With Communication Manager Messaging, a message is not limited to voice components. A message can now contain the following media typecomponents:
Voice
Fax
Text (created through Message Manager)
File attachment (a software file, such as a spreadsheet or word processing file)
For example, a sales manager might want to inform the distributed sales force of a new compensation plan. The details of the compensation plan are in the form of a text message created in Message Manager. By using Communication Manager Messaging, the sales manager can send a message that consists of both voice and text components. The voice component of the message might be, "This message is going to all members of the Northeast Sales region. Congratulations on your excellent results last year. As of January 1, the compensation plan for new product sales will be changed. Please print the attached text message for detailed information." The text component of the message would then be used to specify the details.
When a message is sent, the messaging software adds descriptive information to the message consisting of the following information:
Header
The header consists of the time and date of delivery, the type of message, and a listing of all message components. The system automatically creates a header for each message sent. If a message is addressed to more than one recipient, the system creates a header for each recipient.
Message Body
The message body consists of the caller's spoken message or a voiced rendering of a text message, if using Text-to-Speech. In the case of a nondeliverable message, the message body consists of a standard system message.