DeskTop Set's Guided Tour -- Dialer

World's most advanced PC telephony!

If you rely on the telephone to earn a living, DeskTop Set’s Dialer is a good timesaving, hassle-reducing, profit-enhancing investment. This Dialer compares to the most advanced desk telephone in the same way a word processor does to a state-of-the-art typewriter.

In just one click, within seconds, with jet-like speed and uncanny precision, it gets you connected anywhere in the world! It is so obvious, anyone can use it. And while you are working, it screens your calls, subtly and diligently, without offending the callers (and you), but swiftly enough not to miss the calls that really count! Here is an overview:

1. Call display	2. Sliding controls	3. Memory tabs
You can see the call’s progress, caller’s name and company, the number of redial attempts, and a call timer. It also distinguishes between incoming and outgoing calls.	Select the redial interval, number of rings before answer, speakerphone volume, and microphone gain. The right-click menu lets you choose between the type of adjustments.	Assign your most frequently used groups of telephone numbers to these tabs, and select them with just a click. You can also review your entire call log, or a group of related calls.

4. Touch-tone pad	5. Memory pads	6. Call control buttons
You can enter extensions, touch-tone commands, or other voice mail commands before and during the call, just like with a desktop telephone.	Create hundreds of memory buttons with your most often-used numbers, or link them to Address Book’s records for one-click calling!	Intuitive and informative, they let you control the call just as you would with a regular pho- ne. The steady and blinking lights reflect each button’s status.

Phone Log

When You’ve said..., I’ve said... matters, log delivers. Designate people or numbers, and a log is made automatically any time you call them. You and your assistant can also log messages while listening to voice mail, so you won’t forget to return the calls. When CallerID service is available, calls are logged automatically, for one-click return. Just a click on the Follow-up tab schedules a time to call back. And logs are accessible across the network, too. Here is how it works:

A call arrives while you are away

Kevin Taylor leaves a voice message on your DeskTop Set voice mail at 9:15 am. The program locates his name in your Address Book using his CallerID information, and logs the call in the Answer Bar and in his folder. (Even if you have another voice mail system, or none at all, you and your associates can take messages as easily beginning with Step 2, below).

Answer bar records Kevin's message while you are away. The blinking Message button indicates that you have messages waiting.

You arrive to the office

Click the Message button to review new messages, here or in the Calendar’s Phone log section. While Kevin’s message is playing, you can open the Log’s Message window to jot down notes.

You can return Kevin's call right from this window by clicking on the Telephone button, or by selecting any other number he may have from the combo list on the left.

Oh, well... Kevin's line is busy

To return Kevin’s call, just click... When his line is busy, the program redials for as long and as often as you wish. When you finally get through, Kevin’s voice mail greets you. Just click the Play button to select one of the Please call me back... messages that you have recorded, and let the program dictate your message and hang-up. Elegant, and productive! As frustrating as phone tag gets, DeskTop Set offers an ingenious, time-saving solution to deal with it:

Can't reach them? Here is what you should do:


Send e-mail	You do not have to search for Kevin’s e-mail address or open your e-mail program. Just select the Send e-mail... command from any menu or toolbar;
Send voice mail	With just a click, record your message, click the Send button, and it gets e-mailed to Kevin;
Write a letter	Click to select a desired Word or WordPerfect template, add few comments, and it’s ready to go...
Reply by fax	If you choose, select the Send fax... command, and the fax is on its way. You do not even have to open your WinFax program or fill in its Send fax window!
Record a reply	Just a click lets you record your reply to Kevin. When he calls back and CallerID recognizes his number, he will hear your reply.
Follow-up	Schedule a call by clicking on the Follow-up tab and selecting a date and time. The alarm will pop up at the designated time, and you can dial the number with just one click. Here is how the Follow-up window works:

To schedule a call, select the Schedule/Phone call... command as show above, click on the desired date and time, and click the Ok button. That's it...

Call control and voice mail

The DeskTop Set's Dialer incorporates the Answer Bar -- a dedicated tool for intelligent and professional call processing, just like a well-informed, poised, and caring assistant may have done it on your behalf. When the telephone rings, the Answer Bar springs into action... Here are the controls at your disposal before, during, and after the call:

The Answer Bar keeps a meticulous record of years worth of calls, messages, and conversation recordings, which you can later replay with just a click. Since it is always caller-aware, you get unparalleled productivity boost. Here is an overview:

1. Indicate your status	2. Call control panel	3. Messages
You can see the call’s progress, caller’s name and company, the number of redial attempts, and a call timer. It also distinguishes between incoming and outgoing calls.	Select the redial interval, number of rings before answer, speakerphone volume, and microphone gain. The right-click menu lets you choose between the type of adjustments.	Assign your most frequently used groups of telephone numbers to these tabs, and select them with just a click. You can also review your entire call log, or a group of related calls.
4. Phone log	5. Playback controls	6. Message resolution
Programmable tabs lets you select what calls to see, and how. Schedule callbacks on unresolved calls, or follow up with a click on the Pending tab.	Adjust the playback volume and speed, in real time, to decipher any message. You can even instruct the program to remove pauses from the message.	Ready to call back? Why not send a fax, e-mail, or letter instead? Just click any of the buttons here. You can even dictate a message to play when the person calls again.

DeskTop Set's is also the first-ever personal voice mail that lets you reply with an e-mail, or a letter, or a fax, or a voice message, or even a recording that the caller will hear when she calls back again:

The nitty-gritty for the nerdy...

DeskTop Set’s Dialer uses Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI) for Microsoft Windows. It defines a common language that lets you manage your telephone from the Windows desktop.

It will work with any Hayes-compatible modem in standard Windows configuration. To enjoy most of the advanced functions described here, such as full-duplex speakerphone, message recording and playback, you need Windows-compatible plug-and-play (PnP) voice modem and a voice card.

FYI: Compatibility with Windows 2000, XP & Vista

For advanced voice functions to work, you must have a Windows TAPI-compatible voice modem and a Unimodem/V driver available for download from Microsoft’s website. Unfortunately, Windows 2000, XP and Vista no longer support TAPI interface required by DeskTop Set.

Dialer controls

Here is a brief description of Dialer’s control buttons. They light up and blink just like the ones on a desk telephone.

	Dials the number in the display. The button’s light turns red once the call is in progress, and blinks when auto-redial is in progress. When a call comes in, the button changes to Answer, and then to HgUp during the conversation.
	Turns the speakerphone on. If you are using a voice modem, you will hear a dial tone when you click this button. You can then enter a number on the numeric pad.
	Places the caller on Hold. You will not be able to hear each other while on Hold. DeskTop Set Dialer can play prerecorded on-hold announcements, play music from your CD-ROM, and even ask caller to leave a message if you cannot take the call.
	Allows you to speak to someone else in the room without having the caller hear you. (You will still be able to hear the caller).
	Switch between calls on a three-way call, to use call waiting, to transfer calls over an office PBX, or to dial an extension.
	If you reach someone’s voice mail, click this button to select and play any previously recorded announcement, such as Please call me back, I am at the office, Please call my home, and so on. Dialer hangs up after delivering the message. What a time saver!
	You can record a conversation, just like with a tape recorder. You can play the recording later, at any time, with a click.
	When turned on, Dialer will answer your calls and record messages. The light will flashes if you have new messages waiting. To view your messages, click this button. For more information, please turn to the next page.

Will it work with your modem?
...	Hayes- compatible modem	Voice modem on regular line	Voice modem on office PBX	TAPI- compliant PBX phone
Make calls	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Transfer calls	No	No	Yes²	Yes
Forward calls	No	Yes¹	Yes	Yes
CallerID service	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Play greetings	No	Yes	Yes	Yes³
Record messages	No	Yes	Yes	Yes³
Speakerphone	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Auto-answer calls	No	Yes	Yes	Yes³
Touch-tone access	No	Yes	Yes	Yes³

¹ This feature requires three-way calling service from your telephone service provider.

² Call transfer function requires support for hook-flash or touch-tone transfer.

³ Requires the ability to play and record .wav files.

Call Processing: How the statuses work?

Just tell the Answer Bar how to process the calls from different callers. The Do not disturb settings make an interesting example, since the program recognizes five classes of callers, and answers the calls accordingly:

CallerID
identified

Any call that contains valid CallerID information. You can instruct the program to search any number of local or network address books to find that number, and respond: When the phone rings, pickup on 2nd ring, don’t ring the bell, tell the caller that I am not available, and take a message.

Unknown
callers

Any call where CallerID information is not available. It may be a call from abroad, or a domestic call from a non-CallerID area, or maybe even the CIA... – Don’t want to be disturbed! Tell’ it like it is, and disconnect.

CallerID
Block

When callers have intentionally omitted their CallerID information, you can have Answer Bar greet them with "Hello. This party does not accept CallerID blocked calls. Please turn your CallerID block off and call back," and disconnect. If you prefer, you can also treat these calls as Unknown callers. – When the call comes in, assume it is an unknown caller.

Priority
contacts

A CallerID-identified call from someone you’ve classified as a priority caller in your Address Book. An example may be a close friend, family member, important client, business partner, attorney, etc. Add as many priority callers as you like. – Ring quietly four times. Let them know that I am in a meeting, and will call back soon. If this is a call from my partner, I’ll pick up before the 4th ring is over.

Code
access

A call from one of up to 64 people whom you’ve given a unique code. When the call is answered, the caller will press #code, and the program will tell you know that they are calling. – Ring loudly when anyone on my code access list is trying to reach me. Place the call on hold, so I have a chance to take it.

In the window below, you can instruct the program how to respond to all of these callers according to your above wishes. Here is how simple and obvious the General setup is:

And if you are a "control freak," just click the status tabs, and refine the call processing rules for each group of callers as illustrated below:

As you can see, there are lots of other options, most of them turned off, since this is, after all, Do not disturb mode. The speaker and microphone buttons lets you review or re-record each announcement, and the hammer next to the Take Message command further refines your voice mailbox options.

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