How do I stop OGM playback after I pick up the phone?

[wtheronjones]

I've got IVM set to answer after 2 rings. When someone calls & I usually get it on the 2nd or 3rd ring.

What's happening is that as soon as I say "Hello", or just after, my OGM starts playback & I sound like an idiot because I'm supposed to have a professional sounding business & here I am talking on top of my answering machine like some jackball.

 

What I would like to be able to do as I'm answering the phone is to stop the Outgoing message playback once it's begun. Is this possible?

 

Does anyone have a recommended # of rings that they've got IVM set to answer on?

I'm thinking of just setting it to answer after 3 or 4 rings & if I don't get it by then, I'll just let it go to the OGM/voicemail. But what of those times when I know I'd like to answer the call even after the OGM has started?

 

Closing the program seems like the only choice, but it takes too long as first I have to dismiss the screensaver/XP login screen, close the app, & then answer the prompt to leaving it running in the background..... basically that takes too long.

 

Thanks for any help on this!

[tjareson]

Hi,

 

how is your IVM and your telephone connected to what kind of provider?

 

If it should be that "professional" you should think about connecting both to a telephone switch with a seperate extension for each. This could be the Axon-Software, which can be downloaded at nch.com.au and where you can queue up incoming calls for a certain time (with on-hold music) before transfer them to your answering machine, in case you don't take the call.

 

If your phone lines are not voip, you can use a telehone switch, which supports to fetch a call out of an exisiting connection with your answering machine.

 

regards

Tjareson

[wtheronjones]

Hi, thanks for the reply!

 

I'm using Vonage as my provider, which is technically voip, but as far as my phone is concerned it's a regular line. I've got the phone line IN to my modem & from there the OUT line goes to my phone. My guess is this kind of setup means IVM can't detect that I've picked up the phone since my phone is on the output side of things as far as my PC/IVM is concerned. Is this about right?

I'm not really familiar with telephone switches, & Axom looks a bit like overkill for my setup. I only have the 1 line & won't need to transfer calls w/in the office, etc....

[tjareson]

Exactly, IVM simply doesn't detect, that you've picked up the phone.

(by the way, would be interessting to know, if the modem signals that at all)

 

So, if you are connected by a regular line, you would need a simple telephone switch, that enables to fetch an exisiting connection.

There may be also some possibilities to loop the modem connection through your phone (instead of the other way around). But that depends on the kind of telephone and phone socket you are using. As long as the telephone would be hang up, the modem would be connected with the line. As soon as you are taking the handset, the modem would be disconnected.

To set this up, you need some basic skills for electronic wiring and need some information about the pin assignment of your phone and socket, etc. Unfortunately, those are different in every country.

(Don't know, where you are, but I suppose not in germany...)

 

regards

Tjareson