Telephone Notification Service and Phone Notification System
By Lee Simonson
To set up a telephone notification system for messages and alerts, you have two options. Your first option is to buy the hardware, software, and equipment to set up your own inhouse system. However, autodialers can be expensive and you'll need to install multiple outgoing phone lines that will each have a monthly charge. Moreover, you'll have a learning curve and maintenance costs to incur as well.
Your second option, and what most schools, businesses and non-profits choose, is to outsource the telephone notification service on a pay as you go basis. This option significantly cuts overhead costs
Getting a phone broadcasting service to send your messages and alerts is easy to do. And the process of launching your messages can be done very quickly. So quickly in fact, that if you are thinking about it in the morning, you can have tens of thousands of messages delivered by the afternoon. And if you already have an account set up, your messages can get out immediately. That's why if you are looking to set something up for emergencies or urgent messages it's critically important for you to have your account set up BEFORE you actually need it.
Outsourcing your phone broadcasting (also known as phone blast or call blast voicemail) projects gives you a couple more options -- you can get a full service provider who can help you upload your phone lists and recordings, or you can do it all yourself. There are advantages to both. Full service is obviously more convenient, but there may be times you want to launch a job, say a school closing, in the early morning hours and from your home, that gives you the flexibility to be in complete control. So once you get your account set up, your next task is to prepare your phone lists. You can store as many different phone lists online as you like, and pick and choose the ones you want to use at any given time.
The preparation of your phone list is important. And since phone lists change all the time, you are well advised to make sure you are maintaining the list and keeping it up to date. Generally, a spreadsheet is your best bet, and the popular Excel spreadsheet works fine. You'll want to make sure the 10 digit phone numbers in one column -- don't have the area codes in one column and the 7 digit phone numbers in another column. Once you are ready to go, you can upload your list and the only thing left is do is make your voice recording to send out. Usually, you can upload a wav file or just record your message over the phone with your phone blast provider. Match the recording with the list you want to use online and you're done.
One more thing. What phone number do you want to use for your Caller ID? Whatever number you choose will be receiving a lot of calls, so think about this carefully. If you don't want to answer the calls, then have the Caller ID number directed to a number that has voicemail or just rings without answering. That will save you a lot of aggravation.
One important thing you need to be aware of is the federal government has strict regulations on phone broadcasting and unless you are sending out "informational" messages such as appointment reminders, schedule changes, school closings, etc., most of the typical telemarketing or "junk" calls have been banned. If you are selling anything over the phone, you now need expressed written permission to call -- even from your existing customers. Fines and penalties can be heavy, so be sure you are operating within the law.
To obtain more information about telephone notifications and alerts, click here: http://www.orangepoint.net/phone_broadcasting.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Simonson
http://EzineArticles.com/?Telephone-Notification-Service-and-Phone-Notification-System&id=3320923
