows 9.5, your program and Windows provide together five different ways to stop (exit) your Computer Appointment Verification program. Regardless of the method you use to exit, if you've made any changes to the currently displayed Client Form, a message box appears with three buttons along the bottom (labeled Yes, No, and Cancel). Clicking the Yes button saves the changes to the currently displayed Client Form then ends your Computer Appointment Verification Program session (the window closes).

Clicking the No button ends your Computer Appointment Verification session without saving your changes. Clicking the Cancel button takes you back to the program without doing anything.

The X Button

Windows 95 adds the X button on the title bar to all Windows programs. The X button is one way to leave the program. Clicking on this button will close down the program.

The Exit Button

The Exit button is the most obvious way to exit the program. This saves you from having to open the File menu to leave the program. This is, by far, the easiest method of ending your Computer Appointment Verification program.

The File Menu

This menu, pictured in Figure 8, provides you with options that allow you to manipulate the Client Forms in your Client List. From this menu, you can add, delete, or open Client Forms or exit the program. Click on the File menu heading at the left side of the menu bar on the program window. A menu heading is the word you find in the white bar along the top of your program window. Using the a+F key combination also causes the menu to open.

Figure 8 --The File Menu

Exit. The Exit option closes the Computer Appointment Verification program window when you click on the option, move the highlight to the option and press e, or press Xwhen this menu is displayed.

The Keyboard

You can also press a + o to exit the program.

The Window Control Bar

You may click on the control bar (the small program icon) at the upper left corner of the program window to display the control menu, pictured in Figure 9. Then choose Close. You may also just double click on the control bar to close the window.

Figure 9 --The Control Bar Menu

Windows 3.1

If you're using Windows 3.1, to exit out of the program, you may also use the Exit button, the Exit option in the File menu, the a + o key combination or the Window Control Bar. These methods are described in the previous section of this chapter.

The main difference between Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 in exiting the program is that Windows 3.1 doesn't feature an X button on the title bar. Also in Windows 95 the Control Bar is replaced with a small icon, but it works the same way.

Using the On-Line Help Function

If you encounter a problem at any time during the normal operation of your program, all you need to do is ask for help. The program includes an On-Line Help function to answer questions you may have concerning CAV. On-line meaning that it is accessible from anywhere in the program. The Help function contains the same basic information that you can find in this manual.

Starting Help

To start the Help function, click on the Help button. The button saves you a bit of time; that plus the fact that Help is one of the most commonly used functions, is why there is a Help button. You also can activate Help by using the Help menu heading from the menu bar. A menu heading is the word you find in the white bar along the top of your program window. The Help function is also accessible from anywhere in the program by pressing l.

Once you activate Help, you can select the topic you want help with from the contents table, or use one of the other Help functions.

The Help window displays the On-Line Help screens. The available Help options are:

• Contents - Help Contents opens the first Help window, The Help Contents Screen. This screen displays the most general of the section headings. These headings relate directly to the chapter headings in this manual.

• Search - Selecting this option from the Help menu lets you look through the Help index to find the topic you want Help with. You can enter a key word (name of topic) in the dialog box or select an option from the option box. Once you make a selection or entry, the Show Topics button lights up. Pressing (clicking on) the Show Topics button retrieves and displays a more specific list of topics. You can view a topic by selecting it with your mouse (clicking on the topic) then pressing the Go To button.

• About - Selecting this option from the menu allows you to see the credits of the program. These are like the credits you see at the end of a movie or TV show. Clicking OK allows you to close the About dialog box.

Exiting Help

To exit Help, all you have to do is close the Help window. You can do this by: double clicking on the Window Control Box, selecting the Exit option from the Window Control menu, or selecting the Exit option of the File menu in the Help window.