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Please note Skype is not recommended for
predictive dialing. Comparing with VOIP predictive dialing,
the main
disadvantage of Skype predictive dialing is audio quality
and initial response time.
For testing though, Skype is sometimes
easier to setup up if you currently do not have a VOIP service
or VOIP compatible PBX system.
This guide contains the following
sections:
Install
and Setup Server
Please follow
the Quick Start Guide to install Voicent Gateway and
AgentDialer software. The Quick Start Guide can be opened from
Windows Start Button > All Programs > Voicent. Here we present
a short version of the steps.
Predictive
Dialer Setup Guide is a condensed version that is
specifically written for setting up Voicent predictive dialer.
1)
Install Voicent Software
If you do not have the software CD, you can download the
Voicent software package at:
http://www.voicent.com/download
Follow the on screen instructions to install Voicent Gateway
and AgentDialer
2)
Configure Skype for phone calls
Please see
skype for more instructions. After
you install Skype, you should try to make a few phone calls to
make sure it works. To call landline or cell phone, you need
SkypeOut credit.
3)
Restart Voicent Gateway to connect to Skype
Start Skype and sign in, then restart Voicent Gateway to
connect to the running Skype instance. Please set “allow this
program to use Skype” when prompted by Skype. For more
details, please see the Quick Start
Guide.
Test
Predictive Dialing on the Server
Open Voicent AgentDialer,
enter phone numbers, such as your cell phone number, in the
Phone column. Please note you need to specify 1 for US phone
number, where 1 is the country code. (You could set the
dialing rule to automatically add 1. Please set it from the
Outbound tab under Voicent Gateway main menu > Setup >
Options) To specify a sip or skype account, please use sip:
or skype:
as the prefix, such as skype:echo123.
To start predictive dialing, please select Predictive
from the program main menu, then select Start.
When your phone rings, answer
the call and say “hello”.
You should see the following
popup screen:
Once you see this popup
screen, the phone call is connected to the computer and is
ready for conversation. If you selected “Automatic release
after the call is disconnected”, this dialog window will
automatically close when either party hangs up the phone.
Use a
better headset
It is very
important to have a good quality headset for the phone call. A
lot of cheap microphones catch background noises and generate
static. If you experience poor audio quality during the call,
the best thing to do is to use a better headset. We recommend
Creative HS-600 noise canceling headset, which is Skype
certified.
To fine tune the audio for the headset, please
select Windows control panel > Sound and Audio Devices
Run Multiple Skype
Instances
Each running
Skype instance acts as a single phone line. To have
simultaneous calls, you must run multiple Skype instances.
Unfortunately Skype is limited to run only one instance under
the same Windows user account. In order to run multiple Skype
instances, you must set up multiple Windows user accounts.
You can add a
new Windows user from Windows Control Panel, under User
accounts.
You can use
the same Skype user account for the different Windows user
accounts. But it is not required. You can use different Skype
account also.
Windows Vista
Windows Vista
is more restrictive in terms of security. You must do the
following to start multiple Skype instances:
-
Switch to a
different Windows user account
-
Run Skype,
and sign in
-
Switch back
(not logout) to the original Windows user account
-
Repeat
step 1-3 for a different Windows user account if any
-
Restart
Voicent Gateway
Window XP
You can use
the steps listed for Windows Vista to run multiple Skype
instances. But since Windows XP is less restrictive than
Vista, you can run multiple Skype instances under the same
login session.
Select
Windows Start > Run… Type in the following command
runas /user:username "C:\Program Files\Skype\Phone\Skype.exe"
where username is the
Windows user account name
Setup Predictive Dialer Remote Agent >>
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