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ContactsLaw empowers your digital or IP telephone system by controlling your extension and handset, resolving telephone numbers to contacts via caller ID and by journalling telephone calls automatically.
 
Whenever a telephone number is displayed in the software, ContactsLaw can dial the number for you. When an incoming call arrives, you can answer or reject it from your computer. ContactsLaw's telephone integration is bidirectional; both the software and your handset remain in perfect synchronisation no matter which you prefer to operate.
 
ContactsLaw also vastly enhances the process of transferring calls internally, via an intuitive wizard that allows you to select the name of the member or department you wish to transfer the call to, as well as coordinating both assisted and single-step (blind) transfers.
 
Finally, ContactsLaw maintains its own call history on a per-machine basis.

Requirements

In order to integrate with ContactsLaw, your telephone system manufacturer must supply a TAPI 2.0-compliant TSP (Telephony Service Provider) driver. Note that some manufacturers license this functionality separately.
 
Key terms to look for in your telephone system's specifications are:
  • TAPI (Telephony Application Programming Interface)
  • TSP (Telephony Service Provider)
  • CTI (Computer Telephony Integration)
  • SDK (Software Development Kit)
  • Call control
  • Call monitoring / line monitoring

Some telephone systems offer only a limited set of functions that can be computer-controlled. ContactsLaw works best when full TAPI support is provided.

If your system does not meet these requirements, you may have to purchase additional controller hardware and/or upgrade your telephone system. If telephone integration features are not available, ContactsLaw will continue to operate without them.

First-party TAPI drivers

If the manufacturer supplies a first-party TAPI driver for your telephone system, you must install the driver on all workstations that will use the telephone integration features. In the Phone and Modem Options section in the Windows Control Panel, you will need to configure the driver (usually by selecting an extension number or providing login details). You will be able to select the associated telephony device in ContactsLaw's application settings.

Third-party TAPI drivers

If the manufacturer supplies a third-party TAPI driver, you only need to install the driver on your application server or domain controller.
 
If the TAPI driver is compatible with the Microsoft Windows Remote TSP:
Using the Telephony snap-in for the Microsoft Management Console, you will need to assign a user to each line. Then, on each workstation, you must install the Microsoft Windows Remote Service Provider in the Phone and Modem Options section of the Windows Control Panel and use the tcmsetup command to register the telephone server. You will be able to select the remote telephony device in ContactsLaw's application settings.
If the TAPI driver is NOT compatible with the Microsoft Windows Remote TSP:
The driver and the ContactsLaw Daemon must both be installed on the application server. On each workstation, you will be able to select the telephony device corresponding to the line, user or extension number. The 'TAPI proxy' telephony plug-in must be selected.

Alternatives to TAPI

ContactsLaw does not currently support telephone systems for which there is no TAPI driver, however if an alternative or proprietary API exists, integration may be possible in future versions of the software. Third-party developers may also be able to provide integration solutions in the form of plug-ins.

Telephone numbers

ContactsLaw uses an internal set of rules to simplify, expand and reformat telephone numbers. For a given telephone number, ContactsLaw can display the following formats:
  • Extension (e.g. "123") - For numbers within your own switchboard, ContactsLaw can display the extension without any leading digits.
  • Local (e.g. "9100 0123") - For numbers within your area code, ContactsLaw can display the local number.
  • Domestic (e.g. "(08) 9100 0123") - For numbers within your country, ContactsLaw can display the number and area code.
  • International (e.g. "+61 8 9100 0123") - For international numbers, ContactsLaw displays the full dialable telephone number.

Configuration

Practice-wide

To take full advantage of ContactsLaw's telephone integration features, you must configure a number of practice-wide settings, accessible via The Practice, Management tab, System settings view:
  • Carrier code for international numbers (e.g. "0011") - Automatically prepended to an international telephone number when it is dialed.
  • Domestic phone number prefix (e.g. "08") - Area code.
  • Internal extension numbers (e.g. "91234000-91234999") - List, range or list of ranges describing your firm's internal telephone numbers.
  • Internal phone number prefix (e.g. "91234") - Number that must be prepended to an extension number to make it dialable externally. Leave empty if extensions are internal only.
  • International phone number prefix (e.g. "618") - Number that must be prepended to a local number to make it dialable internationally.
  • Length of extension numbers (digits) (e.g. "3") - How many digits make up your internal extensions. Usually 3 or 4.

On individual PCs

The first time you use telephone integration, you will need to set the telephony device in ContactsLaw's application settings. You can also configure call events to launch external software and perform various other actions in response to line activity.