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Need programming advice....:)

Started by Ritual Magic Jan 7, 2004 at 2:23 AM 7 replies 1k views

Original Post

Jan 7, 2004 at 2:23 AM

This is not game related, but I''m not too sure where else to ask, or what terms to google. Basically what I want to develop is a system which will act as a sort of answering machine/job scheduler server, running from my home machine. For the home side, I have a PC running all the time, connected to a phone line. Simple. I will attempt to describe how this system should work: 1) A customer calls the number. 2) The machine answers, and tells them they are being put through to an available operative. 3) From a machine maintained list of "available" ops, the first on the list would be called. Operatives would have the following options with the system: 1) Be able to call in and make themselves available. 2) Make themselves unavailable 3) Register themselves as "on a job" I want them to be able to do this via their mobile phones (or from any phone, basically). It''s for a tech callout business I am hoping to establish soon, and I have several techs (mostly students) lined up to do cable-monkeying and tech support. Alot of them won''t be available fulltime, but I''m hoping that between them all we can have the service running pretty much all the time. Anyone got any advice? I have no idea where to start looking. I did try googling for tech support software (like AOL or Dell would use) only to find it costs MONDO money, and I am on a shoestring budget

Thanks! RM

mink_trapper

Jan 7, 2004 at 3:57 AM

Get really creative really fast then make it yourself.

______________________________________________________________

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Ritual Magic

Jan 7, 2004 at 4:08 AM

Bleh, that''s the plan!

I''m basically looking for some advice on what libraries etc to use. I think I''ve found what I''m looking for - the RtC client API...anyone used it? Recommend something else?

Thanks!

RM.

$fractionMan$

fractionMan

Jan 7, 2004 at 1:24 PM

Admit it, you saw that program about the bloke who set up a load of sex lines and made a fortune. And now you want to do the same.

Good luck!

Zul

Jan 7, 2004 at 1:52 PM

You can set up MS Outlook to work with a program called CallExpress, which will allow you to listen to phone messages through Outlook, so you may try monkeying around with that. Other than that, that''s all I know to tell ya.

Orrrrrrrrr...

Check out Cisco''s available hardware software stuff and see if they have something relatively cheap that you could use and configure the way you need it. They have all kinds of tricky telecom shiz.

superpig

Jan 7, 2004 at 2:04 PM

What you''re looking at is a programmable switchboard (I think). You can probably buy hardware designed specifically for this, as it''s probably a pretty common requirement for a tech support service.

I''m not sure you can handle it from your own machine like that, at least not without dedicated hardware and an agreement with the phone company. While someone is connected to you, then the phone company will see your number as ''in use,'' and thus give the engaged tone to anyone else trying to call. I believe you''d have to have your number set up as an explicit ''switchboard line,'' which they then forward the call to rather than connecting it directly.

As such, you''ll probably have to talk to them.. and they quite likely can provide the equipment for you, as well. See what they can do before you try writing it yourself.

Richard "Superpig" Fine
- saving pigs from untimely fates, and when he''s not doing that, runs The Binary Refinery.
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bigbadboo

Jan 7, 2004 at 6:53 PM

I saw an episode from the .Net show about Managed code and one example was that this dude wrote in an afternoon in C# a MSN messenger notifier which messages you with the Caller ID of the person that is calling you on your home phone.

Check it out if you''re interested.

Erivan

Jan 7, 2004 at 7:05 PM

Use the TAPI library that comes with every win32 platform.

Andrew Russell

Jan 7, 2004 at 7:09 PM

you can get some software to do this kind of switchboard stuff, as well as things like four and sixteen line voice-modems that work with it. It''s not expencive, but it''s not cheep either.

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