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If your library users have telephone selected as the notice preference, when you prepare circulation notices for holds and overdues, the Millennium system creates a list of the hold pickup and overdue notices that can be delivered by Teleforms. When you choose to have these notices delivered by Teleforms, the system automatically sends them to a MySQL database on the Innovative server using Open Database Connectivity (ODBC). Your Teleforms PC accesses the same database so that you do not need to manually download or upload the notices after you prepare them. You can configure your Teleforms PC so that it will automatically begin placing these calls at the appropriate hour.
Teleforms notices can have one of the following statuses:
| Call Notice Statuses |
| Status |
Description |
| Ready |
The call is ready to be placed. |
| Pending |
The Teleforms PC is currently placing the call, or at least one attempt to place the call has been made. |
| Complete |
The Teleforms PC successfully placed the call. |
| Incomplete |
The Teleforms PC could not successfully place the call. The Teleforms PC will not attempt to place this call again. |
| Incompletelogged |
The status is changed to Incompletelogged after the unsuccessful notices have printed, if the Teleforms History feature is enabled. |
The Teleforms PC automatically updates the status of each call attempt notice in the database. However, every day your library is open, you should print notices for undelivered Teleforms calls. When you choose this option, the Teleforms PC removes completed calls (i.e., those calls whose status is Complete) from the database and allows you to print those calls that it could not complete (i.e., those calls whose status is Incomplete). If you confirm that you successfully printed the incomplete calls, Millennium will remove them from the database. Calls with a status of Ready or Pending remain in the database until the Teleforms PC changes their status to Complete or Incomplete.
A Typical Call
For each call that it places, the Teleforms PC begins by taking the telephone line off-hook and listening for a dial tone. After it recognizes the dial tone, it dials the number. You can use the configuration options and dialing rules to specify whether the Teleforms PC includes area codes.
The Teleforms PC can recognize most standard sounds on a phone line, such as ringing and a busy signal. If it recognizes just a ringing line with no answer, or a busy signal, the Teleforms PC skips to the next call in the list. If it recognizes a voice on the line (either a live human voice or a recording), it waits for the voice to stop speaking, and then delivers the appropriate message. Here are some typical messages:
Sample Hold Pickup Message
Hello. This is the [YourLibraryName's]. A book that a patron at this number requested is now available for pickup. It will be held at the library until Friday, January 5th. Please come in and pick up this item. To repeat this message, please stay on the line. Hello. This is the [YourLibraryName's]...
Sample Overdue Message
Hello. This is the [YourLibraryName's]. Our records indicate that a patron at this number has an item that is overdue. If so, please return them to the library. To repeat this message, stay on the line...
| Acquiring Additional Hold Pickup Messages |
| By default, the Teleforms PC supports one hold pickup message and one overdue message only. However, your library can acquire additional hold pickup messages. For more information, please contact your sales representative at Innovative Interfaces. |
The first time the Teleforms PC attempts to place the call, it changes the call's status from Ready to Pending. If the Teleforms PC is able to play the message, the call is considered "delivered" and the Teleforms PC changes its status to Complete. If the Teleforms PC is unable to play the message, it checks the setting of the AttemptLimit configuration option. If the AttemptLimit option is set to a value greater than one, the call's status remains Pending. When the Teleforms PC reaches the AttemptLimit for the call, the call is considered "undelivered" and the Teleforms PC changes the call's status to Incomplete.
In either case, after attempting to place the call, the Teleforms PC hangs up the phone line and proceeds to the next call in the list. This process continues until all of the calls in the list have been attempted. At this point, the Teleforms PC reattempts to place calls whose status is Pending. If you prepare more Teleforms notices during the day, the Teleforms PC appends those notices to the list.
| How the Teleforms PC Prioritizes the Call List |
| The Teleforms PC prioritizes calls in the list using the following logic. First, it sorts the calls by the number of attempts made (fewest attempts first), then by how recently the last attempt was made (most recent last), and finally by phone number (using the phone number as a whole number, so 555-5555 will come before 555-5556). |
If Teleforms cannot deliver the notices because of a bad phone number or a no-answer, the call is considered Incomplete. This information is stored on the Millennium server and is accessed when the library prepares notices for undelivered Teleforms notices. Undelivered Teleforms notices can then be printed.
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