Voice & Fax

Ratings and Reviews of Voice and Fax Software

 

Voice and Fax Software

Using your PC to do your faxing, act as a telephone with or without a voice answering machine or turning it into a single point for all your "messaging" - phone, fax, email and more, can be a big time and money saver for the home-based business owner. However, as PC's really were not originally designed to handle voice and fax (traditionally analog communications, not digital) there have been (and may continue to be if you aren't careful!) quality and reliability issues centered around PC-based phone services especially.  Additionally, the emergence of IP-based voice services using PCs as the "telephone" have saved big dollars in long distance charges, especially for international calls, but again, have experienced uneven results in quality and reliability.

 

Voice and fax remain the primary methods of communicating with customers and business partners, so before you decide to turn your PC into your complete voice and data communications center - make sure you've prepared your system and yourself for the change.  Some things to look out for.

  • Sound Card- if you don't have a good sound card, don't bother!  Voice processing takes requires a decent card (and you'll want to hear what folks are saying anyway!) but still won't cost you more than $45 today.
  • Modem - if you're using the PC as a traditional telephone (not IP) make sure the modem you are using with your software is compatible with the software (most companies have a list available on their web sites of compatible modems).
  • Microphone, speakers, headset - don't purchase the cheapest microphone if you're using it to do business!  This is an investment like anything else, and the quality of the sound (especially for your customers!) is important.  Look for microphones that filter background noise (even if you DO keep your office quiet).
  • Hard drive space - finally, if you are going to use your PC as an answering machine, make sure you have the hard drive space to store all your messages!
  • Faxing in General - if you don't have a scanner (so you can scan documents that are NOT electronic before faxing) you'll need to get one if your PC is going to be your "fax machine".  You'll be surprised how often you'll need to fax documents that are NOT on your PC.  You'll need a scanner anyway so...
  • Fax Broadcast - in your faxing software, the ability to do fax broadcasts is a big plus - especially if you are going to do a fax-based marketing campaign.  Look for software with this capability.
  • General System - faxing and voice processing can put a strain on systems without enough CPU and memory - don't be stingy when it comes to putting memory in your PC!
     
    Google
     
    Web Home Office Reports

Looking to build your PC communications center - or just get rid of all the paper faxes?  Let's see what's out there.

$15 Off $200 Coupon! Click Here!

Some vendors offer more than one package in this category.  We'll review them in table format within that vendor's detailed review.

  6 months Same as CASH!*

Voice and Fax Software Review

Voice and Fax Software*

(Rankings - best, 5 symbols, worst, 1 symbol)

Company Best For* Simple Start-Up Cost Time Savings Ease of Use Works With Support Features Overall Rating

01Communique

A,R,P

¹¹¹¹

$$$$

¹¹¹¹

@@@@

YYY

ppp1/2

iiii

%%%%

Avanquest

A,R,P

¹¹¹¹

$$$$

¹¹¹¹

@@@@

YYY

pp

iiii

%%%1/2+

Parliant

A,R,P

¹¹¹¹

$$$$1/2

¹¹¹¹

@@@@

YYY

pp1/2

iii

%%%+

* A = Amateur, R = Rookie, P = Pro

 

01Communique

Simple Start-Up - ¹¹¹¹

All of the COMMUNICATE! and I'm inTouch lines of software from 01Communique are easy to install and get working with your PC (as long as you have a compatible modem - check before you buy!).

Cost - $$$$

COMMUNICATE! Standard is priced at $29.99, COMMUNICATE! Deluxe at $79.99 and I'm InTouch at $99.95 per year (subscription).

Software Price O/S Supported Overview Features Compatibility

COMMUNICATE! Standard v 10.0

$29.99

Windows 98, ME, 2000, NT 4.0, XP

PC Voice Mail Software
  • Web access to fax/voice messages (with I'm InTouch product)

  • Send faxes remotely from any browser (with I'm InTouch product)

  • Contact manager

  • Fax from any Windows application

  • Customize cover page

  • New messages notification

  • Auto-forward fax messages to email

  • Fax broadcast

  • Fax-back and Fax-on-demand

  • Voice mail answer, record send and playback

  • Auto detect voice and fax calls

  • Built-in email client

 
COMMUNICATE! Deluxe $79.99

Windows 98, ME, 2000, NT 4.0, XP

Fax Broadcasting Software
  • Multi-line support for up to 3 modems

  • Web access to fax/voice messages (with I'm InTouch product)

  • Send faxes remotely from any browser (with I'm InTouch product)

  • Contact manager

  • Fax from any Windows application

  • Customize cover page

  • New messages notification

  • Auto-forward fax messages to email

  • Fax broadcast

  • Fax-back and Fax-on-demand

  • Voice mail answer, record send and playback

  • Auto detect voice and fax calls

  • Built-in email client

  • Text-to-speech (listen to email by phone)

  • Send email with voice (audio mail)

  • Send email with video (video mail)

  • Video/Internet phone calls (H.323)

  • Video monitoring and motion detection

 
I'm InTouch  $99.95 per year

Any web browser

Remote Access Service
  • PC access from any browser
  • Remote access to the COMMUNICATE! email client, Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express
  • Remote access to voice and fax messages
  • Send faxes remotely
  • Forward inbox email to any fax machine for printing
  • Forward inbox voice message to another phone number or phone
  • Remote access  to the files on your PC or networked drives
  • Remote access to your contact list
  • Remote access to Outlook calendar
  • Remote video monitoring
 

Time Savings - ¹¹¹¹

A single source of all your messaging and customer contacts - as well as remote access to them when you're on the road.  A real productivity gain just in ease of use.

Ease of Use - @@@@

All of the COMMUNICATE! products are very easy to use.  The phone looks like a phone, the contact manager is straightforward.  The I'm InTouch service is even easier - just use your web browser on an Internet-enabled wireless phone, PDA  or your laptop.

COMMUNICATE! DELUXE - Main Screen

Works With - YYY

01Communique products are designed for the Windows environment only.

Support - ppp1/2

The tech support area on the 01Communique web site includes downloads, a FAQ and tech support message board.  If you need more help you can contact them via voice and fax (no "800" number).  Support is available from 9 AM to 6 PM Monday through Friday Eastern time.

Features - iiii

Lots of capability in each package!  Faxing, phone, fax-on-demand, answering machine, contact manager and more.  A neat tool if you have a reliable PC.  And the remote access service can free you from lugging around your laptop - just use your PDA or phone to "run" your home PC from a web browser.

Overall Rating - %%%%

If you don't want to have a phone, fax machine, PC and pay for extra local services (like voice mail), this is a wonderful software tool.  Just MAKE SURE your PC is reliable.  If it goes down, or you have a power outage, no phone services, no messages, no customer contacts!  (Have a backup old telephone around just in case!)  Additionally, if you're on the road a lot and just don't want to hassle with 5-10 extra lbs. of laptop, the I'm InTouch remote access service could be your "back saver".

 

Avanquest           

Simple Start-Up - ¹¹¹¹

Avanquest's FaxTools and PhoneTools software is straight forward to install and set up for use.

Cost - $$$$

Pricing for Avanquest software is detailed in the table below.

Software Price O/S Supported Overview Features Compatibility

FaxTools eXPert 8

$49.95

Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP

Fax Software

  • Fax over the Internet

  • Standard fax using modem - supports more than 900 configurations

  • Fax broadcasting including Microsoft Word mail merge

  • Send faxes from any Microsoft Office application

  • Fax paper documents from scanner

Microsoft Office 97, 200, 2002, 2003, XP

FaxTools eXPert Network $2,270.00

Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP, Server 2003

Fax Software

  • Spelling check
  • Faxes classification
  • Re-expedite module
  • Fax security
  • Email a fax
  • Fax broadcasting from MS Word
  • Private and central phonebooks
  • Fax forwarding
  • Out-of-the-office automatic forwarding
  • Customizable cover pages
  • Archiving of incoming faxes
  • Compatibility with most database software
  • Fax preview
  • Up to 8 fax lines on a single server
  • Fax scheduling
  • Supports multiple attachments - PDF, HTML, Microsoft Office documents
  • Fax annotation

Microsoft Word, Outlook Outlook Express

PDF, HTML, Microsoft Office Documents

Classic PhoneTools 9 $33.96 Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, Vista

Voice and Fax Software

  • Manage all communications from single PC interface
  • Replace office machines with PD - fax, telephone speakerphone
  • Contact management
 
PhoneTools eXPert $16.17 Window 98, ME, 2000, XP

Voice and Fax Software

  • Standard Fax - Fax Wizard, Fax from Windows applications, forward Faxes received during your absence via email, edit and personalize cover pages, insert handwritten signature, fax paper documents from scanner, attach any type of Windows document to faxes, modify any received faxes in your word processing software, fax broadcasts, fax broadcasts from Microsoft Word with mail merge feature, save sent faxes, find country code from drop down list, check received faxes at a glance
  • Internet Fax - send faxes over the Internet, send fax broadcasts, send and receive via email
  • Speaker Phone - call contacts from phonebook with 1 click, control volume using mouse, automatically memorizes most recent numbers called
 

Time Savings - ¹¹¹¹

FaxTools software can help you fax documents inexpensively (using IP) and quickly - directly from your Microsoft Office programs or your scanner.  PhoneTools can manage/send faxes as well as turn you PC into a speakerphone/answering machine as well.

Ease of Use - @@@@

FaxTools software has a straight forward interface that allows you to customize your cover pages and configure the software for extended functionality such as automatic forwarding.  PhoneTools includes wizards to make sending faxes simple and easy.

Works With - YYY

FaxTools and PhoneTools are designed for the Windows environment only.

150x40 v-comSupport - pp

You get what you pay for.  Cheap software - expensive technical support.  In fact, technical support, if you need to speak to a "live" body, will cost more than the software itself!  $24.95 for the first 10 minutes (and how many tech support calls have you had resolve in 10 minutes or less?) and $2.95 per minute after that.  And by the way, this is not an "800" number, you'll be paying long distance charges as well (unless you have one of those new "bundled" local and long distance packages from MCI, SBC or Verizon!).  Finally, tech support is only available 7 AM to 4 PM Pacific Monday through Friday (with the exception of Wednesday when they close at 2 PM!).  Basically, if you need help - throw out the software and kiss your $49 to $300 good-bye!

Features - iiii

FaxTools software gets a plus right off for supporting IP-faxing.  The Network version adds a ton more capability with automatic forwarding, password protection, fax classification, fax archiving and scheduling as well.  PhoneTools is a nice, inexpensive package to integrate traditional PSTN-based voice and fax services into your PC.

Overall Rating - %%%1/2+

We think the FaxTools eXPert Network edition is worth the money - especially since if you purchase this software you won't need a fax machine and you can use your IP connection to send and receive faxes as well.  PhoneTools is a quick way to turn your PC into a "one stop" phone, answering machine and fax machine.

 

Parliant

Simple Start-Up - ¹¹¹¹

Parliant's hardware/software combo solutions are straight forward to install and set up on your Macintosh.

Cost - $$$1/2

Pricing for Parliant product is detailed in the table below.

Software Price O/S Supported Overview Features Compatibility

PhoneHerald

Line 1 $499.95, Lines 2-5 $399.95 for PhoneValet Owners Line 1 $399.96, Lines 2-5 $299.96

Macintosh OS X 10.3 or higher

Telephony Software
  • Automated dialing system, repeats calls if no answer, attempts different numbers to reach a person, keeps searchable, databased records of all activity

  • Scheduled calling of individuals and groups

  • Can be configured to call in  a variety of ways

  • Text-to-speech with automatic intonation that reflects the meaning of the text, with respect to pauses, breath groups, punctuation and context

  • Interactive choices for callers including transfer to live operator

  • To-do list based on call results

  • Email alerts

  • Can be configured to deliver individualized messages

  • Imports from comma and tab delimited text files, databases, spreadsheets and contact managers

 

PhoneValet Message Center 5

$169.95, additional lines $169.95 each,  PhoneValet Anywhere (web access) $59.95

Macintosh OS X 10.2 or higher

Telephony Software

  • Voice Mail - 11 voice mailboxes accessed with touch tones, can be individually enabled or disabled, multiple lines supported with simultaneous answering and recording, main greeting and greetings from each mailbox, importable from audio files, recordable from system microphone or generated using Apple speech synthesis, audio playback controls with call logging feature, recent calls interface, check messages by calling in, listen to unheard, recent or all messages, replay, save and erase messages, messages can be emailed using MIME mail

  • Call Recording - records both sides of conversation to compressed audio file, plays audio notices to parties before recording begins and after recording ends, audio playback controls with call logging feature, recording can be paused and resumed, call recordings possible on more than one line simultaneously

  • Remote Control - call Mac and run AppleScripts by dialing PIN that you assign to script, scripts can provide sound file or text to be spoken back to user

  • Call Actions - run AppleScripts for each incoming call with Caller ID info, run AppleScripts when phones are picked up/hung up, send email on incoming calls, run AppleScripts after voice mails are left and calls recorded

  • Talking Caller ID - announces incoming callers on-screen, customize screen sizes and time-of-day for speech

  • Answer Based on Who is Calling - custom ringtones, answer voice mail immediately or forward to appropriate mail box, customize greetings, call blocking

  • Detailed Call Log - stores date/time, number, name and duration of all calls, logs all calls dialed from any telephone, easy export to comma or tab-delimited files, make text notes on any call in the log, call a number back by double-click, searching and sorting of calls

  • Phonebook - unlimited list of names and numbers, attach notes to any number, dial a number with double-click, import from Address Book or files

  • Flexible Dialing - dial by voice using microphone, dial from any application using Apple Services menu, specify rules for dialing long distance and calling card calls, dial via AppleScript/Apple Events, dial from Apple Address Book, dial from pasteboard

  • Fax Support - faxes can be detected and directed to Apple's built-in fax system or to SmileOnMyMac, if fax machine is used, PhoneValet will suspend voice mail when fax is incoming and allow machine to take the call

  • Call trees

  • Call Completion Technology - automated attendant

  • Voice mail overrides

Goldmine, ACT!

PhoneValet Home Edition $49.95

Macintosh OS X 10.2 or higher

Telephony Software

  • Single line
  • Announces incoming calls on-screen and using text-to-speech to read the caller's name
  • Looks calling numbers up in Apple's Address Book
  • Ringtone support for playing custom sound files
  • AppleScripts can be run upon each call when CallerID is received
  • Single box configuration or up to 5 boxes
  • unlimited history in call log and unlimited storage of voice mail.  No limit on mailbox size, up to available disk space
  • personal mailboxes are accessed using a single digit assigned by the user
  • WAV, AAC and 3GP audio formats supported
  • Hear caller out your Mac's speaker live as message is being left
  • Voice mail can be stopped by pressing a digit if you pick up on an in-progress message
  • Block calls from specific numbers
  • Custom voice mail handling for selected numbers - custom greeting, send to voice mail right away
  • Make greetings using microphone, sound files or by typing text for the computer to read using text-to-speech
  • Call in to check messages with secret code, voice messages can be emailed as sound files, check onscreen using the PhoneValet application
  • Voicemail features automatic gain control
  • History log of inbound calls with time of call, number and Caller ID info and any voice mail message attached
  • Recent calls and complete call history viewable from one screen
  • Unlimited history in call log and unlimited storage of audio
  • Quick-search of call history
  • Call times and phone numbers searchable with Spotlight
  • auto-dialing of numbers from Mac
  • Dial from Apple's Address Book
  • Dial numbers from the clipboard using men-bar item or any application that supports the Services menu
  • AppleScript dialing support from FileMaker, Entourage
  • Voice dialing
  • Support for automatic dialing rules
  • Supports automatic 7-, 10-, and 11-digit dialing of numbers
  • PhoneValet can hold a connection open until a shared-line fax machine answers
  • Shares Apple modem for faxing
  • Anywhere add-on - can access call history and messages/recordings using web browser
 

Time Savings - ¹¹¹¹

If your business entails automated dialing of clients, PhoneHerald will save you tons of time.  PhoneValet is a great small office voicemail/recorder solution for Macintosh owners.

Ease of Use - @@@@

PhoneHerald and PhoneValet leverage the Macintosh OS X interface to make their software easily used by the beginner and professional

Works With - YYY+

PhoneValet and PhoneHerald are designed for the Macintosh environment, although PhoneValet Anywhere messages can be sent to PCs as well.

 Support - ppp

The tech support area of the Parliant web site includes a FAQ and downloadable manuals.  If you need more help, there is an online support form.

Features - iiii

Very slick solutions for Mac owners.  PhoneHerald can do broadcast dialing, with schedules, individual messages, to-do lists after the calls and interactive responses for those called.  PhoneValet is a great small business/family answering machine call recorder that can be augmented to do pod casting or offer remote access/alerts with add-on software.

Overall Rating - %%%%

Impressive solutions for the Mac environment.  If you need a broadcast dialer or a small business answering machine solutions - well worth a look.