Creating Conference bridge – Announcing Participants

Creating a simple conference menu is a common request, and with voicemail Pro, we can announce the attendees.  There are a few things we would need to set up first.

Here is the conference module we will make:

1.  First we need to make a short code for all users to have a conference bridge.  Here we use 7 and our extension number (407 for testing).

This is what Voicemail Pro will transfer callers into for a bridge ID.  Also, if there are user internal, they will be able to dial 7XXX, where XXX is the extension number of the conference host.

2.  Next we need to go into our Voicemail Pro client and create a new module.  Here we named it “DemoConference”.  Once created go into that module, there, you will only have a start point.

3.  First, from the Basic Action, select Menu, and add to the desktop.  Label the action “Ask for ConfBridge” and create an Entry Prompt asking the caller for their conference ID (conference Host’s extension number).  Now go to the Touch Tone tab, and add a new touch tone by clicking the “+” sign., and enter “???”.  I also like to allow for a timeout of about 2 or 3 seconds.  Set your connector for Timeout to go back to the beginning, menu action.  Click OK, and we continue.

4.  Now, we just need to save, what the caller entered, because in the next step, I like to compare that number (extension number) to the users/mailboxes on the system, to help make sure it is a valid bridge.  Not 100%, but helps.  If you don’t need this, you may skip this step as well as  step 5 and step 6.  From the Basic Action, select Generic and add that to the desktop, and label it “Save ConfID”. Go into the Specific tab, and set up for “Select Generic command” and have it use “Set CPxx Value” and set the data variable as 0 with the value of $KEY.  Place a connector line from the previous “???” to the beginning of this Generic action.

5.  Now we need to go to Condition Actions and select Test Variable, add it to the desktop and label it “Valid ConfID?”.  On the Specific tab, “Select the Variable to Match” as $CP0 from the drop down.  I like to check for both Extensions and Mailboxes.  Set a connector line from the previous Generic action, to this test variable.  Click OK and continue.

6.  From the Basic Action, select Generic and add that to the desktop, and label it Invalid ConfID.  Connect the No Match option to this Generic action.  Inside the Generic action, record a new Entry Prompt, stating “that conference ID was not recognized”.  Use the connector from the Invalid ConfID action to the beginning Menu action “Ask for ConfBridge”.

7.  From the Mailbox Action list, select Voice Question, and on the Specific tab, add a new recording by clicking the “+” sign and make a recording asking  the caller to say :

“To announce yourself to the conference, please say your name at the tone” 

Save and close the recording window.  And click on the microphone icon, and set it to record for  3-5 seconds, whichever works for you.  Click OK to close the Voice Question action.  Use the connector line to connect the Extension and Mailbox options on the previous window to the Voice Question action.

8.  Now from the Telephony actions, we need to add the Whisper action.  On the specific tab, we need to make sure “Play Recording” and “Auto Accept” are both checked.  We want to set that the recording plays to our conference bridge, the  actual bridge number, so insert “7$CP0”.  You also can record a prompt to announce the users recorded name.  Press the ”+” sign and make a recording that says: “Now added to the conference”.  We can save the action, and use the connector to connect the Whisper action back to the previously made, voice question.

9.  Save and make live, and we can test.  We can create a short code to test.  I used *9997.  Or insert this module into your auto attendant menu action.

If a user internal dials 7407, that will match the short code and put them in the conference directly.  If a user goes through our new menu,  they would enter the 3 digit extension number (407), record their name, and Voicemail Pro would transfer them to the short-code 7407, playing the file, “Now added to the conference..” , “The Godfather”.