TAA Amanda User manual

Using
[e-mail]
Version 2.1
User’s Guide Edition 6

ii Using [e-mail]
Copyright and Trademark Notices
Copyright 1992–1998 The Automatic Answer. All Rights Reserved. This
guide and the software described herein are copyrighted with all rights
reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, stored
in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form by any
means without the prior written permission of The Automatic Answer.
tAA™, Amanda®, and [e-mail]® are trademarks and
registered trademarks of The Automatic Answer. Other brand names and
product names mentioned in this manual are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective owners.
Limited Warranty on Software
The Automatic Answer (“tAA”) warrants the media on which the software is
recorded to be free from defects in materials and faulty workmanship for a
period of 90 days from the date the software is delivered. If a defect in the
media should occur during this period, you may return the media to tAA and
tAA will replace the media without charge.
tAA MAKES NO WARRANTIES (OTHER THAN THOSE SET FORTH
ABOVE) TO ANY PERSON OR ENTITY WITH RESPECT TO THE
PRODUCT OR ANY DERIVATIVES THEREOF OR ANY SERVICES OR
LICENSES AND DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES,
INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY, PERFORMANCE, NONINFRINGEMENT, AND
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. tAA WILL NOT BE LIABLE
FOR ANY BUG, ERROR, OMISSION, DEFECT, DEFICIENCY, OR
NONCONFORMITY IN ANY SOFTWARE. THE SOFTWARE IS
LICENSED “AS IS,” AND THE PURCHASER ASSUMES THE ENTIRE
RISK AS TO ITS QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE.
IN NO EVENT AND NOTWITHSTANDING ANY DOCUMENT,
REPRESENTATION, OR OTHERWISE, SHALL tAA BE LIABLE TO
YOU FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL,
CONTINGENT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING
DAMAGES FROM LOSS OR CORRUPTION OF DATA, INTERRUPTED

iii
USE, LOST PROFITS, COST OF PROCURING SUBSTITUTE GOODS,
TECHNOLOGY OR SERVICES, EVEN IF tAA OR AN AUTHORIZED
tAA DEALER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGES. YOU AGREE THAT tAA’S LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF
CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, WARRANTY, OR
OTHER LEGAL OR EQUITABLE THEORY SHALL NOT EXCEED
ANY AMOUNTS PAID BY YOU FOR THIS PRODUCT. Any written or
oral information or advice given by tAA dealers, distributors, agents, or
employees will in no way increase the scope of this warranty, nor may you
rely on such oral or written communication. Some states do not allow the
exclusion or limitation of implied warranties or liability for incidental or
consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply
to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have
other rights which vary from state to state. This Agreement shall be
governed by the laws of the State of California without regard to the
conflicts of laws or provisions thereof.
Fraudulent Usage Advisory
Although the Amanda software is designed to resist fraudulent usage,
including unauthorized access to a long distance network, no product,
including the Amanda software, is able to prevent such unauthorized usage.
The Amanda software is likewise unable to prevent such uses as may
constitute an invasion of privacy or other tort. tAA MAKES NO EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED WARRANTY AGAINST UNLAWFUL OR
UNAUTHORIZED USE OF YOUR AMANDA SYSTEM OR ITS
CAPABILITIES AND HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY ARISING
FROM SUCH USE. YOU AGREE TO INDEMNIFY, DEFEND, AND
HOLD tAA HARMLESS FOR ANY UNAUTHORIZED OR
FRAUDULENT USE OF YOUR LICENSED AMANDA SOFTWARE.
THE AUTOMATIC ANSWER
27121 CALLE ARROYO, BLDG. 2200
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA 92675
TELEPHONE [phone] FAX [phone]

iv Using [e-mail]
Conventions
This manual uses the following terminology and conventions:
Amanda The name by which this manual refers to the Aman-
[email protected] system to make reading about the system
easier. Because of the name Amanda, the system is also re-
ferred to as “she.”
caller Someone who calls into Amanda. A caller often obtains in-
formation, leaves a message for someone, and/or provides
information. Because Amanda is referred to as “she,” call-
ers and users are referred to as “he.”
user Someone with an extension that Amanda transfers calls to
and/or stores messages for. A user can access Amanda to
play, delete, and send messages as well as set personal op-
tions such as Do Not Disturb.
Indicates that you must log into Amanda and identify your-
self.
Indicates that you must listen to the message before you
process it. For example, you can forward the message you
have just heard.

Contents
Copyright and Trademark Notices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
Limited Warranty on Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
Fraudulent Usage Advisory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iv
Using Amanda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Introducing Amanda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Logging into Amanda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Setting Up Amanda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Recording Greetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Sample Greetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
After-hours Greeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Away-from-the-office Greetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Managing Recorded Greetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Changing Your Security Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Controlling Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Screening Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Becoming Unavailable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Reviewing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Scheduling Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Managing Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Listening to Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Forwarding Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Replying to Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Deleting Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Sending Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Being Notified about Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Changing a Pager Number by Telephone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

vi Using [e-mail]
Leaving a Message for Someone Else . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Managing Personal Mailing Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Managing Guest Mailboxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Using Amanda
• Introducing Amanda
• Logging into Amanda
• Setting Up Amanda
• Controlling Calls
• Managing Messages
• Managing Guest Mailboxes

2 Using [e-mail]
Introducing Amanda
[e-mail] is an automated telephone attendant and voice
processing system designed especially for ease of use and flexibility. To you
and the people who call you, Amanda is also a voice on the telephone
guiding you to people, services, and messages.
Each user of the Amanda system has both a mailbox and a telephone
extension number. These are usually the same number. The extension
number is what Amanda dials to reach you when you have a call. The
mailbox identifies a record in Amanda’s database. The record contains fields
that define how Amanda processes your calls. The system administrator
initially (and ultimately) controls the contents of these fields, but you can
change many of them. For example, you may turn Do Not Disturb on and off
during a hectic day. You change the contents of these fields from a touch-
tone telephone using a series of menus.
In addition to these fields, each mailbox has greetings that you record. For
example, when you cannot answer the telephone, callers hear a greeting that
asks them to leave a message.
Your mailbox is configured to ring a telephone extension and record
messages from callers. You periodically check your mailbox for messages, or
you may be notified that a message exists in a variety of ways.
This chapter explains how to use [e-mail] effectively from
your office telephone extension and while you are out of the office.
However, you don’t need this guide at your side every time you log into
Amanda. She prompts you at every step.
Depending on decisions made by your Amanda system administrator, you
may not have access to all the features described here. Check with your
system administrator if some of the features appear to be different or
missing.
TIP: For best results, answer your telephone at the beginning of
a ring.

Using Amanda 3
Logging into Amanda
To perform the operations explained in this chapter, you must log into
Amanda, identifying yourself with your mailbox and/or security code. The
blank space in the following sets of instructions is for Amanda’s telephone
number. You get this number from your Amanda administrator.
Dial: _______
(
Amanda’s number
)
+ + mailbox + + securit
y
code +
OR
Dial: _______
(
Amanda’s number
)
+ securit
y
code +
NOTE:If Amanda asks for a security code immediately and you
are at someone else’s extension, use:
Dial: _______
(
Amanda’s number
)
+ + +
mailbox + + securit
y
code +
OR
You can dial
y
our securit
y
code
(
even thou
g
h Amanda will sa
y
it is
an invalid securit
y
code
)
. Then provide
y
our mailbox:
Dial: _______ + securit
y
code + + mailbox +
To log into Amanda from outside of the office:
Dial: _______
(
the office number
)
+ + mailbox + + securit
y
code +
To dial another user without having to hang-up:
• Dial .
(This is enough s to exit the menus and a to hear caller in-
structions.)
To hang-up from within the menu system:
• Dial .

4 Using [e-mail]
NOTE:You can hang up on Amanda at any time. However, if you
have an older model telephone switching system, Amanda
waits to be sure a disconnect has occurred.
If you dial before hanging up, Amanda
doesn’t need to wait, and the port becomes available faster.
Setting Up Amanda
As a new Amanda user, you should create a name and extension recording,
one or more greetings, a busy message.
As a new Amanda user, you should:
• Create a name and extension recording
• Put your name in the employee directory
• Change your security code
• Record one or more greetings
These preparations allow your callers to know that they have reached you
and feel comfortable about your whereabouts. Changing your security code
ensures that only you and other authorized personnel can access your
messages.
The first time you log into Amanda, she asks you if you want to set up your
mailbox. You press to set it up or to set it up at another time.
When you press , Amanda walks you through the first three of these
activities and then offers a menu that allows you to perform the others.
Follow the directions she gives you over the telephone to set up your
mailbox properly.
At the end, Amanda allows you to save or reject your changes. If you reject
the changes, Amanda walks you through these activities again the next time
you log in.
When you see this symbol, use one of the methods
of logging into Amanda and identifying yourself
that is described in this section.

Using Amanda 5
After the initial setup, you can change some of these settings individually as
explained later in this guide.
Recording Greetings
As a user of [e-mail], you can record the following:
•A name and extension recording
+ + + record
y
our name and extension +
Example: “Chris Wang. Extension 247.”
Amanda plays this when callers use the employee directory (usually
411) to find your extension number. It is also used to identify you. For
example, if a message is sent to you with verification, the sender hears
this recording as part of the verification message.
Until you make this recording, Amanda says only the number of the
mailbox:
“mailbox 2-4-7.”
•At least one greeting
+ + the
g
reetin
g
’s number
(
1-3
)
+ +
record
g
reetin
g
+
When Amanda rings your extension and you do not answer, she plays a
greeting. You can have up to three of these greetings. For example, you
can have a daytime greeting, an after-hours greeting, and a vacation or
on-the-road greeting. Until you record a greeting, Amanda plays the
system greeting, “Please leave a message for,” followed by your name
and extension recording. (If you have not recorded the name and exten-
sion recording, Amanda plays your mailbox number.)
For example: “This is Chris. I’m away from my desk or on another line.
You can bypass this greeting by pressing the # sign twice. To speak to

6 Using [e-mail]
someone else right now, enter that person’s extension or press 0 for
assistance. If you leave me a detailed message at the tone, I’ll get back
to you as soon as possible.”
These greetings can be manually selected by you or they can be sched-
uled by an administrator.
•A busy message (which callers hear when your line is busy)
+ + + record
y
our bus
y
messa
g
e +
Amanda plays either a system-wide busy message or your personal busy
message whenever your extension is busy.
For example: “This is Chris. I’m talking to someone else at the moment.
Press * to hold, enter another extension, or stay on the line to leave me a
message.”
After any recording:
Sample Greetings
This section contains sample greetings for a variety of occasions. It is
important that each message be as informative as possible. See “Recording
Greetings” on page 5 for a standard example of each type of recording: the
Name and Extension recording, the Ring No Answer greeting, and Custom
Busy message.
To Dial
Review the recording
Rerecord
Add to the end of the recording
Cancel the recording
Save the recording

Using Amanda 7
After-hours Greeting
Many Amanda administrators set up each mailbox so that greeting 1 plays
for routine working hours and greeting 2 plays for after-hours calls. Here is
an example:
“You have reached the office of Chris Wang at Homestead, Inc. after hours.
No one at Homestead can answer your call right now. Leave a detailed
message at the tone, or call during office hours: 10 A.M. to 6 P.M., Monday
through Friday.”
Away-from-the-office Greetings
“Chris Wang of Homestead, Inc. will be out of town until Monday, May 5th.
While I am gone, my associate, Matthew Lee, is handling all my business
calls. Please call Matthew at Extension 557. I will be unable to check my
messages until I return.”
“Chris Wang of Homestead, Inc. will be off-site until Monday, May 5th.
While I am gone, my associate, Matthew Lee, is handling my business calls.
Please call Matthew at Extension 557 or leave me a message. I will be
checking my messages daily.”
Your Amanda administrator can copy your messages to both you and a
coworker while you are on vacation or only to that coworker. (The
administrator can stop the message copying when you return.) If someone
else is getting your messages, you might want to use the following greeting:
“Chris Wang of Homestead, Inc. will be out of town until Monday, May 5th.
My associate, Matthew Lee, is handling all my business calls. Call Matthew
at Extension 557 or leave him a detailed message at the tone.”
Managing Recorded Greetings
Use the greetings menu to listen to the current greeting, use a different
greeting or rerecord a greeting. (See “Recording Greetings” on page 5 for
information about recording greetings.)

8 Using [e-mail]
To listen to the current greeting:
+ +
To change which greeting is heard:
Changing Your Security Code
Your initial security code is usually your mailbox number or 997. It is a good
idea to change it immediately and often.
To change your security code:
+ + + new code + + new code
(
to confirm
)
Controlling Calls
This section explains how you can screen calls, turn do not disturb on and
off, and control what your callers hear when your line is busy or when you
cannot answer your telephone.
Screening Calls
By screening calls, you can accept or reject specific calls based on who is
calling.
If you share an extension or answer calls for more than one mailbox, you
may want to screen calls based on what mailbox is being called. Ask your
administrator for more information.
the
g
reetin
g
’s number
(
1-3
)
+
+ +
(
Optional
)
(
to listen to the
g
reetin
g)
(
for the s
y
stem
g
reetin
g)
+

Using Amanda 9
To turn call screening on or off:
+ +
Becoming Unavailable
On hectic days or when you are out of the office, you can use Amanda’s Do
Not Disturb to keep your extension from ringing. Callers hear your greeting
immediately and can leave you a message. Your coworkers are also not
disturbed by your ringing extension.
To turn Do Not Disturb on or off:
+ +
Reviewing Options
You can review the current settings for options such as Do Not Disturb and
call screening.
To review option settings:
+ +
Scheduling Changes
Amanda can be configured to automatically change your extension, do-not-
disturb setting, call screening setting, and your greeting at particular dates
and times. See your administrator for details.

10 Using [e-mail]
Managing Messages
You can listen to messages, then forward them, reply to them, or delete them.
Listening to Messages
You will use Amanda primarily to listen to and send messages.
Usually, Amanda plays messages in the order that they were received (oldest
to newest). She makes an exception for urgent messages, playing them in
newest to oldest order and prior to any other messages.
Normally, messages are saved until you delete them, so delete old messages
from your mailbox as soon as possible.
Your Amanda system may have been configured differently. For example, it
may play new messages first or purge old messages after a number of days.
Check with your administrator.
To play messages you have received:
+ +
Options: More options:
Next message Replay message Delete message Replay (including date and time)
+
Previous message Forward message Reply to message Next new message (or next message)
+
Pause 30 sec./Resume Increase volume Previous menu To play messages continually
(without their date and time)
Rewind a bit Decrease volume Fast forward a bit +

Using Amanda 11
Forwarding Messages
You can forward messages left for you to any other Amanda user. For
example, you might need to reroute a message to the coworker who should
have received it in the first place.
Adding a prefix to the forwarded message lets the other user know that you
received the message first and allows you to provide instructions regarding
the message.
To forward the message you just listened to:
Select mailbox or
list of mailboxes Add Prefix
(
Recommended
)
+ mailbox + +
+ +
+ record prefix + +
han
g
up or add options + +
(
see options below
)
+ list number +
A personal
list is:
,
or .
A s
y
stem
list is:
,
, or
.
Send without
verification
Send with
verification
(With verification, you are no-
tified when the recipient hears
the message.)

12 Using [e-mail]
Options Dial
Make the message urgent.
Make the message private. (Private messages cannot be forwarded.)
Specify a delivery date
and time + an
y
combination of the followin
g
:
NOTE: Any item (day,
mon., yr., hr., or
min.) not specified
takes its value from
the current date
and time.
If you use 13
through 23 for
hours after noon,
you are not asked
whether you meant
A.M. or P.M.
+ the month + +
+ the da
y
of the month + +
+ the
y
ear
(
use 2 or 4 di
g
its
)
+ +
(
for A.M.
)
+
+ the hour + +
(
for P.M.
)
+
+ the minutes + +
For example, if you create a message Friday afternoon that no one should listen to until
Monday morning (June 2nd), set June 2nd at 9:00 A.M. as the delivery date and time:
+ +
(
the month
)
+ +
+
(
the da
y
of the month
)
+ +
+
(
the hour
)
+ +
(
for A.M.
)
+
(
the minutes
)
+ +
(
to finish
)
If you set a date and time in the past, the message is sent immediately.

Using Amanda 13
NOTE:After forwarding a message you have received or sending
a message you have created to one mailbox or list, you can
repeat the procedure for another mailbox or list. A config-
uration option (set by your Amanda administrator) allows
messages to be sent to more than one mailbox or list.
Replying to Messages
You can reply to any messages you received from other Amanda users.
To reply to the message that you just listened to:
Deleting Messages
You can delete messages. If you make a mistake, you can restore a deleted
message—but only if you have not changed menus or hung up.
To delete the message that you just listened to:
+
Be careful because pressing additional ’s deletes additional messages.
For example, pressing deletes this message and the next.
+ + + record
y
our repl
y
+ + han
g
up or add options + +
(
use options listed for
forwardin
g
messa
g
es
)
Send without
verification
Send with
verification
(With verification, you are
notified when the recipient
hears the message.)

14 Using [e-mail]
To restore the most recently deleted message:
+
repeat to restore
additional messa
g
es
This works after deleting the message, but not if you have hung up or
changed menus.
To delete all messages:
+
Sending Messages
When you have an announcement to make to several users or want to leave a
message for a user that you know is out of the office, you can send a message
to an individual mailbox or a list of mailboxes.
(See “Managing Personal Mailing Lists” on page 18 for more information
about lists.)
Select mailbox or
list of mailboxes
+ +
+ mailbox + +
+ record messa
g
e + +
+ list’s number +
A personal
list is:
, or .
A s
y
stem list is:
,
, or
.
add one or more options + +
(
use options for
forwardin
g
messa
g
es
)
Send without
verification
Send with
verification
(With verification, you are
notified when the recipient
hears the message.)