CallingNow allows you to trigger custom responses to incoming calls. Open your customer database, start a contact manager or call monitoring system. The interface to CallingNow is simple. 

How CallingNow works with your database
Database Integration - steps to take
Configuring the Application Interface in CallingNow
Call Logging
Client/Server Features

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Caller ID, CallingNow and Screen Pops

CallingNow gathers caller ID information that is delivered between the first and second ring of the phone. Caller ID information occurs part of the signaling and is not dependent on the phone being answered for delivery. CallingNow takes the name and number information and finds the location they are calling from. It also does a lookup in the contact database looking for a match to display on the screen and displays the callers information on screen.

CallingNow has the capability of starting a remote database application to pop screens or access call records. CallingNow can pass information to a DB application via the Windows command line. This is similar to starting the application via the “Run” command under the main Windows Start menu. Command line arguments tell the receiving application what kind of data is being sent and what to do with it.

The included contact database is a fully functional contact manger with a form based front end with a MS Access based SQL compliant database backend. You can replace the sample database with one of your own. The requirements are simply that the database be accessible from the command line and that you can pass the phone number to search for as an argument when starting the application..  

Steps for making a custom database interface

1. Confirm the operation the modem, program and database using the default setting and the sample database. Place test calls and note what happens when the callers phone number is found.

2. Create a custom form to front end the database you wish to use.

3. The form should have the fields you want to view and the controls you need when you are on a phone call.

4. The form should accept a command line argument in the form of -option <param> where option is the parameter identifier and <param> is the data being passed. For example -phone_num 16123701091 would be a sample option and data pair. The applcation would normally search the database with the data passed and present the record if a match is found.

5. Compile and test the program

6. Try running the program from the Run box within Windows. This should simulate a live call coming in.

   For example if your program was named myDBapp.exe, you could run

   C:\mydir\myDBapp.exe -phone_num 16123701091

   from the Run command. This should start the program, myDBapp.exe and search for the record associated with the data passed.
   This sample expects the option -phone_num, and searches for  associated phone number data "16123700191"  You should expect that the record assocuated with the phone number be displayed when the program starts.

7. Hook the new program into CallingNow (see the section below)

8. Place sample calls to test functionality

Configuring Calling now to work with an external DB application

Starting a DB Application from CallingNow


The following fields in the database option screen are used to pass search arguments to a DB application via the Windows command line. After starting the DB application the application would be expected to parse the command line argument and the search string. The demoDB is preconfigured to accept the default values of the search and add arguments.

Database Options Tab
Select External Database
This ties CallingNow to your external database

Do search on every call  (Screen pop record when found)
Initiate a query to your database when a call comes in. Searches database or Outlook in the manner specified when the phone is ringing.
 

Specify DB Application Interface
CallingNow needs to know what program to start when a call comes in. In this section you specify the program to call, the arguments to send it and the action to take when a call comes in.

Command line syntax summary:
<db app directory><db program name>   <db arguments>   <search or add option/value pairs>

DB application directory Directory where DB application is located
DB Program Program name of the DB application. The application (typically ends in .exe) which is a front end to the database.
DB Arguments Command line arguments to start database application (if any). These are in addition to the options/parameter pairs passed with the call (see the search options, below)

Test opens the application using the path, DB program name and arguments specified.

Default Action

Select what kind of DB action you want CallingNow to perform when a a call comes in. You can either search for an existing record or add a new record on each call.Normally a search is done by phone number (this is the default value). This assumes that your database is searchable by phone number. Alternatively you have the ability to search by name or location (state). Alternatively, you can choose to add every call to the database either as a person or as a business.

Search Options

Search by Number to search by phone number. Command line arguments sent to application to search DB by phone number. The CID number is passed to the specified application following the option.
Search by Name app to search by name. Command line arguments sent to DB app to search by name. The CID name is passed to the specified application following the option. Note that the name information passed by caller id is often abbreviated, often  missing and frequently incorrect.
Search by Location to search by location. Command line arguments sent to DB app to search by the state. The location state is passed to the DB.

Create New Record Options
You can create a new record my pressing the "Add As.." button on the CallingNow screen. This lets you add new records for people not currently in your database. Typically if you receive calls from businesses you'll want to add calls as a business.

Add as Person, name or location arguments. Character to replace spaces in number, name or location arguments. The name is passed to the DB.
Add as Business Command line argument sent to DB app to add call as a business. The name is also passed to the DB.

Replace blank spaces with … character used to replace spaces in phone number, name or location. This character is used to convert the the passed argument into a single continuous string. The fill character could then be converted back to spaces in the database handling application.
For example, “Beagle Software” becomes “Beagle~Software” when the default replacement character, ~, is used.
 

CallingNow lets you log every call that comes by adding the information to a log file. This is independent of any database or Outlook integration. The file is a simple text file that can be imported into spreadsheets or databases for analysis or archiving.

Sample log file:

Date  Time  Number          Name                   ST
07/19 12:58 3097524809 MOSS JOHN       IL
07/19 13:36 6129295077 JOHNSON JEF   MN
07/19 13:51 3069455239 MENNT FIRE       SK
07/19 14:25 3069452239 3069452239       SK
07/19 16:12 8163892819 8163892819        MO
07/20 09:16 8666932000 8666932000          --
07/20 09:29 9728763600 COMPUCOM INC TX

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