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Frequently Asked Questions |
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What is the
Blackboard Connect
service? |
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The
Blackboard
Connect
service allows authorized
Town leaders to create and rapidly disseminate
time-sensitive messages to every telephone
number stored in the notification database.
With the
Blackboard
Connect
service, authorized users
can send thousands of messages in minutes.
Only authorized
officials are allowed access to the system. |
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How does the service work? |
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Authorized officials
record a voice message that is then delivered
quickly to individual phones in the notification
database.
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What types of messages will be sent using the
service? |
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Any message regarding the
safety or welfare of our community would be
disseminated using the
Blackboard Connect
service. |
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Examples would include severe weather warnings
and updates, hazardous traffic or road
conditions inside the Town or affecting local
routes, and any other situation that could
impact the safety, property, or welfare of our
citizens. |
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Is my telephone number included in the
notification database? |
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All publicly available
“white page” data has been captured in the
notification database. It is our intention and
hope that every residence and commercial
facility in our community will be included in
the notification database.
For businesses, we
only store one main phone number.
For residents, we
may have more than one number that belongs to
you in the database.
Additionally, you
may request to have additional numbers entered
into our database for priority calling. |
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May I use a cell phone as my notification
database listing? |
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Yes, we can accept cell phones as secondary
phone numbers in the database and encourage you
to request that your number be included. |
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What precautions are being taken to protect
personal information? |
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Blackboard
Connect®
is a service of Blackboard Connect Inc.
(BCI). BCI takes security and privacy concerns
very seriously and does not sell, trade, lease
or loan any data about our clients to any third
party.
From a technical
perspective, we utilize multiple physical and
virtual layers of firewalls to maintain data
security.
BCI
only utilizes
secure transmissions with its customers. No
confidential information is ever transmitted
between
BCI
and its customers using
e-mail or FTP, but rather always utilizes either
a VPN tunnel or SSL.
Data is hosted in
state-of-the-art facilities which require photo
identification, thumb-print recognition, keyed
access, and are manned 24/7 with full-security
personnel.
All data is
encrypted prior to being placed on tape for
offsite storage. BCI also retains an external,
independent security firm to perform annual
security audits.
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Will there be a way to positively identify
incoming calls which are made by the city using
the system? |
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The caller-ID number for
calls generated by the
Blackboard Connect
service
will be:
Town of
Ludlow
(413)-583-5600.
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Will the
Blackboard Connect
service work if I have a call screening system
on my phone? |
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There are several
varieties of call screening devices which use
differing protocols for screening.
In general, the
system has been found to work with these
devices; but, some may require some type of
pre-programming to allow our city’s telephone
number to pass through.
We may conduct
periodic test to assure that messages are being
delivered to numbers in the notification
database. |
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If I have provided more than one phone number,
when will they be called?
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Should a situation arise that requires us to
contact you at multiple phone numbers, we can
activate the system to place a simultaneous call
to all of your numbers. In most cases, we will
be sending calls only to one phone number.
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My primary phone or my
second listing is a cell phone with a non-local
area code.
Will the
Blackboard Connect
service call numbers outside the area? |
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Yes.
The area code does
not impact whether or not a call is made.
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How does the
Blackboard Connect
system respond to busy signals or no-answer
situations? |
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For busy signals, the call
will be repeated several times in an attempt to
reach you.
The same is true
for No-answer and Call-waiting.
If the phone is
answered by a message recorder, the message will
be left on the answering device.
If, after several
attempts the call does not successfully go
through, the system will stop attempting to
call.
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I am receiving Town
notification calls at my fax or my secondary
phone line.
Can I switch to
have the system call my primary phone number?
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Yes. Please contact us at
(413)-385-1777
to change the phone number in our notification
database.
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I was not able to listen
to the entire call.
Is there a way to
repeat the message? |
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Yes, at the end of the message playback, simply
press the star (*) key on your telephone to have
it repeated in its entirety. |
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I answer the phone but the
“Hello” message repeats. It then hangs up,
calls back, and the same thing happens again.
How can I hear the
entire message? |
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Repeating or looping of messages happens when
the system detects excessive noise in the
background.
This can be caused by loud
radio/television volumes, people talking, or
busy traffic noise.
When you receive the next call, say
“hello” once and turn down the volume of your
radio/television or press the mute button on
your telephone to allow full message delivery |
