Guy

As the faxing PC is standalone it doesn't really matter if the user interface is on or off. I chose to have it on so that I could watch the faxes being sent, although once it'd been running for a month or so I could have turned it off I suppose. On the client PC they see nothing at all, when they click 'fax' from within my APP it just inserts a record into a .dbf which tells the main faxing APP name/location of document, destination etc.

Tobit can run with most PBX systems, however you'd probably have to develop your own TAPI enabled application to complete the notion of a 'seamless' interface. I use a Digiboard and an Avaya ArgentBranch/IP403 and it works superbly. For example:

All voice messages/faxes/e-mails/SMS/mobile calls etc. come through to the users own 'mailbox'. My APP can then distribute these as it see's fit, so in some cases it may well be via e-mail (with .wav attachments etc.), or it may be via SMS to inform the user that they have voicemails/faxes/e-mails awaiting them.

There are unified-messaging products already out there, however, very few can be integrated properly into bespoke applications such as the ones that we all develop. I develop everything from concrete production applications through to case management systems for lawyers/solicitors. My Winfax and Tobit APP is IDENTICAL for each of these applications, I need only change the interface that controls file locations, document types etc. to get it working. Those changes are done via the APP and take about 30 seconds.

Regarding playing voicemails, I can either send them via e-mail to the user (in which case they're played through Windows media player), or if they have the Avaya ArgentBranch/IP Office, I can make the telephone play the message. If you go for a TAPI enabled phone switch you can also perform call-centre style functions, such as caller identification etc. This is really useful as my VFP APP can determine who is calling (before the user has even picked up the phone), re-route the call to the relevant person (if it's a sales call, or for someone who isn't at work that day), and all without any user intervention at all. In the case of the lawyers systems it performs the following functions.

1. Takes the caller ID, uses their client database to perform a lookup to determine who is calling.
2. It uses another database to show all active cases for that client and for the user whose phone they're calling.
3. Pop-up a list of active cases for that client/user, BEFORE the call has even been answered.

It's very useful too for accounts departments as it can flash "Account on hold" status for a caller before they've even picked up the phone. It can even also re-route the call to the chief ball-breaker to ensure that the first thing the client hears when they pick up the phone is "Pay up!!!!".

Apologies if I've waffled, this is my chosen subject of interest! :)

Regards

Derek




Ok...

Do you turn off the send/recieve window thru the SDK or by the user interface?

Regarding Tobit and voice processing, do you know if this operates with common PBX systems or does it require standard phone lines like a fax modem requires?

And can you 'play' the voice mail message through the PC speakers?

I've been wondering for a while now how to get centralized messaging, (voice, email, fax, etc) all in one location for a user.

Guy