FaxFacts, Copia International's dynamic enhanced fax software solution, offers a feature that configures the incoming line at ring time.

Those familiar with large PBXs and answering services are a ware of how this kind of feature has proven itself valuable in handling and distributing great numbers of incoming telephone calls. Now, with telephone trunk lines and specially designed software from FaxFacts, this concept is applied to fax machine usage. Not longer will one line sit idle while another is continually active, thus giving some of those callers a busy signal.

One of the methods FaxFacts uses to configure the line is through Direct Inward Dial (DID). Particularly targeted for use by large corporations and service bureaus, DID makes it possible to use a minimum number of fax phone lines yet handle thousands of incoming and outgoing calls. With DID, physical fax channels are no longer dedicated to particular clients. The DID feature expands the potential number of phone numbers serviced (to 10,000) while fully utilizing the fax hardware to send information via any open fax line. This translates into better hardware utilization and greater cost efficiency.

Two types of DID exist: Software DID and Hardware DID
You are most likely to need SDID if you wish to support multiple languages, or if your Fax-on-Demand system will be used for data from more than one company. Software DID option adds one extra question at the start of each call and enables the FaxFacts feature which allows a selection from multiple user profiles for each line. By customizing standard FaxFacts messages, you can describe the options to your caller in any way you wish.

You can use the FaxFacts Software DID feature to generate one additional message and response at the beginning of each transmission, which is used to select the user profile to be used for the call. This enables you to provide a message, for example, that says, "press 1 for English language, composez 2 pour Francaise . . .." You then have separate user profiles numbered 1, 2, etc. which can refer to separate directories for the recorded messages. This is call "User Prompted" or "Analog Selection." For the rest of the call the caller will hear the appropriate language version of your system prompts. As well, Software DID also provided levels for callback and password protection.

Hardware DID requires information about the callers number to be available at the time the call is received. The option is provided principally for use by Fax-on-Demand service bureaus, which can use a limited number of physical phone lines to handle incoming calls to a large number of telephone lines. Because there is no dial tone on the HDID trunks they cannot be used for outbound faxing.

Another example is a Fax-on-Demand system that dispenses documents for more than one company. FaxFacts profiles the call so it can be directed to the correct directory that contains recorded messages specific to the caller's task.

DNIS and ANI are facets of DID operations. DNIS stands for "Dialed Number Identification Service" and it tells you the number the caller dialed. ANI (Automatic Number Identification) tells you the number your caller dialed from.

T-1 is a term used to describe a digital transmission link; T-1 has a capacity of 1,544 MBPS (1,544,000 bits per second). T-1 a standard for digital transmission in North America, normally can handle 24 voice conversations. It is typically provided by the Phone Company and used for connecting networks across remote distances. Larger interactive fax systems often use T-1 capabilities. Coupling the FaxFacts Multi Configurations per line option with T-1 greatly expands a system's capacity.

DID and Fax Mail
FaxFacts operation of Fax Mail requires Hardware DID. Fax Mail allows a service bureau or corporate user to allocate individual incoming telephone numbers to mailbox users, which they publish as their normal fax number.

Please call the sales department at 800-689-8898 if you have any questions, or drop us an e-mail at sales@copia.com

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