Each Telecompute Customer choosing to deliver recorded messages via the 800 dialing pattern receives up to a full hour of voice message storage (10 Mb) at no additional charge. Because we maintain high capacity trunks connected directly to the carriers, access to those digitally stored messages is always available.

Each Telecompute Customer choosing to deliver recorded messages via the 900 dialing pattern receives up to a full hour of voice message storage (10 Mb) at no additional charge. Because we maintain high capacity trunks connected directly to the carriers, access to those digitally stored messages is always available. While the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) service is virtually identical to that provided with the '800' dialing pattern, carriers impose higher monthly costs with 900 service. (See 900 FAQ)

Each Information Provider (IP) is assigned a toll free or '800' number to gain access to their program information. (e.g. call counts and message changes). Such access is restricted to IP use through the assignment of a unique passcode to prevent unauthorized entry. (Those IPs who provide 800 IVR access to customers need not be assigned a separate number.) For 900 IPs, the number serves additional functions. Each 900 application has the 800 access number registered, but unlisted, with the carrier operators. If the carrier receives a complaint about the 900 program, they will give the 800 number to the caller to lodge their complaint. The complaint will be recorded and saved by the IVR system, for later access by both the IP and Telecompute Customer Service personnel. Those 900 IPs who choose the '900 On Your Phone' option, will be assigned an 800 complaint number at no monthly charge, since they do not require IVR access. They are, however, required to maintain access for customer complaints.

The services of some Inforrmation Providers (IPs) are more specific and personal than audiotext or recorded systems permit. For personal and professional consultations, 900 calls can be delivered to any regular telephone number, in the United States or foreign countries. (The caller must be calling from the United States.) Aside from the low monthly fee, there is a 'postalized' or low per minute rate for delivery to anywhere in the contiguous 48 states. (Rates to foreign countries subject to current international tariffs.)

Sometimes a hybrid or combined approach to voice processing is more effective than either all recorded or all live information. Examples include the legal requirements for delivering federally mandated pricing information before billing can begin for a 900 call, or routine and repetitive information that must be delivered to 800 callers before a dialog can begin. Information providers (IPs) may choose to make an operator an elective item included in an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menu, or may make the transfer automatic, after some required information has been delivered. Call handling in this manner requires an 'extra step', in that the call must be transferred out from our dedicated IVR system to the local switched network, in order to deliver the call to the customer, agent, or operator locale. Such local access includes a federally mandated Common Carrier Line Charge (CCLC), added to each minute of transport. The only additional charges associated with IVR Re-delivery is a nominal per minute charge which refelects the average of those additional costs of delivery.

Every Interactive Voice Response (IVR) application comes with a full hour or 10Mb of storage as a standard item. When addtional storage is required, or a locally delivered message requires a 'front end' message to be played before delivery, there is a minimum fee associated with every 30 minute or 5Mb unit of message storage required.

The 'set up' and break down' of calls use system resources. That is our business, providing those resources. Both 800 and 900 carriers impose 'minumim usage charges' (MUC).

Receiving the telephone number of the caller on a real time basis , Automatic Number Identification (ANI) , requires either additional resources, comes with additional carrier fees, or both. AT&T uses Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) Primary Rate Interface (PRI) as the protocol for such delivery to our Interactuve Voice response (IVR) system. MCI uses Mutliple Frequency (MF) signalling. ISDN is sometimes referred to as 'out of band' signalling, since the ANI data stream comes via a path separate from the voice traffic, or before the call is even connected. MF ANI signalling precedes the transfer of the call, but is delivered through the same delivery channel.

Our computers download complete call records from the carrier on a daily basis. In electronic form, these records can be manipulated to provide custom reports to our customers. The type of report selected is usually related to the focus of the business. For a 900 software help line, it might be the dollar volume or repeat business from individual telephone numbers that is important. For an Information Provider with a TV advertising budget to evaluate, the focus of interest might be related to the time of day the calls were received, to correlate them to the ad spots. Such custom reports represent an exceptional value, and are used by most 800 customers because of their value in evaluating marketing efforts. . (Carriers have recently offered such reports at the rate of $100 per day.) The reports are mandatory for 900 customers because significant amounts of money are involved. In addition to using the rports to evaluate marketing plans, the reports are often used to detect attempted fraud and project refund rates.