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PhoneTree
Plus Frequently Asked Questions
Sound Quality & Preferences Questions
Setup and Installation Questions Timing/Call Session Questions Messaging/Capability Questions General Questions Software Questions Sound Quality & Preferences Voice quality is not clear PhoneTree® may be set for "long" message mode. Remember that over the phone your message will sound better than it sounds through the small PhoneTree® speaker. When recording, use an "arms-length" distance between PhoneTree® and the person recording the message. Also, record your message with PhoneTree® on a hard flat surface, away from noise machines and devices when recording. Use short length messages for the best message quality [pg. 17 in the manual]. Remember the microphone is in the lower left hand corner. Top of Page The speaker is on during calling [and I want it off] "Speaker On" was enabled during setup. Press the "S" key on the keyboard to toggle the speaker off (or on.) Top of Page PhoneTree® plays a “Chime” before each call. Can this be shut off? No. The chime will alert members that PhoneTree® is calling. Top of Page Setup and Installation What kind of telephone line can I connect my PhoneTree® to and can I connect other devices to the same telephone line as PhoneTree® ? PhoneTree® must be connected to an analog telephone line. PhoneTree® has two (2) telephone cable hookups on the back side of its case–one for connecting to a telephone outlet and the other for connecting to a telephone. The sharing of a PhoneTree® system's telephone connection line with other devices should be viewed and approached with caution in that PhoneTree® calling sessions could potentially be interrupted. Top of Page The display on PhoneTree® is blank or black. A blank or black display on PhoneTree® could be the result of no electricity, a bad electrical wall outlet, a bad or damaged electrical adapter, frayed wires and electrical storms and other causes. Safety and caution should always be exercised when checking out electrical problems. One way to test PhoneTree® for possible electrical problems is to disconnect PhoneTree® and connect it to another electrical outlet. Additionally, the black power adapter can be checked out by replacing the power adapter with another similar adapter. Top of Page How can I do a "test call" on PhoneTree® to make sure all my settings are correct? If you have already keyed in all of the names and telephone numbers that you are planning to call, you can select one name to separately test call by pressing "FIND" ,then "WHO", then type in the person's name and press "ENTER", then press the "CALL" key, then press "P". Additionally, a "Test Call" can be made by assigning as small number of names to a single group and identify that group your test group, then all that needs to be done is to press "Call", then "Group", then enter Group Number and press Enter. Top of Page Trouble with keying in PhoneTree® Settings Selecting a particular setting under any option may be slightly confusing if the display is not viewed while selecting a setting. Selecting a setting under an option may require you to push a:
Top of Page The fax always answers when I use the Remote Access feature. In the case of PhoneTree® Remote Access, an incoming call to PhoneTree® could be answered by the fax machine, the answering machine, and/or the computer modem if any of these devices are set to receive calls. Ideally, another device should not share a phone line with PhoneTree® while PhoneTree® is in use. Top of Page Timing and Call Sessions PhoneTree® doesn't keep time; every morning I have to reset the current time. The operator was turning off the lights in her office at the end of each work day–the light switch also control the electrical outlets in the office and therefore PhoneTree® was being turned off at the end of each day. Ensure a continued source power to the PhoneTree®. Top of Page PhoneTree® is not making connections, even though I hear it dialing. Your local phone company may have installed a special service (Telephone Co. Voice Mail or other services) on your telephone line which produces a "Stutter Dial Tone." SOLUTION: If you detect or determine that you have a stutter dial tone, you will want to contact the phone company to have them correct the problem or to discontinue the telephone company voice mail service. Additionally, in a PhoneTree® system's setups, setting DIAL TONE DETECT to "NO" will help resolve this problem. Top of Page PhoneTree® called someone more than once. The same phone number may have been included for different names or a name may be entered twice. Remove any entries with the same phone number manually. Top of Page PhoneTree® starts delivering its messages before the phone that it's calling picks up. The problem is known as a "broken ring" which can occur on either the sending or receiving end of a telephone call and is a result of a non-continuous ring. The local telephone company must be called in to resolve this problem. Top of Page PhoneTree® called in the middle of the night. The current time or your calling window time may be set to [A]M instead of [P]M. Reset the time and verify "Don't call before, Don't call after" times [pg. 17 in the manual]. Top of Page PhoneTree® was interrupted in the middle of calling; can I call the rest of the list? Yes, you can call just the remainder of the list. If power was interrupted, you will need to re-record your message. After re-recording the message (if necessary), press [CALL] [R]resume, NOT [CALL] [L]ist. Top of Page I want PhoneTree® to call, but the display says “Waiting to Call.” When the user sees the message "WAITING TO CALL" the users should ask themselves "Is it time for PhoneTree® to call? Are the current time and day set correctly? Are the "Don't Call Before" and "Don't Call After" times and the "Calling Days" set correctly? If these settings are correctly entered, there may be nothing wrong. After PhoneTree® begins a calling session, it schedules periodic recalls and it may not be time for re-calls to begin. Top of Page PhoneTree® started calling but now the display says “Waiting to Call." This is normal. PhoneTree® completed all the calls it could, and will call those who were not home after waiting for a brief period. OR, PhoneTree® may have reached the end of a calling window and is waiting for the next window. Days with a "star" (*) will not be active [pg. 17 in the manual]. Check the timer shown in the display. It should be counting down to the next calling session. If the timer shows less than 30 minutes, it will resume calling at that time. If the timer shows more than 30 minutes, it is waiting for the next window and will resume calling then. Top of Page Why does my PhoneTree® stop calling before the entire group has been called? The source of this problem could be one of several settings that you may have keyed into PhoneTree®. First, not enough time has been allowed to call the entire group–either in hours or days. Second, adding settings for "message repeating," "star to repeat" and "high max number of no answers" will naturally extent the calling time. Before calling, consider the number of calls to be made, the impact of your settings and plan your calls by giving PhoneTree® sufficient time to make its calls. Top of Page PhoneTree® starts working, but no name or number is in the display. You have a “blank” record in PhoneTree® which appears at the top of your list. SOLUTION: Check the list by pressing [LIST] and scrolling down the list of names. Press[DEL] to delete a blank entry. Top of Page PhoneTree® failed to deliver a message when the number being called picked up. PhoneTree® did what it was suppose to do, it dialed a number and it heard a "click" immediately after the answering machine picked up. PhoneTree® interprets this click as a "hang up" and disconnected to call the next number in the list or group. PhoneTree® listens constantly and interprets and reacts to what it hears. Answering machine messages that have unintentional clicks, gaps or tones may cause PhoneTree® to not deliver its message. Top of Page I have my PhoneTree® set to ring each number 6 times, but when my calls take place PhoneTree® only rings 3 times. Check your settings for the "Quick Call Mode" under Advanced Options. If Y(ES) is selected for Quick Call Mode, Phone Tree will ring 3 times during the first attempt to call all numbers the first time through the list, in order to avoid answering machines and speed up the call session. Top of Page What is "Quick Call Mode?" The "Quick Call" mode is designed to speed message delivery. In the "Quick Call" mode, Phone Tree will talk to an answering machine only after first calling all numbers once, then answering machines will be called. Note: Quick Call Mode allows PhoneTree® to ring 3 times in order to avoid answering machines being picked up. Top of Page How do I tell PhoneTree® what day to call my list or group? Page 3 and page 17 of your manual provide a summary and detail commands for selecting what day PhoneTree® will call. Remember to use the "space" key to "toggle on and off the days" for Phone Tree to call. In the following example every day except Wednesday will be called and your display should look like this –-SMT*TFS–-. If you are only calling on Monday and Wednesday your display should look like this –-*M*W***–-. Don't forget to use the left and right arrow keys to move the blinking cursor. Top of Page PhoneTree® is calling one day late. It is a good idea to check your setting on PhoneTree® occasionally. In a common example, the PhoneTree® user wanted to schedule a call for Friday, but in setting the day for calling to begin, the user keyed in SMTWT*S instead of *****F* into PhoneTree®. Top of Page My call window changed. Now it's only set for an hour. Someone has used the PhoneTree® system's remote access and used "*CF1" to call for one hour [pg. 19 in the PhoneTree® manual]. Reset the calling window. “Don't call before, Don't call after” [pg. 17 in the manual]. Top of Page Messaging/Capability What are some of the rules that PhoneTree® follows? The general calling rules of PhoneTree® are:
PhoneTree® waits a long time to play my message after the phone is answered. This is due to silence at the beginning of your message. You should re-record. Be sure to start speaking immediately after the "beep" when you press the record button. Top of Page How do I record an "Intro Message?" If "9 to Confirm" is enabled as an option, then a "Intro Message" must be Recorded. If "9 to Confirm" is not enabled, PhoneTree® will not play an "Intro Message" nor will it prompt the operator to record an "Intro Message." Top of Page Calling Pagers Yes. PhoneTree® can leave a number on a pager. Simply put a "C" in the pager's telephone number (pg.16). Using the advanced menu, enter the number you wish to leave on pagers [pg. 18 in the manual]. Top of Page I need to dial “9” to get an outside line. The PhoneTree® software's Prefix will dial a PREFIX before each number. SOLUTION: Using the Advanced menu put “9D” in for PREFIX #1. PhoneTree® will dial 9 and wait 4 seconds for a dial tone before it dials each number [see pg. 16 in the manual]. Top of Page My message is being repeated over and over. Two situations can cause a message to repeat itself and they are 1) the STAR to REPEAT optional setting is enabled and at the same time 2) the voice of the person who recorded the message has generated tones that trigger an automatic repeat of a message. The solution to this situation is to have another person record the message or remove star to repeat. Top of Page PhoneTree® display said “Learned Machine” but did not leave a message. The answering machine gave a message that took too long to decipher. PhoneTree® will call back and deliver the message at the right time. No action is necessary. PhoneTree® will deliver your message to this machine the next time around. Top of Page What is meant by "PhoneTree® Learning How a Machine Works?" When PhoneTree® connects to an answering machine that does not provide a standard tone, PhoneTree® learns how the answering machine works, but does not deliver your message the first time. It treats it like a "No Answer" and will call the number again. Top of Page What is "OGM?" When PhoneTree® dials, connects and detects a answering machine, PhoneTree® will allow that answering machine to start delivering its message up to the amount of time specified in the "setups" of PhoneTree®. The default setting for "MAX ANS MACHINE OGM (sec)" is 25 seconds and can be increased to 39 seconds to provide more time for the "called answering machine" to complete its message. Top of Page Under "Advanced Options" what is meant by "How Many No Answers Allowed?" The setting for "How Many No Answers Allowed" enables a user to call a phone number from 1 to 15 times if the number being called has not answered. The FCC limits the number to 15 calls per day from an electronic device. Top of Page I have a lot of details in my message; how can I be sure everyone has time to write them all down? Remind them in your message that they can repeat the message by pressing the star (*) key on their phone. Using Advanced Menu, [pg 18 in the manual] select 'Star to Repeat.' Leave some silence at the end of your message to allow time to press the star. Top of Page How can I be sure my message is delivered to the right person? PhoneTree® allows a brief introductory message to confirm receipt of the message. Record your introduction requesting the called party to dial “9” if they want to hear the message [pg. 15 in the manual]. Top of Page The PhoneTree® display says “No Dial Tone.” There could be several things that are causing this, including a bad telephone connection, bad telephone cable, bad telephone outlet, a fax machine in the process of receiving a fax, an off the hook telephone which shares the same line with PhoneTree® and several other situations would created a "No Dial Tone" message for PhoneTree®. If you are using a phone system you may need to dial '9' or another code. Each of these possible caused should be checked out by the owner/user by using substitutions and a trial and error method of checking–i.e. testing the PhoneTree® unit in another room with a different telephone cable and a different telephone connection, etc. Check the PhoneTree® system's phone line connection and verify all phones are “hung up.” If you are using a phone system, check with your installer. PhoneTree® requires an RJ11 jack. (See next question also). Top of Page When I have a voice mail message waiting, PhoneTree® is unable to call. Yes. If you have voice mail from your local telephone company, you will receive a stutter dial tone when there are messages. Set "Dial tone Check" to "NO" by pressing [Menu], [A], using the down arrow key until you see "Dial tone Check?", press [N]O. Top of Page Can I use PhoneTree® to take a survey? Call Reply feature lets you ask a question that can be answered with a number, such as, “if you are coming to the event, press 6.” PhoneTree® records a touch tone response. Be sure to leave some silence after your message to allow for the entry [see pg. 15 in the manual]. Top of Page I need to use PhoneTree® but I can't get to the office. A PhoneTree® system's Remote Access allows operation from any touch tone phone. Be sure the list or group you want to call is in PhoneTree® , then call in to record your message and set Phone-Tree to Call [pg. 19 in the PhoneTree® manual]. Top of Page I know PhoneTree® can hold 990 people and 10 groups, but how many people can be in a group? PhoneTree® keeps names and numbers as you would on an index card. Each member's card is marked with the groups they are in. Each of the 990 members can be in one, some, none or all of the groups. Top of Page When assigning people to groups, is there an easy way to keep track of groups? On the lower left section of the PbaseWin95 there is a section titled "Highlighted Person Belongs To Group(s)"–click on the name "Group 1" or any Group and there will appear a blinking cursor which will enable the user to type in a customized name such as Boy Scouts, Deacons, or Lady's Group and etc. This feature permits the user to better associate persons with groups. Top of Page I have calls now being made by my PhoneTree® , but how do I stop the calling session? Push "STOP" to stop the calling session. To resume the calling session, press CALL and then press R for Resume. To cancel the call quickly press STOP 3 times. Top of Page How do I stop a calling session and start an emergency call? On the keypad of PhoneTree® Plus press STOP. In the event a calling session needs to be canceled and a new calling session started, quickly press STOP three times. Top of Page When do I use the "STOP" key on the Phone Tree? The "STOP" key is one of the most, if not the most important key on your PhoneTree®. Use the "STOP" key after:
Top of Page I only want PhoneTree® to try each number once; can it do that? Yes. You can adjust the number of attempts from 1 to 15 times. Using Advanced Menu, set “How Many NO ANSWERS ALLOWED.” Top of Page General Where can I find a quick reference to all of the commands for PhoneTree® ? On page 3 of the PhoneTree® manual you can find the commands necessary to operate PhoneTree®. Just remember to press "STOP" after commands are completed, or if you are unsure of what to choose or press. Top of Page How can I get help so I can operate the PhoneTree® ? This questions comes up very often and sometimes represents a problem for the new operator of a PhoneTree® that has been in use for a number of years. Unfortunately, PhoneTree® , like all companies, cannot provide free support for an unlimited number of years, but the Internet has provided an opportunity for us to supply free information and technical guidance for users of current and some past products. Any new owner or new operator of a PhoneTree® is encouraged to explore this PhoneTree® website for information on the latest updates, new products, and most frequently asked questions about PhoneTree®. Customers calling PhoneTree® Customer Service can either elect to purchase a Service Support Contract or pay for the technical service on a per-incident basis. Top of Page We bought a PhoneTree® 6 months ago; is Tech Support still available? Free 90-day Customer Service begins on the date of purchase and expires 90 days thereafter. All new owners are encouraged to inspect and test out their PhoneTree® upon arrival to insure that it is operational and that no damage has occurred during shipment. Your warranty for parts and labor also begins upon your purchase and expires 1 year thereafter. Your initial inspection of PhoneTree® will help insure a positive experience with PhoneTree®. Top of Page Should I plug my PhoneTree® into a surge suppressor to prevent damage from possible electrical storms? Acts of nature like electrical storms are not covered under your 1 year parts and labor warranty. Connecting PhoneTree® to a surge suppressor will help protect your PhoneTree® from electrical damage. Remember that power surges can come to PhoneTree® via both electrical and telephone lines. Top of Page I need to get My PhoneTree® repaired; what will it cost? If PhoneTree® is not operating at all or not operating properly, it is recommended that you contact PhoneTree® Customer Service for a disposition to the problem. If PhoneTree® has to be returned for repairs, upon receipt there will be an automatic bench test to determine the nature of the problem. If PhoneTree® is not under warranty, the cost of the bench test will be included in the total cost of repairs. Until a bench test is performed on a damaged PhoneTree® , repair costs are difficult to estimate. Top of Page Software Why can't I send a large list down to PhoneTree® ? If after you have clicked on large list and you get a message stating "Large List in Process", click on "kill the current job" and then click on "begin new job" and begin a using the new large list. Top of Page I'm having trouble transmitting files from PhoneTree® to my computer. You may need to adjust the transmission speed for certain computers. Set the Serial Com Delay. Top of Page Today we attempted to import a list with little success; can you tell me why? Files imported by PhoneTree® must be of three types:ASCII, COMMA DELIMITED, or CSV. Since there are literally thousands of programs that can be used to store calling list and created ASCII files, the user must insure that his or her program will create or convert the file to ASCII (comma delimited), COMMA DELIMITED or CSV, otherwise PbaseWin95 will not recognize or import the file. Top of Page My membership program says that it has exported a file to PhoneTree® , but PhoneTree® could not find the file. Why? Unless the "ASCII (comma delimited), "COMMA DELIMITED," or "CSV" file is actually placed in the proper location within the PbaseWin95 directory structure, PbaseWin95 will not know where to look for the file to be imported. If PbaseWin95 cannot find the file to be imported, then the user may want to try to SAVE AS or EXPORT to a known folder or even to a floppy on Drive A. Top of Page PhoneTree® was set to call at 8:00AM and it didn't call, what could be wrong? When setups are sent to PhoneTree® , the computer time is also downloaded to the PhoneTree®. After reviewing all of the settings or calling parameters in PbaseWin95 it was discovered in this example that when the user sent the setups from PbaseWine95 to the PhoneTree® , the time clock on the computer was off by 2 hours. Top of Page A call session was to begin Saturday morning and it didn't start. In this example, the user failed to "Send the Setups To Phone Tree"–the correct setups were put in by the user, however the active setups contained in the PhoneTree® Plus were from a call made on a previous Wednesday. Setups must be sent to PhoneTree® each time there has been a change in the setups. Top of Page I'm having trouble hooking PhoneTree® up to my computer. You may have a COM port conflict. Check the detailed information on the Connecting page, or in the HELP menu of PbaseWin95. Top of Page I get messages that com ports can not be found–How can I get PhoneTree® to work? Generally speaking, com port problems arise as a result of the number of com ports (internal and external) that a computer has, the number of devices connected to the computer and whether or not those com ports are shared or not shared. Com port problems can be frustrating and generally only a very small percentage of computers will experience this problem. Top of Page I can't get PhoneTree® to recognize the list from my database program. You need to export the data as an ASCII comma delimited file. Top of Page Can I get a better indication of the results of my calls if I use PbaseWin95 software? PhoneTree® and PbaseWin95 reports the same call status information but with PbaseWin95 the call status information can be more easily viewed, reports can be printed, and a Summary Report is provided for quick review. Top of Page How can I find out if calls were made without having to look up every name? PbaseWin95 with PhoneTree® Plus permits the owner/user to obtain a viewable or a printable report on any calling session. To get the results of the calling session, open the PhoneTree® application, click on "PhoneTree® " and click on "Talk to PhoneTree® "–then under List Transfers click on "Get from PhoneTree® " to get a viewable report. Once the report appears on screen, the owner/user can click on "View" and click on "Summary" of the report to get a summary. To print copy a of the "Summary Report and/or the Status Report" go to "File" and click on "Print" and then select the type of report to print. Top of Page What does "TELCO Message" mean on the status report I get from PhoneTree® ? TELCO Messages means telephone company messages detected by PhoneTree®. These messages could represent non-working numbers, disconnected numbers, an out of order number, or other situations for which a telephone company has placed a message on a number. Top of Page What does "Called Max Times" mean on my status report? Called Max Times means that a number has been called the maximum times specified under the "Max No Answers" settings and that there has not been an answer from that number. Top of Page What does "OGM Too Long" mean on my status report? "OGM Too Long" on the status report, refers to the outgoing message of an answering machine, an electronic answering service that PhoneTree® has called. OGMs can also include a non-standard telephone company message. You may set the OGM time up to 39 seconds to allow more time for answering machines or services. Top of Page My city uses "Metro Dialing." How can I get PhoneTree® to dial correctly? PhoneBase can handle any local or long distance calling rules. Read the detailed instructions on the Correcting Numbers page. Top of Page How do I call just one or two of my group instead of calling the entire list? Within PbaseWin95 click on View, click on Filters and then under Group, highlight the group(s) which you want to call, then click on OK. Once the selected groups appear on your screen, click on PhoneTree® and Talk to PhoneTree® and then under "List Transfers" click on "Sent to PhoneTree®." After the list has been transferred to PhoneTree® , return To View then click on Filters and under Groups, unhighlight the group(s) selected, then click on OK and the total master list will return to the viewing screen. Top of Page Can I install PhoneTree® Plus and PbaseWin95 on my network? PhoneTree® Plus and PbaseWin95 can be installed on a network workstation, but it was not designed to be installed on a network server. Top of Page |