Need to directly submit voicemail messages as WAV files

[jasyoung]

I have an application running on IPCC Express where at various points I would like to collect recordings from callers. I would like to be able to deliver these to arbitrary Unity subscribers so that they can pick up the recordings via phone or via the Outlook VMO plugin, use message notification, and otherwise be able to handle it as a normal voicemail. What would be ideal is if I could make these recordings with IPCC Express, and do direct-to-subscriber delivery from there.

I don't want to just issue a redirect to the subscriber, because I don't want to play the subscriber's greeting. I've thought of making blank-greeting call handlers that take messages and deliver them to the right subscriber, but this is less than ideal for two reasons: one, I want the user to still be in my IPCC Express script when they're done recording, and two, I expect this to be a fairly high volume application and I want to burn the port-use-time (and licenses) on my IPCC Express box rather than my Unity box.

So far as I know, the "trick" is to send the subscriber an e-mail message with an appropriately formatted WAV file attachment, with the correct Exchange message-class set such that Exchange and Unity and friends recognize it as a voicemail. IPCC Express should already be making the recording in the right WAV format. What I don't know, is how to set that message class. The closest thing I can think of to do is to try to construct a SMTP/VPIM message and deliver it that way, but that seems ugly and also requires they buy a fairly expensive VPIM license for purely local delivery.

Any suggestions?

[lindborg]

Unfortunately it's a bit more complicated than that and it'll require you dance with MAPI - in addition to just the message class there's media flags and a number of other properties that need to be tweeked on the message before it'll be presented to us as a voice mail message.

I've had on my to-do list an item to go get some help from someone on the media team to put a VB application together that will convert a standard email (IPM.Note) with a WAV file into a voice mail message - this can be done via CDO or if you really know what you're doing using raw edits on the message to accomodate the MAPI extensions (not the best approach).

I've got a few other high priority projects in the works right now but I'll see if I can move this up so we can post some sample code on how to approach this.

[lindborg · Accepted solution]

Actually, I may have a better solution for you coming down the pike.

Since dancing with MAPI and using CDO and all that good stuff is kind of a pain for this another, better option would be for us to pump of the fax service running on the Unity server to be smart enough to handle voice message routing.

The short story would be you'd just shoot an email through SMTP to the email box you've setup to be your fax routing mailbox - the subject line would contain the word "VOICE" and include the target extension number of the subscriber the message is destined for - our fax service will take care of punching the message into the proper subscriber's voice message box all gussied up as a voice mail for you.

ping me at lindborg@cisco.com if you want to follow up on this - I don't have a time frame for when this would be available for download but we have an updated fax service already planned and this would fit into that without too much trouble.

[jasyoung]

Jeff,

As always, you are the man. I appreciate your time. I'll follow up via email.