July 1999

Tygart Technology
1543 Fairmont Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26854
Ph: 304-363-6855
Web site: www.tygart.com

Price: $199 per license.

RATINGS (0-5)
Installation: 4.75
Documentation: 4
Features: 3.75
GUI: 4
Overall: B+

PRISM/Look software allows Microsoft Outlook 97/98 users to control their telephones from their computers using Microsoft TAPI. Dialing a phone number is as simple as querying Outlook’s Contacts folder and then clicking on a button to dial that number. These calls can then be placed on hold, transferred to another party, added to a conference, and logged for historical tracking. On incoming calls, existing contacts are searched for and displayed via caller-ID before you pick up the phone.

INSTALLATION
After installing the PRISM/Look software, we then had to integrate it with a TAPI-compliant PBX or switch. For our testing purposes, we used the Nortel Meridian phone system along with the Nortel Computer Telephony Adapter 100. This arrangement allowed TAPI applications to communicate with the Nortel PBX since the Meridian phone system was integrated with a PC via the serial port.

We plugged a phone line from the Meridian phoneset into one of the two RJ-11 jacks on the Nortel Computer Telephony Adapter. We connected another phone line from the second RJ-11 to the eight-port breakout box. The breakout box in turn was connected via an amphenol cable to the Nortel phone system, which completed the integration between the PC and the telephone system.

We finished connecting the hardware, and then installed the TAPI service provider for the Nortel phone system on a Dell Pentium 450. The Nortel TAPI service provider install (which is not part of this review) went fairly smoothly, although we needed to remove the Artisoft TAPI service provider that was already installed on this client PC, since the two TAPI service providers seemed to conflict with each other.

The actual PRISM/Look call control software application was easily installed via a CD that automatically executed when inserted into the CD-ROM drive. During the install, we were asked to select the telephone line (number/name) that would be used with the software. After we selected the proper line (in our case, it was called “Doug”), the software created a folder in Microsoft Outlook called “Telephone Calls.” We were prompted to “Enable or disable macros” and we chose “Enable” so that the software could publish its custom form into Outlook. Overall, the installation procedure was very smooth and easy, thus earning a 4.75 rating.

DOCUMENTATION
The documentation was included on the CD in both Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat format. It was well organized and included a good table of contents, although the index was a bit sparce. The step-by-step installation instructions included screenshots just about every step of the way. The online documentation was fairly good, although some of the help topics we clicked on were unavailable. Overall, the documentation earned a 4 rating.

FEATURES
Aside from integration with your Outlook 97/98 contacts, PRISM/Look also offers the following:

• TAPI support.
• •Screenpops with record matching.
• Speed dials.
• Dial contacts using the mouse.
• Attach call notes.
• Journal of all call activity by contact.
• Call control application to answer, transfer, conference, put on hold, and hang-up phone calls.

OPERATIONAL TESTING
After the installation was complete, we ran the PRISM/Look Pro program. When this program was executed, it prompted us for our Personal folder password (.pst file). Once we entered the password, the PRISM/Look Pro program was added to the system tray. Double clicking on the icon in the system tray launched the PRISM/Look Pro preferences GUI for configuring various options.

Configuration Interface
The configuration screen was powerful, providing granular control over program response during any given situation. For example, we could choose to pop a window on an incoming call, or not to search the database for a matching record via caller-ID. Also, from this configuration utility, we could choose whether or not to keep the call bar “on top” of other windows for easy access.

Unfortunately, you can’t change from “on top” mode to regular “normal” windows mode. When we changed it from “normal” windows mode to “on top,” the change didn’t take effect until we exited from the PRISM Controller and reloaded the program.

Some of the other useful options that were configurable from this GUI  include:

• CloseOnIdle — When a call goes to the idle state, the call form will be closed but not deleted. The call will show up in the Telephone Calls view.
• FindOnDial — The database will be searched for contacts matching the phone number you are dialing, and matching entries will be displayed
• FindOnIncoming — On an incoming call, the database will be searched for contacts matching the caller-ID (if available). The matching entry will be displayed on the Contact Information tab.
• UseDebugLog — Information log of PRISM/Look (phone call and TAPI) functions are recorded.

Screen-Pop Without The “Pop”?
We made both inbound and outbound test calls to the system. When we called into the PC running PRISM/Look Pro, we received a screen-pop which used the caller-ID information to match with the Contact record we put in Outlook. Unfortunately, on an incoming call the screenpop wouldn’t “pop” — the window hid behind the other windows that were running. This meant we had to click on the icon at the bottom to bring it forward, which was a bit of an annoyance.
Usually strange video problems can be fixed by updating the video driver, but we had the latest driver installed. Due to time constraints, we could not test the product on another machine, so we called technical support. They told us they could not duplicate the problem, so this bug may be machine specific.

The Call Bar
TMC Labs liked the PRISM Call Bar, which had a small footprint, yet was quite powerful.  From this GUI, we could access call control features, such as dialing, transfers, conferencing, put on hold, and speed dial. Speed dial buttons can be categorized according to the Categories in Outlook. We could also perform a “find,” or a query against our Outlook contact database with the Call Bar, without opening Outlook’s Contacts folder. The Call Bar also listed the calls we were connected to, their number, and their call state (connected, conferenced, hold, etc.). A drop down box, provided with each listed call, made it easier to discern which call we were on and which call was being transferred (or put on hold, conferenced, etc.). One nice feature is that the Call Bar is also integrated with the “screen-pop” Outlook form, so you don’t necessarily have to use the Call Bar for performing call control functions.

During our tests, we did receive a runtime error.  Essentially, we dialed extension #21 from our Nortel phone connected to extension #23. A screen-pop displayed the caller-ID information (#21) for the contact record. Normally Caller-ID will match to just one record. At TMC Labs, however, we like to be a bit tricky when we’re hammering CTI products. (We love finding bugs!) With that in mind, we intentionally put two different records with the same caller-ID (#21) numbers. This certainly is not an unreasonable test, since often callers will be calling behind a PBX and share the same caller-ID information.

When we matched the same caller-ID number to two records, the screen-pop form popped up with two matching records. We had to choose one. Initially, we decided to just click on close (which we thought would skip the process of adding a call journal entry), but the program still tried to save a journal entry. This attempt at a save resulted in the runtime error because the name box was empty — we hadn’t picked one of the two matching records. When the program tried to save the call to the journal, it was trying to attach the call record to a blank contact name into the contact database. (Any good database administrator knows that you cannot write a record to a database with a “blank” index field.)

We hesitate to fault the program for this runtime error, since even if a user does have multiple records matched to the same number, the user will most likely pick the right record before closing the form. Nevertheless, some simple programming boundary checks could have been instituted to ensure that the user chooses a record to prevent a runtime error.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
As previously mentioned, this product lets you keep the call bar “on top” of other windows for easy access. Unfortunately, you can’t change from “on top” mode to regular or “normal” windows mode. After we had changed it to “normal” windows mode, the change didn’t take effect. We had to exit from the PRISM Controller and go back in for the change to take effect.

Also, as mentioned previously (in Operational Testing), on an incoming call the screen-pop would hide behind any other windows that were running. A screen-pop that disappeared in this way required us to click on the icon at the bottom to bring it forward, which was a bit of a nuisance. Finally, as mentioned earlier, the runtime error could be prevented with some simple programming boundary checks.

CONCLUSION
PRISM/Look is an attractive option for users who require CTI functionality at “bargain basement” pricing. It was very tough to decide whether or not this product merited an Editors’ Choice award. At just $199 per seat, users can attain CTI features that typically cost $1,000 or more.

Typically products which receive an A- or better will receive an award, although occasionally a product that has a B+ rating will also earn an award. Even though this product has an overall rating of B+, we feel this product addresses a market for which TMC Labs has not seen many comparable products, especially in this price range.

PRISM/Look is best suited for users who maintain their contacts with Outlook. Outlook is a rudimentary contact manager compared to GoldMine or Act!, but many users don’t need complex contact manager functionality and are quite happy with Outlook’s capabilities. As such, if you use Outlook’s contact capabilities already, and you have a TAPI-compliant switch, this product is worth checking out. .