User's Guide To Inbound Telenotification
Overview
The primary function of Inbound Telenotification is to advertise the other ECS applications you may have and generate leads that you may contact with further information. Inbound Telenotification is easy to use, and shipped to you ready to run. This simply means that when you get the program, there's no complex programming required of you. When you become interested in modifying the system, though, everything you will need to know in order to make any changes is explained in later sections of this manual.
The purpose of this chapter is to show you what Inbound Telenotification does and how you can use it, as well as tell you what you need to do to get your Inbound Telenotification system up and running. This chapter specifically discusses the following:
Terms
Listed here are some terms you need to know, as they appear in this chapter:
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Advertisement |
In the context of this program, a recorded sales speech and series of questions that the caller listens and responds to. |
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Caller |
Someone calling into the system, who has read your advertisement and wants to know more. They can call in to hear the advertisements and to leave you the information you need to contact them with more information. |
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Commit |
In the context of this program, this is a finalizing procedure. To 'Commit' is to finalize and save changes to the system's structure. |
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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. |
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Program |
In this manual, we are referring to Inbound Telenotification. |
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Speech |
A verbal message, recorded on a tree object in this program. A Speech can be in a Question Header, Question, or Prompt. |
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System |
Your computer, while running the Inbound Telenotification application. It's a neat little technical term to impress your clients, and it's also more convenient than saying 'Your computer, while running the Inbound Telenotification application.' |
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System Administrator |
You, the Center Owner. You call the shots, decide what you want to advertise, decide when the system is operating, etc. This program is your domain. Your word is law here. |
Inbound Telenotification generates leads for you by allowing potential customers to call in to your system via the Voice/Telephone card inside your computer, then listen to a pre-recorded message and respond to a few questions. You get yourself off and running by placing advertisements in the paper or in magazines. The ads tell potential callers basically what you have to offer and that they can get more information from a recorded speech at your phone number.
When people respond to your ad and call in, they hear a listing of the extension numbers of your informational messages. Callers dial the three digit extension that takes them to the advertisement that they want more information about. After listening to a short sales pitch, they respond to a few questions, usually requests for name, address and phone number. The program records this information, along with the date and time of the call. You can retrieve this information to compile a list of leads who have already expressed an interest in your product or service. You can then contact these people and provide them with follow up information.
You access the Inbound Telenotification system editor through your Business Manager program. The method used to open Business Manager depends on whether you're using Windows 95 or Windows 3.1.
Using Windows 95 To Open Business Manager
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 ECS Business Applications option. You will see another menu as shown in the next figure.
Figure 3--The ECS Business Applications Menu
Notice that none of these options show the arrow. Therefore, selecting one of these options will immediately start that ECS program. This is an example only. Your computer will show the list of ECS programs you currently have installed. The programs will be listed alphabetically, from top to bottom.
Now, click on the Business Manager program option.
Using Windows 3.1 To Open Business Manager
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Business Manager Icon |
If you're using Windows 3.1, you must be in Windows 3.1 before you open Business Manager. To open Business Manager, all you need to do is double click on the Business Manager icon in your ECS Business Applications Program Group. You also may click on the icon just once and then press e. |
Once You're In Business Manager
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The Inbound Telenotification system editor window appears as shown in Figure 4:
Figure 4--The Inbound Telenotification system editor window
Figure 5--The Tree Edit screen
The Tree Edit Screen displays a 'system tree'. This is a graphical representation of the system. This sample tree is made up of ECS programs to show you how things work. Yours will probably be different because the tree that will appear on your screen is made up of advertisements for the programs you purchased. ECS has already loaded them onto your system. This is a fully functional system. You can run the system using Business Manager, and call into the system and move around. This will give you a good idea of how the system tree works. Eventually, you may either modify this tree to customize it for your use, or make your own system tree.
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 6--Windows 3.1 Title Bar And Menu
Figure 7--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.
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Win 95 |
Win 3.1 |
Function |
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Maximize Window--Increase the window size to fill the desktop. |
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Minimize Window--Remove the window from the desktop but leave the program running |
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NA |
Close Window--Close program |
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Restore from Maximize--Return Window to last size. |
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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 Business Manager or Inbound Telenotification.
Figure 8--Windows 95--A Typical Menu
Figure 9--Windows 3.1--A Typical Menu
When you finish editing the system tree, you can exit the system editor so you can do other things. It is a simple procedure to exit the Inbound Telenotification system editor, and you can use the following procedure to do so:
Windows 95
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If you're using Windows 9.5, your program and Windows provide several different ways to stop (exit) Inbound Telenotification. |
The X Button
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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 File Menu
This menu, pictured in Figure 10, 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 10--The File Menu
Exit. The Exit option closes the Inbound Telenotification 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 11. Then choose Close. You may also just double click on the control bar to close the window.
Figure 11--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.
Committing Changes
If you made changes to the system tree but did not commit these changes, the following advisory message appears:
Figure 12--The "Commit Changes" Advisory box
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These features allow you to experiment with your system all you want. You can make all kinds of changes. As long as you don't commit them, you will not have affected anything in your system permanently. |
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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 that you might have concerning Inbound Telenotification. (On-Line means that it is accessible from anywhere in the program, unless you're already inside the Help Function itself.) The Help function contains the same basic information that you can find in this manual.
Starting Help
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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 like Focused or Selectable Help, and Key Word Search.
The Help Window displays the On-Line-Help screens. The available Help options are:
The Key Word Search is a highly useful function if you know (or have a good idea of) what you're looking for.
Exiting Help
To exit Help, all you have to do is close the Help Window. You can do this by: double clicking on the icon in the title bar, selecting the "Close" option from the Window Control menu, or selecting the "Exit" option of the "File" menu in the Help Window.
This section concentrates on the processes and procedures you need to know to get your system up and running. This includes installing the ECS programs you want to advertise, setting up your phone lines, scheduling Inbound Telenotification to run, then running and using the application. Keep in mind that this is only an overview of the set up. If you wish to understand more about the application and its uses, the later chapters discuss these subjects in more detail.
Installing Programs You Want to Advertise
If you have purchased a computer from ECS as well as your ECS programs, then ECS has already installed the necessary advertisements in your Inbound Telenotification application. If you are installing ECS programs to your computer, the install program will ask you if you wish to add advertisements to Inbound Telenotification.
If you respond "Yes" to this question, the computer will automatically set up the advertisements for your Inbound Telenotification program. This means that for each program you install, the program places the advertisements in the Inbound Telenotification program and makes them ready to use.
If you respond "No," the program will not forward the information to Inbound Telenotification. This means that the advertisements will not be available in Inbound Telenotification. If you later wish to advertise one of these programs in Inbound Telenotification you will have to create the advertisement yourself. For more information on creating advertisements, refer to "Chapter 5: Modifying the System Tree".
Setting Up Phone Lines
If you have purchased a computer from ECS as well as your ECS programs, and are only using one phone line, then it is already set up and configured. All you have to do is plug the phone into the computer. The displayed phone number may not match your phone number, but everything will work properly. You can change the phone number in the Phone Line Configuration box. "Chapter 4: Configuring Phone Lines" of the User's Guide to Business Manager explains this process.
If you are using more than one phone line, or are installing ECS programs onto your own computer, then setting up your phone lines is a two step process. The first step is to connect the phone to the computer. The second step is to configure the line or lines so that your system can run the application. The overview for this procedure is as follows:
First, enter the Business Manager program, then use the "Lines!" option to open the Phone Line Configuration box. If you have one phone line, simply enter and configure the number. If you have more than one line, enter and configure each one using the Linefinder program. For more information on the specifics of this process, see "Appendix B: Phone Lines and Telephone Cards" and "Chapter 4: Configuring Phone Lines" in the User's Guide to Business Manager.
Scheduling Inbound Telenotification to Run
ECS has already loaded the advertisements for all the programs you ordered on Inbound Telenotification. When you receive a computer from ECS and turn it on, Inbound Telenotification is already set up and running on Combination Application, along with any other telephone applications that you purchased. Combination Application is a program that allows you to run more than one phone application at a time. The program presents callers with a menu that allows them to choose from your various services. If you later install more phone applications and add them to Inbound Telenotification, or if you are installing the applications to your own computer, the install program updates Combination Application and your advertisements are ready to run as soon as someone calls.
If you are only running Inbound Telenotification, then Combination Application is just one more unnecessary step and you may want to change your schedule. This process involves using the Application Scheduler, which is the portion of the Business Manager program that you use to schedule phone applications to run. The following is an overview of the process:
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For detailed information on the scheduling procedure, refer to Chapter 6: Scheduling Applications in the User's Guide to Business Manager. |
First enter the Business Manager program, then use the "Schedule" option in the File Menu to access the Application Scheduler. At this point, insert either "Inbound Telenotification" or "Combo Application" into the Scheduling Grid. Use "Inbound Telenotification" if you wish to run the application by itself. If you wish to run more than one telephone application, use "Combo Application." For more information on the Combination Application program refer to the User's Guide to Business Manager. Now that you've scheduled the application and committed the schedule, you are ready to run the application. |
Running the Application
If you have purchased ECS hardware, and have not changed the scheduled application, or if you have changed the schedule and committed it, then Inbound Telenotification is running as soon as you turn the computer on and open up Windows. All you have to do is get your print advertisements out and wait for the calls to start coming in.
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For more information on Monitor, see "Chapter 7: Using the Monitor Program" in the User's Guide to Business Manager. |
If you are using your own computer, then after you install and schedule your programs, you will have to start them up. The Monitor program is the part of the Business Manager program that you use to run your phone applications. It uses the Application Scheduler to know which applications to run on which phone lines, and when. If Monitor is not running, or if you have closed Monitor, you may start Monitor by double-clicking the "Monitor" icon in the "ECS Business Applications" program group. The "Monitor" icon appears in the lower left corner of the screen. |
Windows has Monitor set up to start running when you turn your computer on and enter Windows. So once you turn it on, simply minimize it and leave it running. As you make and commit changes to your programs or schedules, Monitor begins running the changed application.
Using Inbound Telenotification
Now that your application is running and potential customers are calling and information is piling up, you are ready for the fun part. You can collect your messages in any one of the three following ways:
The first is to enter the Inbound Telenotification application itself. Open each header to see if there are any messages, then select and play the messages you wish to hear. You have to open each header to find out if there are any messages. Refer to "Chapter 7: Retrieving Messages" for more information.
Another way to collect your messages is to use the Remote Access feature. You can do this from any phone by calling your Inbound Telenotification system, and entering your system password. A series of menus will allow you to access each header and listen to your messages. We will discuss Remote Access fully in "Chapter 7: Retrieving Messages".
A third way to collect messages is to use the Boxwatch program. Open the program and set it up to watch your headers by entering their ID numbers. Then minimize it and leave it running. When a given box receives messages, Boxwatch can notify you with an audio alert, or, if you turn off that control, it simply stores the messages with a flagged button and you can access them easily when you check in. "Chapter 10: Using the Boxwatch Program" in the User's Guide to Business Manager describes in detail the Boxwatch program.
