Escalation List Tips

Escalation List Tips

Our customers use Escalation Lists for many business-critical processes. So, we wanted to summarize some great tips on the workings of EmailToVoice.Net Escalation Lists.

Create the Escalation List

To summarize some high points when creating an escalation list:
  • Create a list in the Customer Portal / Manage Personal Lists
  • Make sure the list name is small letters and no special characters. So the name of the list should be just one small word, such as ‘alerts’
  • Check the box that says this is an escalation list
  • When you create the list, the calls will be in the order of the Reference field. So make the reference field unique and simple, such as ref1, ref2, ref3, etc.
  • You can have the same recipient’s phone number repeated in the list. Just remember to always have unique reference names.
  • If the name of the list is ‘alerts’ you can send a message to that escalation list that would have the TO field look something like:

What is a Received Call

 
Regarding what denotes a received call, the default is that the recipient must listen to the message for 10 seconds. So if the recipient just picks it up and hangs up right away or the call goes to voicemail, then the next person on the list is called. Otherwise, the calls stop.
 
The amount of time the call needs to be listened to can be changed in the Customer Portal / My Details. So if you want that amount of time to be reduced, you can change the default.
 
Change Defalult escalation pickup time
 

 

Conclusion

There are many advanced features of EmailToVoice.Net. We love to share our many years of experience in this industry and provide easy delivery solutions for your workflow communications needs. Do not hesitate to Contact Us.

Author

 
Director at EmailToVoice.Net: CISSP – Solutions Architect for Industrial IoT Alerts and Business Communications. LinkedIn
 

 

Retaining the Forwarded Email Address When Forwarding an Email to a Phone

Retaining the Forwarded Email Address When Forwarding an Email to a Phone

Let’s talk about how a customer of EmailToVoice.Net forwards an email from an application or monitoring software as a voice phone call.

The Situation that Needs to be Solved

If the Monitoring Service sends the email from an email address that has the same domain as your company, or from an email that you have exclusive rights, then no problem. You can specify that email address in the Subscription form as a ‘Send Only’ Email address or contact us to add the Send-Only email address to your account. Then begin making phone calls from your application or monitoring service. In your application, you merely change the email recipient to something like 5551231234@tts.message-service.org. (Where 5551231234 is any phone number in the world. This number does not need to be preregistered.)

It is important to note that Emailtovoice.net requires that the Email message sent to EmailToVoice.Net be from your company email address. That means that the email address has the same domain as your company URL or your company has exclusive rights to the email address.

However, sometimes the application originating the message will send from its general-purpose email address. For instance, monitoring software will send an alert email from an email address within their own service domain. This is a problem because the email address must be unique to the EmailToVoice.Net customer so that usage can be applied approriately.

The X-Header Alternative

Now, there is a sophisticated alternative to solve the issue caused by an application or monitoring service sending the Email FROM a general-purpose email address, which is not exclusively owned by the Emailtovoice.net customer.

That alternative is to have a special code be entered into the x-Header of the email sent to EmailToVoice.Net. That code is then entered into the customer’s EmailToVoice.Net account profile. So, any message coming into EmailToVoice.Net with that unique code in the x-header will be assigned to the appropriate EmailToVoice.Net customer account.
The X-Header ID method of account identification disregards the FROM email address when the email arrives in EmailToVoice.Net.

X-Header Parameters

Using Microsoft Mail flow rule actions in Exchange Online, you can add a Header Name and a Header Value. For more info on this Mail flow rule actions in the Exchange Online feature:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/security-and-compliance/mail-flow-rules/mail-flow-rule-actions

Some common parameters are:

X-Header-ID

“X-Header-ID” is an alternate method of user identification. If a field called “X-Header-ID” is
found in the header of an email arriving at EmailToVoice.Net, the system searches for a user with a
matching “X-Header-ID” value setup in their user profile using that account to send the
message.

When this field is found, the sender’s email address is not used to identify the user account. Therefore, the FROM email address does not have to match the Customer’s URL or even be owned by the EmailToVoice.Net customer..

Note, for backward compatibility, equivalent email header fields are “X-EtoBcode”.

Additional account selection options

If you can not edit the email headers, and you are stuck with a fixed sender address, you can
also identify your account by adding “<EtoBcode>*my xheader id*</EtoBcode> to the start of
your email body.

The important issue is the FROM email address is from the customer’s domain, not the Monitoring Service domain. Or, if it is not possible to send the email to our service FROM an email address owned by your company, or, alter the X-Header of the email coming into our service, then the FROM email address must be owned exclusively by the customer.

The Gmail Alternative

If you need to use GMAIL, then to achieve the desired behavior where the forwarded email appears to come from `youremail@yourcompanydomain.com` and is addressed to `5551231234@tts.message-service.org’ or ‘list-alerts@tts.message-service.org’, you will need to Forward the email from an intermediate email address that is owned by your company. That email address will be the FROM email address as it enters our service.

Since Gmail’s standard forwarding feature retains the original sender’s address, you will need to use Google Apps Script.
(Outlook is simpler because Outlook retains the forwarding email address as the FROM email address. GMAIL does not. Gmail retains the Sending email address as the FROM email address)

Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up an automatic forwarding system using Google Apps Script:

In this example, we use the List function rather than sending the message to 5551231234@tts.message-service.org. The reason we do this is because it would be easier for the customer to change the recipient phone number(s) in the Customer Portal / Personal Lists rather than changing the Google Apps Script.

### Using Google Apps Script for Custom Email Forwarding

1. **Access Google Apps Script:**
– Open your web browser and log in to your Gmail account. This Gmail account is the intermediate email address that is used for forwarding messages to our service.
We prefer if this email address has your company domain. However, you can use a free Gmail email address here as long as you attest that your company has exclusive rights to log in and access this email address.

This intermediate email address will be the Send-Only email address specified by us in your EmailToVoice.Net customer account. You either specify this email address in the Subscription Form or use the Contact Us form and request we add this email address to your customer account profile.

(`intermediateforwardemail@yourcompanydomain.com`).
– Go to [Google Apps Script](https://script.google.com/).

2. **Create a New Project:**
– Click on the `New project` button.

3. **Write the Script:**
– Delete any code in the script editor and replace it with the following script:

“`javascript
++++++++++

 

function forwardEmails() {
var label = GmailApp.getUserLabelByName('ForwardThis');
if (!label) {
label = GmailApp.createLabel('ForwardThis');
}
var threads = label.getThreads();
for (var i = 0; i < threads.length; i++) {
var thread = threads[i];
var messages = thread.getMessages();
for (var j = 0; j < messages.length; j++) {
var message = messages[j];
var from = message.getFrom();
if (from.indexOf(‘generalemailaddress@monitoringsoftware.com') !== -1) {
var body = message.getBody()
var subject = message.getSubject();
var recipient = ‘list-alerts@tts.message-service.org';
GmailApp.sendEmail(recipient, subject, '', {htmlBody: body, from: ‘intermediateforwardemail@yourcompanydomain.com’ });
message.moveToTrash(); // Optional: Move the original email to trash after forwarding
}
}
thread.removeLabel(label);
}
}

++++++++
“`

4. **Save the Script:**
– Click on `File` > `Save`, and give your project a name (e.g., `AutoForwardEmails`).

5. **Authorize the Script:**
– Click on the `Run` button (triangle icon) and authorize the script by following the prompts to grant the necessary permissions.

6. **Set Up a Trigger:**
– Click on the clock icon in the toolbar (Triggers).
– Click on `+ Add Trigger`.
– Set the function to `forwardEmails`, deploy to `Head`, and select a time-driven trigger (e.g., `Every 5 minutes` or `Hourly`).
– Save the trigger.

7. **Label Incoming Emails:**
– Go back to your Gmail inbox (`intermediateforwardemail@yourcompanydomain.com `).
– Create a filter to automatically label incoming emails from `denis.oneil@olinkscorp.com`.
– Click on the search bar, then click on the `Show search options` icon.
– Enter ` generalemailaddress@monitoringsoftware.com’` in the `From` field.
– Click `Create filter`.
– Check the box `Apply the label` and choose `ForwardThis` (or create a new label if it doesn’t exist).
– Click `Create filter`.

### Explanation:

– **Google Apps Script**: The script checks for emails with the label `ForwardThis`, and if the email is from `generalemailaddress@monitoringsoftware.com’, it forwards it to `list-alerts@tts.message-service.org` with the `FROM` address set to `intermediateforwardemail@yourcompanydomain.com`.
– **Triggers**: The script runs periodically (based on the trigger settings) to check for new emails to forward.

This setup should ensure that the forwarded emails appear as if they are sent from `intermediateforwardemail@yourcompanydomain.com` to `list-alerts@tts.message-service.org`.

Remember that `intermediateforwardemail@yourcompanydomain.com` must be set as the Send-Only email address in the EmailToVoice.Net customer account profile.

Updating the Gmail Alternative

If you need to change the Google Apps Script after it has been deployed in a production environment, you can follow these steps. We are not saying this is the only way or even the best way to change existing script code, but it is an alternative for changing the script code.

You can create a new project with a unique name and copy your script code into the new project. Then rename remove the old project.
Create a New Project:

o Go to Google Apps Script.
o Click on the New project button.

 

2. Copy the Script Code:

o In the new project, copy your existing script code from the old project.

3. Paste and Save the Code:

o Paste the copied code into the new project’s script editor.
o Click on File > Save and give your project a new name.

4. Set Up Triggers Again:

o Recreate any necessary triggers for the new project by following the steps to add triggers.

By following these steps, you should be able to edit and save your Google Apps Script successfully.
There may be a more dynamic method than deleting and renaming a project. Please investigate for yourself.

Outlook Email Alternative

Another solution to using Gmail is using an Outlook account. Again, Gmail does not retain the name of the forwarding email address as the FROM email address after the forwarding. Outlook does retain the email address of the forwarding email as the FROM email address.

Here’s a possible way you can set it up.

Setting Up Automatic Forwarding in Outlook

1. Log in to Your Outlook Account:

Access your Outlook account, such as ‘intermediateforwardemail@yourcompanydomain.com’

Set Up Email Forwarding:

Click on the gear icon (Settings) in the upper right corner.

Select “View all Outlook settings” at the bottom.

Navigate to “Mail” > “Forwarding”.

Check the box for “Enable forwarding”.

Enter the email address ‘list-alerts@tts.message-service.org’

Optionally, check the box for “Keep a copy of forwarded messages” if you want to retain a copy in the original mailbox.

Click “Save”

Create a Rule for Specific Sender:

Go to “Mail” > “Rules”.

Click on “Add new rule”.

Give your rule a name (e.g., “Forward alert Emails to Phones”).

Under “Add a condition”, select “From” and enter ‘generalemailaddress@monitoringsoftware.com’

Under “Add an action”, select “Forward to” and enter ‘list-alerts@tts.message-service.org’

Click “Save”

Advantages of Using Outlook

By using Outlook, you can achieve the desired email forwarding behavior more effectively than with Gmail’s standard forwarding features. When emails are forwarded from an Outlook account, the FROM address will be the Outlook account, not the original sender’s address.

Conclusion

In all cases, please do your investigation of these alternatives. We at EmailToVoice.Net are not experts in email forwarding and new features from different providers can be added at any time. We specialize in converting email content into a nice-sounding voice in many dialects or into an SMS or rich text secure message via SMS.

Test all changes before going into production. And then consider setting limits so that if there is a problem with your code, the impact is limited.

Please contact us to learn more about how we can assist you in your mission-critical business communications needs.

How to use X-Header in EmailToVoice.Net for Account Identification

How to use X-Header in EmailToVoice.Net for Account Identification

It is important to note that Emailtovoice.net requires that the email message sent to EmailToVoice.Net be from your company email address. That means that the email address must have the same domain as your company URL or your company has exclusive rights to the email address.

However, sometimes the application originating the message will send from its own general-purpose email address.

For instance, monitoring software will send an alert email from an email address within their own service domain. The customer wants to get that alert message as a phone message instead of an email. So, we convert the content of the Email into a nice-sounding voice, dial the phone number of the customer’s recipient who needs to hear the message, etc. An example of the recipient’s TO field would be something like: 5551231234@tts.message-service.org or list-alerts@tts.message-service.org.

Now, there is a sophisticated alternative to solve the issue that an application or service is sending the Email FROM a general-purpose email address not exclusively owned by the Emailtovoice.net customer.

X-HEADER PARAMETERS

X-headers are email headers that are added to the email in addition to the standard headers, such as the To, From, and Subject, according to the specific needs of the sender.  

Using Microsoft Mail flow rule actions in Exchange Online you can add a Header Name and a Header Value. For more info on this Mail flow rule actions in the Exchange Online feature:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/security-and-compliance/mail-flow-rules/mail-flow-rule-actions

This means you would not need to change the FROM address. You can set up a rule to add a header to any message received from a general address.

  • For the message header Name, set this as: X-Header-ID.
  • For the Header value: insert a random string of your choice. Add this random string in the Customer Portal / My Details for the customer account.

This enables processing email to TTS via any FROM Email address as long as it gets to @nnn.message-service.org, and we use this embedded identifier to authorize and route the message through the appropriate customer account.

For those interfacing with the Email ToVoice.Net programmatically, several parameters can be included in the email header fields. These are:

X-Header-ID

“X-Header-ID” is an alternate method of user identification. If a field called “X-Header-ID” is
found in the header of an email to broadcast request, the system searches for a user with a
matching the “X-Header-ID” value setup in their user profile, and using that account to send the
message.

If this field is found then the sender’s email address is not used to identify the user account.

X-ReportTo

If an “X-Header-ID” field exists, then an additional field “X-ReportTo” can be added to the email
header. This should consist of a valid email address, and if this is found, then job reports are
sent to this address instead of the address linked to the user’s Account. This allows multiple
users to send jobs and receive job reports through a single account.

X-EtoB-PW

For accounts set with embedded password authentication, the password can be sent in an “X-
EtoB-PW” header field instead of in the body of the message.

X-Receiver

In the special case where the “TO” address is not a standard xxx@nnn.message-service.org
format address, as can be the case when a Mailing List is used to send emails to Broadcast
requests, then the system will check for one or more “X-Receiver” header fields for appropriate
xxx@nnn.message-service.org addresses, and use these to get the destination addresses.

Additional account selection options

If you can not edit the email headers, and you are stuck with a fixed sender address, you can
also identify your account by adding “<EtoBcode>*my xheader id*</EtoBcode> to the start of
your email body.

If we can assist you further, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Transform Your Emails into Voice Calls with EmailtoVoice

Transform Your Emails into Voice Calls with EmailtoVoice

In this era of constant digital communication, email has become a vital tool for professional and personal correspondence. But what if you could take your email communication to the next level by turning your written messages into voice calls. EmailtoVoice.net is an enterprise platform that offers the unique ability to convert your emails into voice phone calls, opening up a world of possibilities for seamless and efficient communication.

EmailtoVoice.net: Bridging the Gap between Email and Voice Communication

EmailtoVoice.net is an innovative platform that bridges the gap between traditional email and voice communication. With its user-friendly interface and cutting-edge technology, this platform offers a seamless way to transform your text-based emails into clear and concise voice calls. Whether you’re a business professional looking to connect with clients or a loved one who prefers the personal touch of a phone call, EmailtoVoice.net has you covered.

How Does EmailtoVoice.net Work?

The process of converting an email into a voice call with EmailtoVoice.net is remarkably straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:
1.    Compose Your Email: Begin by crafting your email message just as you normally would. You can use any email client or platform to create your message.

2.    In the recipient field, include the recipient’s phone number, followed by “@tts.message-service.org”. For example, if you want to send a voice call to the phone number (555) 123-4567, your TO field would be “5551234567@tts.message-service.org” (International calls need a +country-code before the number, like +615512312345)

3.    Compose Your Message: The content of your email will be converted into a voice call message. Write your message as you normally would, and EmailtoVoice.net will handle the rest.

4.    Send Your Email: This email can be sent from a monitoring software or any email interface.

5.    Recipient Receives a Voice Call: The recipient will receive a phone call with your message converted into spoken words. They can listen to the message just like any other phone call.

Key Features of EmailtoVoice.net

1.    Global Reach: EmailtoVoice.net offers global coverage, ensuring that you can reach recipients anywhere in the world without the need to pre-register the phone number with our service.

2.    Customizable Caller ID: You can personalize the caller ID that appears on the recipient’s phone, making it easy for them to recognize you.

3.    Text-to-Speech: The platform uses advanced text-to-speech technology to ensure that your message is delivered with clarity and precision.

4.    Window of Time: You can set a window of time voice calls can be sent, like for instance “after-normal-working-hours”.

5.    Reporting: EmailtoVoice.net provides a Customer Portal and email delivery reports, so you can track the status of your voice calls and ensure that they reach their intended recipients.

Use Cases for EmailtoVoice.net

The versatility of EmailtoVoice.net opens up a world of possibilities for various use cases:

1.    Business Communications: Businesses can use EmailtoVoice.net to send important updates, alerts, and notifications to clients, employees, and stakeholders with the personal touch of a voice call.

2.    Emergency Notifications: EmailtoVoice.net is an invaluable tool for sending critical emergency notifications to specific recipients quickly and effectively. And, voice phone calls get answered, unlike emails.

In a world where digital communication dominates, EmailtoVoice.net stands out. With its ability to seamlessly convert emails into voice calls, this platform offers a unique and efficient way to connect with others. Whether for business communications or emergency alerts, EmailtoVoice.net is a powerful tool that enhances the way we communicate. Try it today and experience the transformation of your email communication.

 
Delivery Methods Available in EmailToVoice.Net

Delivery Methods Available in EmailToVoice.Net

EmailToVoice.Net has several delivery methods to deliver phone communications from your business applications. Using any simple email delivery method is the most common. However, there are programming methods, as well.

Alternative Delivery Methods for Business Communications

These are the alternative methods to integrate business communications with your critical business applications.

  • Email To Phone Business Communications
    • Use Email to make a phone call or send an SMS, even a rich text SMS that is password protected.
  • cURL Command to phone communications
    • You can use a cURL command within your application to invoke a phone call or an SMS message.
  • Simple API for phone communications
    • Use our HTTP API to develop a Web form in your application to make phone calls or send SMS messages.

Simple API for phone communications

Make a voice phone call or send an SMS using a Simple API through HTTP from any business or blockchain application.

EmailToVoice.Net has a simple HTTP API designed for rapid SMS and Text to Speech job submissions. This method can also return the status information of a submitted job. Any programming language capable of issuing HTTP POST requests can use this API.

  • Username: The user name created during the SIgn Up (Always preceded by etv/)
  • Password: The password used to sign on to the Customer Portal
  • JobType: Text-to-Speech; or SMS; or 2Way SMS; or 2Way TTS
  • Message: The text message that will be converted based upon the JobType: For Text-to-speech, the text is converted to a voice and then played when the recipient answers or left on voicemail if the recipient does not answer. For SMS, the message is converted to an SMS and sent to the recipient’s phone
  • Recipients: The phone number of the recipient. If the number is in the USA or Canada, then the format would be 5551231234. For any number outside of the USA or Canada, specify the country code, like +615551234 or 0011615551231234. If you want more than one recipient, use the | as a separator, for example, 5551231234|5552343456
  • version: Always specify 3

This will work with any business or blockchain application capable of issuing a cURL command, like Chainlink for blockchain applications or just about any programming language for traditional business applications.

 

cURL Command to phone communications

Communication Enable Your Blockchain and Business Applications through the simple method of using a cURL command.

Our service allows any application that can perform a cURL command to send a one-way or two-way SMS or a Voice phone call to any phone in the world.

Make a voice phone call or send and SMS using a cURL command from any business or blockchain application. A cURL Command can convert text into a voice or an SMS. We then call the phone number or send an SMS message. The message can be sent to any phone in the world. The cURL command can be a GET request or a POST request. But POST is recommended for production implementations.

This is a URL example for having a program make a voice phone call  or send an SMS using the  cURL Command.

Sample URL

https://portal.emailtovoice.net/htmlapi.asp?Username=etv/user&Password=password&JobType=Text-to-speech&Message="this is a test for blockchain making a voice phone call"&Recipients=5551231234&version=3

  • Username: The user name created during the Sign Up (Always preceded by etv/)
  • Password: The password used to sign on to the Customer Portal
  • JobType: Text-to-Speech; or SMS; or 2Way SMS; or 2Way TTS
  • Message: The text message that will be converted based upon the JobType: For Text-to-speech, the text is converted to a voice and then played when the recipient answers or left on voicemail if the recipient does not answer. For SMS, the message is converted to an SMS and sent to the recipient’s phone
  • Recipients: The phone number of the recipient. If the number is in the USA or Canada, then the format would be 5551231234. For any number outside of the USA or Canada, specify the country code, like +615551234 or 0011615551231234. If you want more than one recipient, use the | as a separator, for example, 5551231234|5552343456
  • version: Always specify 3

This will work with any business or blockchain application capable of issuing a cURL command, like Chainlink for blockchain applications or just about any programming language for traditional business applications.

Email To Phone Business Communications

Use Email to make a phone call or send an SMS, even a rich text SMS that is password protected. We transform an email message into a phone call or an SMS

For TTS, we dial the number in the TO field of the Email, which looks something like 5551234567@tts.message-service.org (international calls require a +CountryCode in front of the local number) The recipient will receive a call on their phone. The text in the email is converted to a nice-sounding voice. If the recipient answers, they will hear the message right away. If they do not answer, the message will be left on their voicemail system. You can also send to a list of recipients. The recipients on the list can either be called all at once or called sequentially stopping when one acknowledges receipt of the call. This is called an Escalation List.

If you want to send an SMS, the content of the Email will be converted to an SMS text message and sent to the recipient’s mobile phone.

In Summary

There are many advanced features of EmailToVoice.Net. We love to share our many years of experience in this industry and provide easy delivery solutions for your workflow communications needs. Do not hesitate to Contact Us.

Author

Director at EmailToVoice.Net: CISSP – Solutions Architect for Industrial IoT Alerts and Business Communications. LinkedIn

Limit Messages Sent Through EmailToVoice.Net Based on a Time Span

Limit Messages Sent Through EmailToVoice.Net Based on a Time Span

Update February 4, 2024, (All Messages)

EmailToVoice.Net is a powerful communication tool that allows users to convert emails into voice messages or SMS messages. In a production environment, it can be very prudent to establish limits on the number of alert messages that can be sent within a set timeframe.

The situation that makes this feature useful is in the case of a catastrophic event. Sometimes, monitoring software will send alert messages out until the issue is resolved. EmailToVoice.Net provides a safeguard for excessive alert phone calls being made during a catastrophic event.

This feature applies to Text-To-Speech, SMS, Enterprise SMS (LinkInSMS), and Prerecorded messages.

Customer Portal Setting

This feature is available in the Customer Portal / My Details / EtoB – Send Limit cutoff . The customer can enter the number of messages that are acceptable within a selected timeframe.

Sending Limit cutoff

In Summary

There are many advanced features of EmailToVoice.Net. This is merely one of them. We love to share our many years of experience in this industry and provide easy no-code solutions for your workflow communications needs. Do not hesitate to Contact Us.

Author

Director at EmailToVoice.Net: CISSP – Solutions Architect for Industrial IoT Alerts and Business Communications. LinkedIn