Part III f: PeopleChek

The 'PeopleChek' module builds on the Scheduled Outbound Module. Be sure you have read the entire section on Scheduled Outbound prior to reading this section. You will also need to understand how mailboxes and question boxes operate prior to setting up the 'PeopleChek' module.

Basic operation would have a caller who owns a mailbox enter the system via an access box set for validate, then to a question box to ask the appropriate questions. That assures that only customers of your can schedule calls. Scheduled OutBound will make the call, and the information under the PeopleChek button will take over if the called party does not respond.

The 'PeopleChek' module adds several very important features. The most important is automatic notification of a third party if the person called presses an incorrect digit, no digit, or does not answer the call at all.

NOTE: This feature is not meant to be relied upon as the client's primary life saving device.

The current contact being made by third parties with the senior or child, must be continued. Computer hard drives can crash and power outages can occur. This is merely meant as a supplemental call to afford the senior or child additional contact. If a Mother is called every morning by her daughter, this could be an additional evening call. The child could normally be instructed to call a parent or neighbor upon coming home after school. This feature could be a supplemental contact that could remind him to do his homework.

The overview would be as follows:

Joe Smith contacts you and purchases the option to have his Mother called every day at 10 am - just to say 'Hi Mom! I'm thinking about you. Press 1 if all is well, or press any other key to contact me immediately'.

If his Mother does not answer the call, or presses any key but 1, the system will automatically call Joe and deliver a pre-recorded message "Your Mother did not answer her morning call. Try to call her yourself, have a neighbor check on her, or drop by her house."

After Joe has paid you the money, for say one month of calls, you will create a mailbox for him. You can either create it yourself from the screen, or you can utilize a Capture box to automatically create one for him. You will need to enter the phone numbers under Message Notification in his mailbox that he wants called if his Mother does not respond. You can enter up to 3 numbers. For example, his home number, cell phone, and pager. The system will continue to call these numbers for as many times as you have indicated, until Joe is reached and he acknowledges his message by entering his password.

You will need to have certain questions answered in a question box to create the outbound calling schedule to contact Joe's Mother. The answers to the questions constitute the information required for the system to make the call(s). The number to call, the time, the date to start calling, the message to deliver, etc.

You can either do these yourself, or you have Joe call into your system, validate who he is by entering his mailbox number and password in an access box set for validate. Upon success you will send him to a question box where you have set up the following questions:

Questions that require touchtone input should be checked as 'tone', questions that require a voice response, should be check as 'voice'.

The maximum number of questions allowed is 15.

quest 1:

no recorded question, check 'input data' validate box that will automatically capture Joe's mailbox number (this is held in memory - Joe went through the access validate box already).

quest 2:

record 'question msg' as "please enter the date to begin calling using 6 digits. For example, July 25, 1999 would be entered as 072599." check playback answer type as 'date', min-max digits 6  (this is the first question Joe will hear)

quest 3:

record 'question msg' as "please enter the time of day to call in military form - for example 4:00 PM is 1600, 4:30 PM is 1630" check 'playback answer type as 'time', min-max digits 4

quest 4:

record question as "please enter the date to stop the calls, 30 days from today". check playback answer type as 'date', min-max digits 6

quest 5:

record question as "please enter the phone number to call" check 'playback answer type as 'phone number' (this is Mom's telephone number in the above example) 

quest 6:

record question as "please speak the message you want your called party to hear for example "Hi Mom! Just to let you know I am thinking of you. Press 1 if all is well, press any other key to contact me immediately"

quest 7:

record question as "please enter the digit you want your called party to enter if they are ok"  (most people set this for the digit 1) 

quest 8:

record question as "please record the message you want played to YOU if your called party cannot be reached, or requests that you are contacted immediately, for example: "Mom's not responding - better try to call her or drive by there."

If Mom did not respond, the message you recorded in question 8 will be automatically sent to Joe's mailbox (question 1). That will trigger his mailbox notification, just as though he had received a regular voice mail message. The system will call the number(s) listed. When answered, the system will play "I have a call for "Joe Smith" (the name recorded in Joe's mailbox). "Please enter your password". When the correct password is entered, the system will say 'press 1 hear your messages', then play the message that was recorded in question 8.

You will be able to view the calls that have been set up on your system by clicking on Messages, then 'queued calls'.

You can add calls to the queue from the screen, (after you have created at least one) by clicking on Messages, then Question Box. Highlight the entry to use to duplicate, then click Add. You can then double click on the new entry and modify it as you would like, then click on Send to Queue.

These screens are accessed under Question Box, then Scheduled Outbound, then PeopleChek.

Doctor's offices can make use of this feature to make daily check-in calls to their elderly patients, or patients that live in a remote area. 

This type of service can also be offered to or by churches, synagogues, community groups, police or fire departments.

The individuals that use the service can pay you for it - or you can get local merchants to advertise on your system.

Simple test setup using the default system boxes would be:

Use Access Box 10 and record a greeting that says "If you have a mailbox please press 1 to setup a call". In the bottom window of Access Box 10, set the digit 1 to go to Access Box 11.

In Access Box 11, under tweaks, choose 'validate box'. Then click on the goto button next to it. For success enter Question  Box 70. For failure enter H for hangup.

In Question Box 70, record a greeting that tells the caller what is coming and that they will have the option to make changes as they go. Click on Questions and add and enter the questions as listed above.

In mailbox 1, record a name, such as "John Smith". Then set up that mailbox with a phone number under message notification and enter a password.

Call in (our click on the green arrow if using a SoundSet) to simulate an incoming call from the owner of mailbox 1. Press a 1, then enter mailbox 1 and the password you set up, and answer all the questions.

The above steps will give you a basic start to get a feel for the overall operation. You can add other boxes as you would like.