# Announcement service (announcements prior to answering)

The announcement service plays a welcome announcement during the ringing phase. It can be activated for external and internal calls.

A welcome announcement consists of announcement sequences which you can put together yourself. To set up an announcement sequence, you (or the user himself) can record a text via a system phone or upload already available audio recordings onto the communication server.

If an external call is not answered by an internal user after a preset delay, the caller obtains the welcome announcement. The sequence is played until the destination user answers the call, the welcome announcement is finished or the configured length of rings has been reached.

You can assign a welcome announcement to each user with a direct dial number for all three switch positions of the main switch group (switch group 1). The switch group can be used for example for Day, Night and Weekend switchovers.

You can also activate the announcement service globally for internal callers (Announcement service for internal calls setting).

A welcome announcement consists of one or more announcement sequences which you can put together yourself.

Each announcement sequence consists of an audio file with the voice or music recording and a configurable pause. You can create or upload the audio files with the recordings yourself.

Note:

As soon as the welcome text is played, the caller starts to incur call charges.

Table 1. Announcement service
Parameter | Description
Announcement service for internal calls | If internal calls are routed via a call distribution element, then greetings are also played. Note: This is a global setting, and applies to all greetings.

## Welcome announcements

Here you can see the available greeting announcements with their activation status and the audio files used. Here you can learn how to record or upload new audio files for greeting announcements, define greeting announcements or delete available greeting announcements.

## Recording audio files for greeting announcements with phone or audio device

You can record audio files for greeting announcements either by speaking into a phone, or via an audio device connected to the audio input. The recordings created in this way are stored as audio files.

Table 2. Function code for managing greeting messages
Function | Function code
Recording with the phone | *911 xx #
Recording via communication server audio input | *921 xx #
Check recording | *#911 xx # (or *#921 xx #)
Delete recording | #911 xx # (or #921 xx #)
xx: Two-digit file number <10...29>

To start the recording, proceed as follows:

1. Enter the recording procedure.

   You hear a long start tone.

2. Speak the text you wish to record or start the audio device.

   You can monitor the recording made via the audio input using the terminal’s handset.

3. End the recording by going on-hook or by pressing the Stop Foxkey.

   The recording is automatically stored as a wave file in the file system.

notes:

- A user can only carry out the function codes if he has been allocated an authorization profile with the right Audio services. Also the user PIN must not be set to the default value “0000”. You can configure both settings in the user configuration For this, click in the User list view on the corresponding user.
- The duration of recording is limited by the size of the memory allocated in the file system. To specify the duration of recording use the Recording capacity parameter. Once this time has expired, the recording stops automatically and the audio data is stored.
- The recording procedure overwrites the wave file activated in the file system.

## Uploading audio files as wave files for greeting announcements

You can also load existing records in form of a wave file onto the file system. To do so proceed as follows:

1. Under Audio files click the Browse... button on the line corresponding to the announcement you want and select the wave file you want to load.

2. Click the Apply button to run the upload.

notes:

- The audio file must have the “.wav” file name extension and be stored in the format “CCIT A-Law, 8 kHz, 8 bit, mono”. The communication server will be unable to play back audio files that do not have the correct format.
- If the file system already contains an audio file by the same name, it will be overwritten.
- The file played back is always the file entered under File name in the text field. If the file system does not contain a file by that name, nothing is played back.

Tip:

More files than planned can be uploaded to the file system, provided they each have a different name. The uploaded files can also be seen in the file browser under voice/court/. Files can also be uploaded and/or deleted there.

## Defining new greeting announcements

A welcome announcement consists of one or more announcement sequences which you can put together yourself here. Each sequence consists of an audio file with the voice or music recording and a configurable pause.

To define e new greeting announcement, proceed as follows:

1. Click the Add button.

   The greeting announcement edit view opens.

2. Give the greeting announcement a name.

3. Choose whether or not the greeting announcement should be Activated.

4. Indicate the Delay in seconds until the call is switched to the greeting announcement.

5. Click the button.

6. Enter the number of the audio file with the recording you want for the first sequence.

   Note:

   An audio file can be used in several sequences.

   1. Choose the pause signal from the following options:

      - Ring back tone: The normal ring back tone can be heard (serves as a reminder that a call can still be made at the called party's). External audio source: Audio signal of the device at the communication server audio input.

      - Internal audio source: The wave file for Music on hold is played back (if defined and activated).

      - Hold tone: A periodically recurring dual tone is played back.

   2. Select the Pause duration in seconds.

Note:

To dispense with a pause and pause signal, select a pause duration of 0 seconds.

1. Repeat Step 5...8 to add more sequences.

2. To delete a sequence, left-click the symbol close to the sequence.

3. Configure the parameter Next sequence for all sequences:

   No music: The greeting announcement is ended after this sequence.

Note:

If repeat loops are defined, the welcome announcement is repeated until the call is answered or the connection is cut.

## Deleting one or more greeting announcements

1. To delete a greeting announcement, click the Delete button.

   Control boxes are displayed on the left side.

2. Tick the boxes of the greeting announcements you want to delete, and click the Delete button once again.

Tip:

To select or deselect all the users, click the check box in the table title.

## Activating / deactivating greeting announcements

The announcement service cannot be activated or deactivated globally; instead, the individual welcome announcements are activated or deactivated. If several users share the same welcome announcements, they can only be deactivated individually in the call distribution elements.

Table 3. Function codes for activating/deactivating greeting announcements
Function | Function code
Activate welcome announcement | *931 yy #
Deactivate welcome announcement | *931 yy #
yy: 2-digit welcome announcement <01...50>

Parent topic: Auto attendant
↑