Advanced Call Center FAQ

The program does not record or playback voice, or there's a lot of statics.

1. You may have a modem that does not support voice. 
Solution: try using TAPI mode to make sure.

2. You may have selected an incorrect modem.
Solution: run Setup again and allow the program to detect your modem automatically in the COM port mode.

The program is not showing the Caller ID information; how do I fix this?

Caller ID is a telephone company service. It provides the identification information of persons calling your telephone number. The Caller ID information is supplied by the telephone company between the first and second ring as a series of special codes. The information includes the time and date of the call, the telephone number of the caller, and, in some areas, subscription name. 

The program uses this Caller ID information to provide with detailed information on your incoming calls. Without Caller ID from your telephone company the program cannot determine the telephone number of incoming calls. 

The program requires the use of a modem that supports Caller ID. If your modem does not support Caller ID, the caller identification information supplied by the telephone company will not be available to the program software. Please be advised that the most compatible Caller ID standard is Bellcore, used in the US, Canada, Australia and some other countries. If your country employs other Caller ID method (like British Telecom CLIP or a widely accepted DTMF Caller ID), you should consult your local phone company if your modem can handle the Caller ID information provided.

 

Errors	Suggested solution
You are not a Caller ID service subscriber	Calling Number Delivery (also known as Caller ID) service is a paid service offered by telephone companies. One must subscribe for Caller ID from the telephone company.
You have selected wrong modem	Try changing the modem you selected.
Your modem is not Caller ID capable or does not support your country Caller ID scheme	Make sure your modem is Caller ID capable. Either your modem manual or box should mention Caller ID capabilities. If you don't know or want to test your modem manually, read the next question.
Number-only Caller ID service	If you don't have Caller Name Delivery (only a caller's number is delivered), be sure to check the box "Phone number only Caller ID service" in the Properties -> Caller ID.
Modem IRQ conflict	Be sure that no IRQ conflicts exist between the modem and any other device. A shared IRQ will cause the program to completely cease functioning. You modem may seem to function normally in Internet or FAX applications, but a conflict will prevent the program from working. Windows 95: go to Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager click Properties verify that no COM ports or other devices are using the same IRQ as the COM port that your modem is hooked to if so, resolve the conflict by changing the IRQ assignment on those hardware devices, or refer to your modem manual for changing the modem's IRQ.
Your modem does not reply	If the program is unable to get a response from the modem, check the COM port number in the Properties, and compare it with the port number the modem is hooked to in the Windows Control Panel. The problem usually appears when an IRQ conflict is detected.

I am a Caller ID service subscriber; is my modem Caller ID capable?

Your modem manual or box should contain information about Caller ID capability of the device. Sometimes, however, a modem detects Caller ID without any notice in its documentation.

With some modems you can easily tell if it is Caller ID capable if you have Windows 95/98 or ME:

• go to Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Modems -> Diagnostics
• click on the COM port that your modem is hooked to
• click More Info
• see if Caller ID is mentioned anywhere in the list. If it is, then your modem is Caller ID capable. If it is not, that does not mean anything.

If your modem manual or box does not mention Caller ID capability of the device, or if you want to make sure your modem is Caller ID compatible, please perform the following test.

• Start the Windows HyperTerminal program (usually located at Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> Communications -> HyperTerminal; you may need to add this component from Add/Remove Programs Control Panel applet).
• Type in a word or phrase (say, "test") for the name of the new connection. Click OK to continue.
• Change the "Connect using:" to "Direct to COM N" where N is the COM port that your modem is attached to. Click OK.
• Click OK again to close the Port Settings dialog.
• Type in AT&F to load factory defaults into your modem. It should respond with "OK".
• To test you modem and find out the appropriate Caller ID command, type each of the following strings followed by <Enter> until your modem responds with an "OK". If you get an "ERROR" response, that means that this is not the string for your modem and you should try the next one. You may copy the commands from this document and paste them directly into HyperTerminal screen.
   

• Once you get the "OK" response from your modem, ask someone to call you and watch the result. If Caller ID is working, you will see RING on the terminal screen followed by one or more additional lines of data. The screen may look like that:
   

  RING

  DATE=1002

  TIME=1105

  NMBR=5421873005

  NAME=JOHN SMITH JR.

  RING

  RING

  or like that:

  RING

  TIME: 02-04 11:25

  CALLER NUMBER: 2014893483

  CALLER NAME: JOHN SMITH

  RING

  RING

You may receive a caller's name or number as Out Of Area or Private strings (or O and P letters correspondingly). The data can have many different formats. Just be sure that some data received between the first and second rings that could be interpreted as the caller's phone number or name (latter if you have the name service available).

If Caller ID is not working, you will only see the word RING for each incoming ring. In that case, try another one of the Caller ID commands suggested and try to receive a call again.

If there is some data between the first and second ring but the program does not show an appropriate information, your modem is probably not supported by the program. Please copy the result of this test and send us your feedback.

I have assigned my own greeting message, but for some reason it plays back in slow motion. What should I do?

Probably you're using a greeting message recorded in another application. It is essential that the message is recorded with the same sample rate as your modem operates.

1. Open the message with Sound Recorder.
2. Save the sound you assign as a 16-bit, mono PCM wave, with a sampling rate equal to your modem sample rate (usually 8,000 Hz).

Some modems also support additional sample rates:

• 7200 Hz: GVC, Rockwell Compatible, Motorola.
• 8000 Hz: all U.S.Robotics, LT, PCI and Windows modems, HCF, IDC, PCTel. In TAPI mode this is the only sample rate available.
• 9600 Hz: ZyXEL.

You can check your modem's sampling rate under Properties -> Telephone Device -> Modem Properties.

I have my telephone hooked to the modem. I can't talk through a handset while the program is off-hook. How can I talk and/or record the conversation?

Most modern voice modems will capture the telephone line and block the handset hooked to the modem. That is by design. You can only talk through the modem internal microphone/speaker.

Solution 1: connect the devices - a modem and a telephone - in parallel. Plug the phone cord independently in the wall jack. Do not plug your phone cord into the modem jack.

Solution 2: use the 'Speak' button to enter 'Speakerphone' mode..

How do I know if my modem is a voice modem?

You can perform several commands in Windows HyperTerminal to make sure. Please refer to the question #3 on how to work with HyperTerminal.

If your modem replies ERROR to all commands [ AT#CLS=8, AT#VCL=1, AT+FCLASS=8 ], then it is probably NOT a voice modem. If at least one of those commands returned OK, then your modem supports voice.

I can hear the recipient from the sound card speaker but he can't hear me. What's up?

1. If a microphone is connected to the sound card:

   In this case you won't be able to talk with the other party. Most modems have a half-duplex voice circuit, which means that they can either receive (record) or transmit (play back) digitized voice. You can only talk through internal or external microphone attached to the modem.

2. If a microphone is connected to the modem:

   Your modem must support a speakerphone mode, which is intended to provide a full-duplex, hand-free telephone emulation. Usually a speakerphone support is declared on the modem box or in the name of the modem. Press 'Speak' button to enter speakerphone mode.

Clear out Options -> Properties -> Sounds -> Incoming Ring string. If you will need a particular caller to sound a ring, you can add the sound to the caller's properties at any time (Contacts list).

Click here for registration details.

You can install one of the online services like Pagoo or CallWave.

Advanced Call Center can not work while you're on-line (that is, your modem is busy with Internet). On-line Caller ID / answering machine requires either a dedicated box and a Call Waiting service, or a dedicated paid Internet server.

Please refer to the previous question to find about online answering services.

ACC does not support a built-in sending and receiving faxes.

During setup, the ACC provides with selection of one of two modes: direct COM port access or standard TAPI interface. Later you can change the mode in Properties -> Telephone Device -> Device. TAPI stands for Telephony Applications Programming Interface. Your selection is critical both for compatibility and for troubleshooting.

In few words, the difference is as follows:

The direct COM port access allows full use of all modem features. In case you decide to use this mode, it is critical to specify your modem type correctly to let the program make use of all its enhancements, because each modem type possesses its own directive set (often incompatible with others). It is true even for modems of one family (made with different revisions of the same chipset)! There are tons of various different modems in the world, thus the program often fails recognizing a rare brand correctly. As a result, the program operation may fail.

Theoretically, one can avoid all these problems by using Telephony Applications Programming Interface (TAPI) standard. The idea of such an interface is not revolutionary but yet quite smart. However, this interface implementation is yet far from ideal. For example, faxing is not provided at all, voice operation is quite unstable, etc. But - now a software needs not to know about modems, phone sets, etc. (including ISDN, DSL, and modem raiser cards)! TAPI will do everything to let a software work with all hardware brands in the same way.

Unfortunately, all this is too theoretical and academic by now. In practice, however, modems are often supplied with wrong drivers, of these drivers operate wrong, or the OS itself is wrong. For instance,

Windows 95 supports voice modems only after installing Unimodem/V module you need to download from Microsoft server.

Windows NT 4.0 does not support voice modems at all.

Windows 98 has a complete set of drivers and is the only OS of Windows family that operates normally in TAPI mode (provided you install the right driver correctly).

Windows 2000 requires several updates of voice mode drivers in comparison with '98, so voicing is still in question here.

So if one mode does not work, select another.

ACC currently does not support monitoring handset position in TAPI mode.

The good news for TAPI is that one great problem gets resolved: sharing your modem between software applications. Thus, in TAPI mode you can login to the Internet or get a FAX via any other application - without exiting ACC (the direct COM access mode prevents other programs from accessing your modem when ACC is run).

Please refer to the appropriate How To section.

PIN stands for Personal Identification Number. It works like a password (actually, a pass-number) in order to access answering machine messages from remote phone.

To access ISDN equipment, the COMMON-ISDN-API (CAPI), an application programming interface standard, is used. Advanced Call Center currently does not support CAPI. However, ISDN devices are still possible to use with ACC through AVM ISDN TAPI Services for CAPI [Windows 98 / NT 4.0]. The program must be set to TAPI mode.

Get AVM ISDN TAPI Services for CAPI from:
http://www.avm-usa.com/english/papers/r0399-1e.htm

Quote: "AVM ISDN TAPI Services for CAPI are a universally employable driver implementation for the use of TAPI telephony applications with AVM ISDN-Controllers based on Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0".

Note

Future versions of Advanced Call Center will include native ISDN equipment support through CAPI interface.

DSL is not exactly a modem, it is a network interface (like your Ethernet card), despite the fact it connects to your telephone line. Advanced Call Center requires an analog voice modem to work with telephony, like 56K, 33.6 or 28.8 modem.

Advanced Call Center uses Microsoft Text-to-Speech engine version 4, while newer operating systems have version 5. Those versions are not compatible. Please get TTS 4.0 files from www.voicecallcentral.com/download.htm#tts (at the bottom).