Delay appointment reminder call time

Is there anyway to change the call time on appointment reminders, so that they do not start too early, besides setting it everytime you make an appointment for a patient? For example, we have some patients who are scheduled at 7:00 a.m.and they are receiving reminder calls at 7:00 a.m. the day before.

If you do not set the appointment reminder call time, the default call time is set to 24 hours before the appointment start time.

You could block certain hours for calls from Voicent Gateway. For example, you can set it to make outbound calls from 10 am to 8 pm. To do so, please select Setup > Options > Outbound > Set Allowed Outbound Call Time

Auto Reminder will retry a call if the set call time is blocked, or call failed (line busy or no answer) as long as current time is before the appointment start time. After that, there is no need for a reminder call.

Posted in Appointment Reminder |

Debug Simple Call Application

Hi, I have installed Voicent Gateway on my PC and I’m using C# code to send calls to it (CallText and CallAudio methods).
But I have 2 problems and I hope I get your support:

1 – “CallStatus” is always empty , even if the call is made successfully or failed.

here’s the code im using:

while (true)
{
Thread.Sleep(10000); // wait for 10 seconds
string status = voicent.CallStatus(reqId);
MessageBox.Show(“Call Status: ” + status);
if (status.Length != 0)
{
break;
}
}

voicent.CallRemove(reqId);

In this case I am not able to make the call again or remove it if it failed or succeeded, because “status” is always Empty

Here is a little background info about using the simple call interface of Voicent gateway.

When you call CallText or CallAudio, a call request is sent to the gateway. The gateway saves the call request information in a .req file under the folder: C:\Program Files\Voicent\Gateway\outcall\reqs.

The call request is then processed by Voicent outbound call scheduler. The schedule first fines an available phone line and if the call time is current, makes the call. The call sheduler’s log is under C:\Program Files\Voicent\Gateway\outcall\logs.

The gateway starts the corresponding call application (Text-to-speech for CallText, for example), dials the phone number, and interactive with the callee. The gateway application logs are saved under C:\Program Files\Voicent\Gateway\logs. After the call is made, the gateway updates the .req files for the call status and changes the .req extension to .log.

When developing your application, it is usually helpful to take a look at the log files. Even though the log file contents are hard to understand, they usually provide important clues as to what went wrong. For example, you can search for “fail”, “error”, and “cannot” to see the error messages.

If you really cannot understand the log files, please send the log files to us by selecting Help > Report Problems… from the gateway main menu.

2. I’m using Volcano voice modem v.92 (PCI) , does the gateway support it?

No. That might as well be the problem. For more details about voice modem, please see Modem FAQ. You could also try Skype or any SIP based VOIP service without using a voice modem.

The status in the log file works fine (Routing, Calling, Call in Progress, Finished…) but in my C# code when call is made successfully, “CallStatus” returns Empty. It only returns “Call Will Retry” when the call is terminated in the middle.

Is there anyway to synchronize the log file “status” with the one in C# code?

If the log files look OK, you can also try the interface using a web browser. For example, to get the call status using your web browser, type in the following:

http://localhost:8155/ocall/callstatusHandler.jsp?reqId=the_ID_you_get_when_call_request_is_submitted

The details of the URL and parameters can be found from the interface code.

In the browser I typed http://localhost:8155/ocall/callstatusHandler.jsp?reqId=the_ID_you_get_when_call_request_is_submitted :

When call is diconnected I receive the following : [0^null^retry^2009 6 14 9 17^2009 6 14 9 17^Line occupied. Cancelled Try in 5 minutes.^^^^^ ]
Which means the call is failed and will retry in 5 minutes, and that is fine.

But when call is performed successfully the following appears: [ERROR: no such call record: 1247552793013]
Does this mean that there’s an error?

Looks like the call record (.req file or .log file) on the gateway is deleted once a call is made.

There is a parameter called “selfdelete” when a call is submitted to the gateway. If it is set to “1″, the gateway deletes the call record file automatically. Once the call record is removed, the gateway cannot return the call status.

Posted in Developer, Gateway |

Introducing Release 7 – SIP Support

Santa Clara, Calif. – July 10, 2009 – Voicent Communications, Inc , a provider of comprehensive business phone software, has announced the support for SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) among all its current product lines, including IVR Studio, Flex PBX, Agent Dialer (predictive dialer and force dialer), BroadcastByPhone Autodialer, and Voicent VoiceXML Gateway. With SIP support, customers can now manage and automate their incoming phone calls and outbound campaigns without any telephony hardware, making Voicent software easy to setup and maintain, and making Voicent solution ideal for large enterprises and small businesses alike.

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is an emerging standard real-time communications for Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP). It allows enhanced voice services to high speed internet users, over DSL, ADSL or cable modem. Being an international standard that is fast becoming mainsteam, SIP allows businesses to achieve huge savings in their telephone operating cost – made possible by more competitions among VOIP service providers.

For enterprises that already deployed SIP based solution, such as SIP compatible PBX system, Voicent software can be easily configured to use the exising infrastructure. For example, a customer can create a powerful IVR application that is fully integrated with existing customer database and company website, by simply using point-n-click operations in the intuitive development environment of Voicent IVR Studio.

For businesses that are adopting SIP and VOIP technology, Voicent provides a complete solution for managing both inbound and outbound phone calls. Voicent software can be readily configured to work with any SIP-based service providers.

“Nowadays, there is absolute no need for a business to purchase a traditional phone system.”, said Jeff Larson, vice president of product development, Voicent. “By adopting VOIP, which utilizes an existing internet connection for phone calls, a business can avoid costly hardware installation and maintenance, and in addition, enjoy low nation-wide caling rates. With SIP support, Voicent products are well positioned to provide our customers all the necessary tools to operate in this new and exciting environment.”

Pricing and Availability

SIP support is availabe in release 7.0.2, currently in beta. Besides SIP, Voicent software also supports Skype and traditional phone lines.

Trial version can be downloaded from Voicent website. Customers who purchase now can upgrade to any future 7.x production release for free. Products can be purchased from Voicent online store and price starts from $299.

Posted in News |