How to answer/handle TTY/TTD calls?

[BillIT]

Is anyone using IP406 or IP500 to answer TTY/TTD calls for the deaf? If so, could you tell me how you have set up your Avaya system to do this?

The first step is to recognize the TTY tones as a TTY call. VoiceMail Pro handles faxes very well. There is a "phone tree" option in VoiceMail Pro. In the same manner as "Press 1 for English" and then program it to take an action, VoiceMail Pro recognizes a fax tone, if you select that option, and you can direct that call to where you want it to go.

I would like it to recognize a TTD tone in the same way, but it does not seem to do that.

Since it doesn't recognize a TTY/TTD tone, then I have to get creative. Here’s my workaround, which I don’t like:

Callers first hear "Thank you for calling... Press 1 for English..." After that message, then it plays TTY tones, that say, on a TTY machine, in text "Thank you for calling. Please press 5 for TTY"

That sort of works, but here are the problems:
1. Any caller that does not "press 1 for English" will hear the tones later and be confused, since it it audible for all callers, if they wait.
2. A TTY caller actually has to press Control-dial-5, because pressing 5 gives TTY tones, not telephone touch tones, so they have to press special keys, which isn’t common. TTY users aren't accustomed to doing that.

There should be an easier way. Has anyone done this?

Note: TTY callers have to come in on the same number, I can"t have only a separate TTY number.

Thank you,
Bill

 

[Westi]

does the TTY machine send a CNG signal like faxes do or is it waiting for a response from the called party?
If it doesn't send anything the only thing that comes to mind is that you route the calls by caller ID and have a list of all TTY callers, that is very painful and might not be an option if you don't know all the callers but that is the only thing in my head right now.

Joe W.

FHandw., ACA, ACS

If you can't be good, be good at it!

 

[BillIT]

A TTY machine does not automatically send a tone, but users usually press a few keys, so I'm working on the assumption that there will be sounds/tones that I would like the IP406 or VoiceMail Pro to recognize.

This is a line for the general public, so we would not have a list of who is calling. We really don't know who is calling, so that won't work.

Bill