[Asterisk-Users] newbie question; can * screen calls?

[Ken Alker]

--On Saturday, January 10, 2004 11:45 AM -0700 Steve Murphy 
<murf at e-tools.com> wrote:

> Hi!
>
>> Does * have the capability to screen calls?  IOW, if someone calls in
>> from  outside (ie. not a local extension), can * ask the calling party
>> to state  their name, record it, ring the recipient, play the caller's
>> name for the  recipient, then give the recipient the choice of answering
>> or forcing the  call to voice mail?
>
> Hm, just an idea:
>
>  - enable recording (see application "monitor")
>  - answer the incoming call
>  - playback an annoncement and request the user to speak the name,
>    followed by some digit to end the recording
>  - on key press issue a StopMonitor (you'll need an AGI script for this)
>  - transfer the person to call parking (or into a conference room with 
MOH)
>  - call the target and use playback the file recorded with monitor
>  - now announce the call park number (where would you get that from?), or
>    allow the target to administrate (how?) the conference room
>  - create an extension that triggers another AGI script that hangs up on
>    the caller if the target doesn't want to talk, or let the target use
>    astman/gastman
>
> Sounds a bit complicated, I admit.
>
> Cheers, Philipp
>
>
> Or, you could apply my patch, that I've been upgrading on the asterisk 
bug site.
> Check http://bugs.digium.com/bug_view_page.php?bug_id=0000752
>
> See if the drawbacks outweigh the features.  I'm working on it right now, 
have a few
> things I need to conquer, but it does work if you play music on hold 
during the dial,
> and everyone stays away from the # key.
>
> As to what the stock Asterisk supplies for call screening ("Privacy"):
>
> Already built into asterisk is the "privacy" app, which forces the caller
> to enter a 10 digit phone number, if they are calling anonymously. Also 
available are some C
> routines to check the privacy database, and the "privacy" family in the 
database.
> Entries in the database are by CID, and the value can be ALLOW, DENY, 
KILL, and TORTURE. Allow
> means to let a caller from a CID straight thru. DENY means to just 
connect them
> straight to email.  KILL means to play them a short "go away and don't 
come back" type
> message, and  TORTURE means to send them to a context that will make them 
suffer. I've invented
> on that hoped to do something along that line.
>
> And finally, the Dial application allows you the P option, which just
> basically has code to collect the optional database name (if you specify 
P(dbname)).
> Here is where I've been playing, and if you check the bug number I 
mentioned above,
> you'll get all the gory details, but basically it does as you hoped.
>
> As a side note, in the area of Caller/Callee anouncing:
>
> A side affect of collecting little "intros" via the privacy option, is
> that you can use them to play the intros over a PA.
>
> I found that if I take the last couple month's logs, and compile a list
> of folks that have called in, and generate (record into a .gsm file) 
"intros" for them, I
> can use these intros to  play their name over a speaker when calls first 
come in. I play the
> voicemail greeting wav file when they select an extension.  Around here, 
I have 6 kids on one phone,
> and they can't stand the suspense of finding out who a call is for! 
Pre-recording
> such intros helps reduce the frustration of people calling in, and 
supplies you with a high
> hit rate right from the start. After that, new callers add their 
contributions to the list.
>
> murf

Is there an option that allows one to collect the name *without* collecting 
the phone number?  My callers would never go through the pains of entering 
their phone number, but they are already accustomed to having to speak 
their name.

Note also, that I just left a Bugnote via your above referenced link.  It 
is hugely detailed, so I hope those interested take the time to read it.  I 
hope I didn't break the database by providing such a long comment, but I 
think it lends tremendous insight to the privacy/screened call feature 
(patting my own back :-).

Ken

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