In July 2007, AVST announced a special packaging capability for CallExpress users. Customers can use provided APIs to link back end databases in order to automate calling campaigns that play an audio message in a simple campaign, or users text-to-speech technology to construct a more personalized message.
The applications that Tom Minifie, VP of Product Management sees for the product include voter registration followup (you forgot something, please comeback) or the automated appointment reminder. This could even be useful as part of a webinar reminder service.
The scope of functionality however is more suited to enterprise deployments. Notify Express is designed as a complement to Call Express which is an adjunct messaging server to the IP PBX or digital PBX. Interfaces to the public network or PBX are typically scaled on something like a 40:1 basis (40 users to 1 port), or more like 60:1 if there is no auto attendant. To deliver a 15 second message might take 30 seconds of time (dialing, redialing, play and disconnect), but with only 2 ports for 80 users it would take 40 minutes to deliver a notification message to all users.
That kind of configuration isn't appropriate for notifying 20,000 college students to stay in their dorms a la Virginia Tech, or for notifying all the residents of St Francis Parish to evacuate immediately due to incoming hurricane, but it is appropriate for appointment reminders, or business process confirmation services.
