[This is pre-release documentation and subject to change in future releases. This topic's current status is: Milestone-Ready]

Topic Last Modified: 2010-07-14

When you configure announcements, you are really configuring how you want calls to unassigned numbers to be handled. You can play a prompt, which can be an audio file or a text-to-speech (TTS) file, or you can just transfer the call to a specified destination without playing a prompt.

To create a new announcement, you perform the following steps:

  1. For audio prompts, record the audio file by using your favorite audio recording application.

  2. For audio prompts, run the Import-CsAnnouncementFile cmdlet to import the contents of the audio file to File Store.

  3. Run the New-CsAnnouncement cmdlet to create and name the announcement. Perform this step to create announcements with an audio prompt, a TTS prompt, or no prompt.

  4. Assign the new announcement to a number range in the unassigned number table.

This topic describes how to import and create announcements. For information about assigning announcements in the unassigned number table, see Configure the Unassigned Number Table.

To create a new announcement

  1. For audio prompts, create the audio file.

  2. Open Communications Server Management Shell.

  3. For audio prompts, run:

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    Import-CsAnnouncementFile –Parent <service of the Application Server running the Announcement application> -FileName <name for file in File Store> -Content Byte [<contents of file in byte array>]
    
  4. Run:

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    New-CsAnnouncement –Parent <service of Application Server running the Announcement application, in the form: service:ApplicationServer:<fqdn> > `
    -Name <unique name to be used as target in unassigned number table> `
    [-PromptAudioFile <FileName specified in Import-CsAnnouncementFile>] `
    [-PromptTts <text string to be converted to speech>] `
    [-Language <Language for playing the TTS prompt (required for PromptTts)>] `
    [-TargetUri sip:SIPAddress for transferring caller after announcement]
    

    For transferring calls to voice mail, type SIPAddress in the format sip:username@domainname;opaque=app:voicemail (for example, sip:bob@contoso.com;opaque=app:voicemail). For transferring calls to a phone number, type SIPAddress in the format sip:number@domainname;user=phone (for example, sip:+ 14255550121@contoso.com;user=phone).

    For example, to specify an audio prompt:

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    $a = Get-Content ".\PromptFile.wav" -ReadCount 0 -Encoding Byte
    Import-CsAnnouncementFile -Parent service:ApplicationServer:pool0@contoso.com ` 
    -FileName "ChangedNumberMessage.wav" -Content $a
    New-CsAnnouncement -Parent service:ApplicationServer:pool0.contoso.com `
    -Name "Number Changed Announcement" -PromptAudioFile "ChangedNumberMessage.wav"
    

    For example, to specify a TTS prompt:

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    New-CsAnnouncement -Parent service:ApplicationServer:pool0.contoso.com `
    -Name "Help Desk Announcement" `
    -PromptTts "The Help Desk number has changed. Please dial 5550100." -Language "en-US"
    

    For more detail about these cmdlets, and to see a list of the language codes to use in the PromptTts parameter, see the RTCCmdlets.chm or inline help for Communications Server Management Shell