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Phoneline
Technologies
Table
Of Contents
Introduction
Areas and regions throughout NA
operate various hotlines, helplines, and information lines. A
Guide to Phoneline Service discusses these different types of
lines. Please read it. This bulletin supplements that guide
specifically discussing phoneline technologies.
The first section describes different technologies used to answer
the phone, gives generalizations about cost, and advantages
and disadvantages. The second section, (Other Features)
describes some additional features that may be added to the
phoneline. The final section (Other Issues) discusses some general
problems some of these new technologies have created.
This bulletin uses "area" generically and can be either an area,
multi-area or regional phoneline. We will use the term "phoneline"
generically rather than hotline, helpline or information line.
While we attempt to provide current
information, please remember that there are constant changes in
technology, and fluctuations in cost of equipment and services.
Phones are answered either by a person or by a machine. People are
paid special workers or NA volunteers. Machines can be answering
machines, voice mail, or computers. Although answered by machine,
some technologies then transfer calls to an NA volunteer.
Decisions require consideration of many factors: cost to initiate,
monthly operating costs, amount of NA people-power available, type
of geography involved, volume of calls, and options available from
phone companies.
Answering Machines
Answering machines are generally
owned by the local service committee. They may be kept in a member's
home, garage, or office, or an NA service location. Answering
machines can be simple, like a home answering machine, or more
complex. Some answering machines can page a volunteer when messages
come in.
More sophisticated answering machines can handle several incoming
lines, call forward to other locations, and have several voice-mail
boxes built in. Prices are less than a computer, but have limited
programmable features. They can generally only handle one
call-forward order at a time.
Greetings left on an answering machine should be developed by a
committee. It is helpful to have a number of people with different
levels of experience call in and listen to the greeting. Will the
message be easily understood by newcomers, old-timers, visitors from
outside your area, and people outside the fellowship looking for
help or one of the business subcommittees? Remember, this may be the
first impression someone has with NA. It is important that the
greeting be attractive, cheerful, business-like, easily understood,
and concise. Explain whether messages may be left and when they
might be returned. You may want to include your area’s mailing
address for those that want additional contact with NA.
Costs include purchase of the answering machine, installation of a
phone line(s), message tapes, and basic phone company charges for a
business line.
Advantages: It is low
cost and easy to maintain. The caller can leave messages. It gives
the basic information all phonelines strive to give, information
about where the meetings are. Few NA volunteers are needed.
Disadvantages: NA must
purchase, or rent, the equipment and maintain it. The equipment may
need periodic repair or replacement. An answering machine in
someone’s home ties the phoneline to that individual and their
personal schedule. If that person relapses or moves, NA’s phoneline
must relocate. Rotation of service becomes more difficult. The
recorded message must give general information, like weekly meeting
information. If one tape cannot hold all the information, the tape
must be changed periodically.
Answering Services
An answering service is an outside
organization used to answer our phone for us. They generally operate
24 hours a day. Answering services are versatile. Most have
non-addict operators answering the phone and giving out meeting
information. Some services take a message and contact the NA
volunteer by phone or pager. The volunteer then returns the call.
Some services route the call directly to the NA volunteer's home.
Some only program call forwarding orders at each shift and never
speak to any callers. We do not recommend giving out the
phone numbers of NA volunteers. (Please refer to A Guide to
Phoneline Service for further discussion of this issue.)
Answering services can be cheap or very expensive. The more services
provided, the higher the cost. Some answering services have a cap on
the number of calls. Some patch calls through to the NA volunteer.
The phoneline coordinator must provide up-to-date information for
the answering service operators. The format the answering service
uses may be different from our typical meeting directory. Extra work
may be needed to give the service what it needs. Often the answering
service operator uses information from their computer screen. The
answering service may be slow in updating its computer. The
phoneline coordinator may need to provide training to new answering
service operators. Some areas periodically place test calls to
evaluate the level of service being provided.
When selecting an answering service, interview as many as possible
to get detailed information. The services available and costs for
those services vary greatly. It is appropriate to ask for
references, and then check those references.
If calls are routed to an NA volunteer, ask how this is done. One
area had a service that required phone-company operator assistance
to route all calls and an added $1.00 was charged by the phone
company for each call on top of the answering service’s fees. One
area’s service required that the answering service operator manually
disconnect the line after the call was completed. The line remained
busy until then. When the answering service was busy or staff
inattentive, the NA’s phoneline gave a busy signal for long periods
of time. One area’s answering service charged for each attempt to
transfer, whether the transfer was completed or not. When the
answering service made several attempts for a single call, it got
very expensive.
Ask questions about their staff. Is the staff properly trained to
handle your calls? Does the NA phoneline coordinator need to be
involved in training new employees? How often does staff change? Are
they trained to handle a potential crisis call? One area hired an
answering service owned by someone in recovery where all the
employees were members of another fellowship. With the best of
intentions, they referred all callers to NA to another fellowship.
In one location, two answering services merged resulting in two NA
areas using the same answering service. The operators frequently
confused the two and sent callers to meetings that were not the
closest to their location. One area reported their answering service
only gives out meeting information. Business callers needing to
speak to a subcommittee are also referred to meetings.
Ask how they bill for their services and what kind of reports they
provide.
Costs include monthly fees to the answering service, and sometimes
also basic phone company charges for a business line. Some answering
services require an initial deposit to establish service. Some may
request additional deposits if your volume of calls increases. Keep
track of any deposits carefully. Many areas end service after many
years and forget what deposits might be refundable. Answering
service costs in metropolitan areas have gotten quite expensive. The
cost to patch calls through to NA volunteers has significantly
increased in the last decade. One area reported paying nearly $5.00
per call.
Advantages: Answering
services are easy to set up. They do not require purchase or
maintenance of any equipment. Services provided can be changed as
the area grows. Costs can be quite low and predictable depending on
the services provided. A human voice answers the phone. Answering
services can transfer calls to gender-compatible volunteers.
Disadvantages: As an area
grows, phoneline costs can soar. Some answering services charge for
each attempted transfer, not just the completed transfers. When the
answering service charges for each attempt, the call can be
expensive and never transferred. With patch-through service, it is
important to keep the volunteer list up-to-date. Shift assignments
may be advisable. Some areas limit the number of attempts the
answering service can make for each call.
Calls may not be answered promptly, or the caller may be put on
hold. Without patch-through service, there is no addict-to-addict
contact.
Answering service operators should not answer questions about the NA
program. Answering service operators try to be helpful. They
sometimes overstep their instructions and give information (not
always accurate) about the NA program.
Sometimes the answering service owns the phone number. It can be
expensive and time consuming to change.
Answering services sometimes charge for administrative tasks, like
changing the schedule information or volunteer list. Answering
service bills can be complicated to read, but without regular, close
review, overcharges can occur.
Voice Mail
Voice mail is an automated way to
answer the phone. It is similar to an answering machine but with
greater technological capabilities. Voice mail can be tailored to
suit the needs of the area. Voice mail is available from phone
companies, independent companies, answering services, or computers.
Voice mail works with mail boxes that contain recorded information.
The caller makes a selection on a touch-tone phone. The voice-mail
system plays a specific recorded message. Information should be read
slowly so the caller can write it down. The caller should have the
option to repeat the information without having to call back. Some
voice-mail systems can transfer the caller to an NA volunteer. Some
allow the caller to leave a message. They should be checked
frequently and responded to promptly.
Refer to the Answering Machine section for suggestions related to
the outgoing message. It is helpful to have the subcommittee assign
specific responsibilities for the voice mail: someone to record
greetings, someone to record schedules and schedule changes, someone
to respond to incoming messages, someone to coordinate and train the
phoneline volunteers, someone to interact with the voicemail
provider.
Costs include initial setup fees and monthly charges for each mail
box. Costs might also include call forwarding and toll charges if a
call-forwarding option is selected.
Advantages: There is no
equipment to purchase or maintain. Voice-mail boxes and options can
be added or deleted as the area changes. Voice-mail box costs are
predictable without per call charges. Recorded information can be
changed over phone lines. Voice-mail systems can often handle
multiple calls simultaneously.
Disadvantages: The entire
message must be recorded when any change is made for that mail box.
For large areas, this could be very time consuming. Answering
service voice mail may charge to record voice-mail messages. It can
get expensive to record meeting schedule changes. Without call
forwarding feature or message boxes, the caller can only get
recorded meeting information. These features are not available in
all areas. Call forwarding to a volunteer must be done manually at
the beginning of each person's shift. The caller may get caught in a
voice mail loop. Set up your system carefully.
Office with a Phone
Some areas maintain offices where,
among other services, the phone is answered by NA volunteers. Most
offices must have another phoneline system when the office is
closed.
Some offices turn on an answering
machine when volunteers are not available. Others forward calls to a
volunteer's home.
The cost of the phoneline itself can be very low with only basic
phone charges. Other costs include rent for the office space and
basic phone company charges. Costs might also include a secondary
system for times when the office is closed.
Advantages: There is
direct addict-to-addict contact when the phone is answered.
Disadvantages: Low-cost
offices are not always in the best parts of town. Areas report
difficulty keeping the office staffed after dark. Travel time to the
office inhibits people from volunteering for phoneline service.
Offices are nearly impossible to keep staffed 24 hours a day. Some
combination of services is needed to maintain 24-hour service.
Computer Owned and Maintained by
NA
Areas have begun purchasing their
own computer to replace outside answering services or voice mail.
The computer program can be customized. NA-owned computers are the
most flexible of all the systems. They may also be the most
complicated to maintain.
The computer must physically be somewhere. This usually involves
rent in a public place. Outgoing calls may incur service-area
message units or long distance charges. Some areas specifically
located their computer in a central location to reduce those
charges. The location must be secure and have good electrical power.
Phonelines have to be installed. A surge protector is a wise
investment. Modestly-priced backup power supplies protect against
short-duration outages. The computer can be set to automatically
default to the phoneline software whenever power is interrupted.
Some areas forgo the backup power supply.
Calls are routed to the NA volunteer based on a shift assignment.
Others route calls based on a rotating list. While the call is being
transferred, recorded information can be played for the caller.
Computers can be set up to imitate voice mail.
Computers can track information about each call that comes in and
what happens to that call. Reports can be customized to provide a
trouble list for the phoneline coordinator. Security passwords can
be part of the system. This makes sure calls are transferred only to
trained volunteers. Most computer systems can handle more than one
call at a time. Multiple phonelines would have to be installed. Each
area must decide how many or how few lines to have. For example, one
line can be for English, one for Spanish or French. Calls can be
limited to a specific time then automatically disconnected. This
frees up the phoneline for other calls.
It is important to have more than one person trained to maintain the
computer. It helps to insure continuity of service. One area had the
computer system fail when the only trained person was on vacation.
The area had no phoneline for several days. Refer to the section on
Voicemail for additional responsibilities that should be assigned
with an automated system.
Recorded information is stored in small voice files linked together.
A single meeting change is recorded and then automatically added to
the link by the computer. The computer can sort the meetings by day
and time for playback.
In many locations, basic business lines will not give adequate
service for computer-transferred calls and a loss of volume may
occur. In many areas in North America, "Central Office Based Network
System" lines may solve this problem. Talk to a telecommunications
professional about these issues prior to establishing service.
Central Office Based Network System lines also allow the calls to
come in and go out on the same line. Some areas take advantage of
this feature to allow the computer to answer a second call while the
first call is being handled by a volunteer. If only one volunteer is
available at a time, the second caller will only be able to get
recorded information. Other areas choose not to take advantage of
this feature because they want the computer to monitor the call and
limit the duration of the call freeing the volunteer for the next
call. One drawback is that, generally, the minimum number of Central
Office Based Network System lines is two and the second line may be
unused (but paid for) if the computer does not take advantage of two
incoming lines.
Costs include the initial cost of the computer and software. Monthly
charges include basic phone company charges for a business line,
rent, and outgoing calls transferred to the NA volunteer. Although
there is a high initial cost to purchase the hardware and software,
there is a very low monthly operating cost. One area reported paying
for start-up costs with phoneline savings in just nine months.
Advantages: NA has
complete control and responsibility for the phoneline system. Once
up and running, the computer system is easy to learn and operate.
Little or no previous computer experience is required. It does not
require a new state-of-the-art computer.
Disadvantages: Some level
of computer proficiency is required to make the buying decision for
hardware and software and get the system up and running. Some
computers require changes be made at the computer site. Others can
make changes remotely. Changes and upgrades to the services provided
require someone with sophisticated computer knowledge. NA owns the
equipment. If the equipment fails, or is damaged, it must be
replaced or repaired. Potentially, replacement may be expensive and
sudden, although no areas reported this type of catastrophic
failure. Some areas have set aside a modest prudent reserve
specifically for emergency repairs. The computer must be located
somewhere. Safe, secure, accessible locations may be difficult to
find.
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Cellular Phone
Cellular phones enable NA volunteers
to answer calls without going to an NA service office. Volunteers
take turns carrying the cellular phone. Many areas have a variety of
service-providers and their costs and features may be substantially
different. Some areas have free air time during the evenings and
weekends. Some services have high monthly fees, but low per-call
charges. Others offer low monthly rates, but high per-call charges.
Some areas include call forwarding as an option so the phoneline
volunteer can transfer calls and avoid air-time charges. In many
areas, call forwarding a cellular phone line still incurs air-time
charges, plus the cost of the forward. Investigate the options in
your area.
Costs include purchase of the phone, monthly cellular service
charges, cellular air-time, and battery replacement. Cellular
air-time is more expensive than basic phone charges.
Advantages: An NA member
answers all calls and can provide immediate addict-to-addict
experience, strength and hope. NA volunteers are not tied to a
specific location while they have phoneline responsibilities. Fewer
volunteers may be needed.
Disadvantages: This type
of system does not work well in areas where there are great
distances between volunteers. Phoneline volunteers may have long
shifts before they turn the phone over to the next volunteer. This
may mean taking the phone to work, grocery shopping, out on dates,
etc. We do not recommend a phoneline volunteer do NA service at
work. Volunteers must physically meet each other to switch shifts.
There is no security that only trained NA volunteers will answer the
phone. The cellular phone can be lost, stolen, or damaged, and
phoneline service would be immediately down. The phone system can
only handle one call at a time. Batteries must be recharged
regularly and replaced periodically.
Pager
A pager is carried by an NA
volunteer who returns calls when paged. Simple systems display the
number entered by the caller. Others allow the caller to leave a
voice message then pages the NA volunteer. The volunteer retrieves
the message, returns the call, or takes other appropriate action.
Volunteers take turns carrying the pager.
Costs include purchase of a pager and monthly service charges. There
may be costs incurred by volunteers returning calls. Some pager
services have an upper limit on the number of pages received.
Advantages: Pagers are
very low cost. NA volunteers are not tied to a specific location
while they have phoneline responsibilities. Fewer NA volunteers may
be needed.
Disadvantages: This type
of system does not work well in areas where there are great
distances between volunteers. Phoneline volunteers may have long
shifts before they turn the pager over to the next volunteer. This
may mean taking the pager to work, grocery shopping, out on dates,
etc. We do not recommend a phoneline volunteer do NA service at
work. Volunteers must physically meet each other to switch shifts.
The pager can be lost, stolen or damaged and phoneline service would
be immediately down. Hang ups can be a problem. Callers may not want
to leave their phone number. Callers using a pay phone may be
blocked from receiving call backs.
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Other Features
Diverters and Remote Call
Forwarding. There are four types of call forwarding:
·
Remote call forwarding
is from a number that exists in the local phone company’s central
office to a pre-programmed number, such as when you move or get a
new number. This is done by the phone company and a fee is often
involved.
·
Variable call
forwarding is programmed by a telephone instrument where the number
exists. It may be forwarded to any number that you choose and
changed whenever you want to change it. In some places you may be
able to dial in from the outside to change the forwarding number.
However, in most locations, it can only be programmed from an
instrument at the physical location. The phoneline can transfer
calls to the NA phoneline volunteers. The phoneline is not tied to a
single location.
·
A diverter box, also
called a remote program automatic dialer, enables variable call
forwarding when those options are not available by the local phone
company. Most diverter boxes can be programmed remotely giving
flexibility often not available with phone company variable call
forwarding. A diverter box is a separate piece of equipment attached
to the phoneline instead of a phone or answering machine. When a
call comes in it redirects the call to another pre-programmed number
using a separate outgoing line. A diverter box can be used to give
out recorded information before transferring a call if a compatible
answering machine is used.
·
Busy/don’t answer
remote call forwarding will send the call to a number programmed for
you by the phone company if the phoneline is busy or does not answer
after a pre-agreed number of rings. This might be used by an office
that uses an answering service as a back-up for when the office is
unattended. The number must be prearranged with the phone company
and programmed by them.
Costs include phone company monthly charges for specific options
selected, and perhaps an installation fee, forwarding fees and maybe
also message unit or toll charges, depending on the distance
forwarded. Cost for a diverter box include the diverter box, perhaps
an installation fee, and basic phone company charges for two
business lines.
Advantages: It adds
greater flexibility to the phoneline.
Disadvantages: It is an
extra cost.
Toll-Free Numbers
Toll-free numbers are a type of
technology that must be used with another phone system. Toll-free
numbers only relate to who pays for the call. In North America,
these toll-free numbers use the prefixes 800 and 888, with new
prefixes being added. Toll-free numbers can be limited
geographically, or they can be national or even international.
With toll-free numbers, NA pays for all incoming calls.
Toll-free number services can forward calls to specific area
phonelines based on the location of the caller. Features for
toll-free numbers are changing rapidly. Contact your local
telecommunications vendor to discuss options that might be suitable
for your area.
In purchasing toll-free numbers, the per minute costs can vary
widely from providers. It is best to shop for features and rates.
Several areas may work together to qualify for a volume discount. In
order to do this, a single toll-free number is purchased and the
calls from specific area codes and/or exchanges are routed to a
number that will handle those calls.
Be very specific about the area of coverage that your phoneline
wants to handle calls from. If this is not defined, you may get
calls from all over the United States with questions you are not
equipped to handle. Your area will be responsible for these calls,
and the long distance charges to get them. Geographically limited
toll-free numbers save money, but also prevent callers from outside
the area getting through. This has been a problem for travelers
trying to plan trips. People from nearby towns cannot get the
correct phoneline. People leaving jails or institutions may have
trouble reaching the NA area they need. Areas that do not limit the
calling area can incur high costs. If you use geographically limited
service, you may want to list both the toll-free number and the
local number.
Refer to the section on phone books for important information about
toll-free numbers.
To reduce costs, some locations only publish toll-free numbers in
Public Information efforts. They list the local number internally
and on meeting directories.
Costs include set-up fees, basic monthly charges, and tolls for all
calls. Calls routed to NA volunteers pay for incoming and outgoing
calls.
Advantages: A single
phone number can be used for a wide geographic area. Some areas
believe it is an encouragement to the caller to use a toll-free
number.
Disadvantages: Costs for
the toll-free number are in addition to other phoneline costs. Some
areas have reported canceling their toll-free service because of
high, often unpredictable, costs. If your service is not
geographically limited and your toll-free directory listing is not
specific, you may incur very high costs. One area reported a $700
toll-free bill in one month before they limited their service and
changed their listing.
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Other Issues
New technologies have created some
new problems: how to get service and equipment, whether to set up a
cooperative phoneline, multi-lingual phone services, TDD lines,
transferring calls, phone books, problems with caller ID features,
and protection from phoneline hackers. Finally, areas may want to
consider combining several technologies.
Acquiring Service and Equipment
Phone service allows you to make and
receive calls and get a phone number. In the US, phone service
involves some basic monthly fee plus charges for outgoing calls. In
some locations, a phone line and number can or must be purchased.
Leased service would have a monthly fee. One area reported paying
$4,000 just to buy a line to establish service.
When establishing service through an answering service, find out who
owns that phone number. Leaving the answering service may require
additional costs and often involve getting a new phone number. One
area paid high fees to give callers the new phone number until phone
books were printed. Without this referral, the answering service
would have said they had no information about NA.
Equipment is hardware: the telephone, answering machine, pager,
diverter box, TDD equipment, or computer. Equipment may be purchased
or leased depending on your location. Some technologies (like voice
mail) may not require any equipment at all.
Cooperative Phonelines
Any of the above phoneline
technologies are appropriate for cooperative phonelines. Phonelines
are generally established by area service committees to serve the
local area. In some locations, areas have split, but kept their
phoneline service intact creating a shared-service arrangement.
Sometimes several separate areas will merge their phonelines and
create a shared-service arrangement. Some areas have moved their
phoneline service to the regional level and eliminated area
phonelines. In other locations, a regional phoneline has been added
to the existing area phonelines.
When several areas share services, issues need to be clearly
resolved: Who will pay the phoneline costs and how? Who will be
responsible for maintaining the phoneline? Who will coordinate the
answering service? Who will update the voice mail? Who will maintain
the computer? How will changes be approved? Who will recruit and
train NA volunteers? Who will review and approve bills? All these
issues need to be discussed, clearly written, and made accessible to
all areas. Specific, detailed, written agreements between the areas
may reduce confusion when trusted servants change. It is best to
equitably share these costs and responsibilities. This prevents one
area from assuming a large human or financial burden.
Regional phonelines can replace area phonelines and serve all areas
within the region. A single answering service could route calls to
volunteers who serve the entire region. A regional office can answer
all the phone calls. This is most feasible where the region is
geographically small, such as within a metropolitan region. It may
be difficult to get updated information from several areas to the
volunteers quickly.
Regional phonelines can supplement area phonelines. In this model,
each area maintains its own phoneline and a regional phoneline is
added. The regional phoneline might give out only basic information.
It could refer callers who want to speak to an addict to the area
phonelines. This might be a service office where a special worker
gives out business information only.
Regional phonelines that route calls to area phonelines are becoming
more popular. This is often a toll-free number published for the
entire region. It routes calls to the appropriate area based on the
location of the caller. The major disadvantage is that a caller
cannot get through to another area. Calls are always routed back
based on his location. Regional phonelines that supplement area
phonelines are additional costs, not replacement costs.
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Multilingual Phonelines
Most locations needing multi-lingual
services have a dominant language and one or more secondary
languages. Phonelines can meet these needs several ways. A separate
phone number with separate sets of volunteers may be difficult to
coordinate. It may be hard to get enough volunteers in both
languages. Some areas will have the primary-language volunteers
answer the phone. Secondary-language volunteers return calls when
needed. This can be difficult if the caller cannot speak in the
primary language.
Some areas establish separate phonelines for each language. The
phonelines may be completely different for the primary and secondary
languages.
Some areas maintain an information-only line for the secondary
languages using answering machines or voice mail. Recorded
information from translated and published NA materials can provide
the caller with information about NA. Callers can be directed to
meetings available in that language. It is important to have
volunteers retrieve and return messages promptly. An answering
service with multi-lingual employees can route calls to
language-specific volunteers.
TDD
TDD, or Telecommunications Device
for the Deaf, is a system designed for the deaf and hard of hearing.
It allows the caller and phoneline volunteer to converse by typing.
If you want to publish a TDD number, you will have to purchase TDD
equipment and then train volunteers in its use. Both the caller and
the phoneline volunteer must have the TDD equipment. The phoneline
needs an office, or some way to transfer the call to the appropriate
volunteer. Some answering services will provide TDD services.
In the US a special relay service is provided for the hearing
impaired to enable them to interact more readily with the hearing
world. This service is available around the clock. The hearing
impaired caller contacts a special operator using his or her TDD
equipment. The operator contacts the NA phoneline and they converse
by voice. The operator then types the information into the TDD
equipment and relays the conversation back to the caller,
essentially acting as a relay between the two people.
Transferred Calls
Calls can be transferred to an NA
volunteer several ways: by an answering service, by call forwarding,
by voice mail, by computer routing, or by diverter box. Callers will
expect the call to be answered with the name Narcotics Anonymous. A
generic "Hello" may frighten an already paranoid caller. Computers
and answering services usually announce it is an NA call before the
connection is made. This allows the volunteer to greet the caller as
an NA volunteer. When the volunteer is expecting an NA call during a
specific time, he can answer accordingly. In some locations, the
phone can have a special ring to indicate it is an NA call.
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Phone Directores
Remember to talk to your local phone
company about your listing at least six months before the new phone
book is due to be published. After publication, check to verify the
listing is correct. One area reported paying for an additional line
in the yellow-page listing that reads "No dues or fees" to
differentiate NA from all the fee-based treatment programs listed in
that same section of the yellow pages.
Business numbers are generally listed in the white and yellow pages
of the local phone book. The NA listing can be added to other phone
books. The local phone company can suggest which books cover your
geographic area. There are now multiple organizations printing phone
books in some locations. Your area needs to carefully consider where
to be listed. Listings generally need to be updated each year and
there is a fee involved. White-page listings usually cost less than
yellow page listings. With independent phone book companies
springing up, your area may be solicited to advertise other places.
Be careful! Sometimes these solicitations look like an invoice and
get paid accidentally.
Many locations have a community-service section in the phone book,
sometimes called the blue pages. In some locations this section is
coordinated by the United Way. Listing there may be free or at a
very low charge.
When getting a new number, some areas timed the change with
publication of the new phone books. Ask the phone company for the
deadline that is often several months before distribution.
Although the phone book listings are correct, the directory
assistance database may not be. The number may be listed only by the
town where it is located. Listing in several phone books may not
change the information database. Without knowing which town to ask
for, directory assistance may not find NA. Call your local phone
company to discuss these concerns. Check the directory assistance
information given out periodically. One large metropolitan area
reported not being listed in the primary phone book. The service
committee did not make the call to have NA added to that directory.
Toll-free numbers are not listed free in the local phone book. They
are not listed automatically in toll-free number phone books and
directory assistance. Discuss this issue when your service is
established. There are many toll-free numbers being used in NA. You
may want to include the geographic location in the listing.
Remember, your area's name may not be clear to the public and you
might want to consider a more standard description for the phone
listing.
Two or more NA phonelines may be listed in a single phone book. Both
areas may want to consider adding geographic distinctions to their
name to help the caller. Example: Narcotics Anonymous, West Valley
and Narcotics Anonymous, East Valley.
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Caller ID
Caller ID is a feature available in
many areas that a business or individual can choose. If a person has
this feature, he gets a readout identifying the caller. The
recipient may know the name, phone number and address of the caller.
The NA volunteer should be able to protect their own anonymity. This
feature can be blocked. Check with your local phone company to find
out how to block it.
Phoneline Hackers
Any technology using remote call
forwarding or transferring calls can become the victim of phoneline
hackers. Hackers tap into the phone and dial out to numbers of their
choosing. These are usually long distance numbers and can be quite
costly. Review all phone bills carefully. Consider blocking 900
numbers and area codes outside the area served to reduce the
potential liability. The phone company can set these blocks.
Phoneline hackers also tap into the frequency codes used with
cellular systems. Technology is changing quickly. Discuss these
concerns with telecommunications professionals when considering your
options.
Combining Technologies
The technologies are often combined
to give the area the features it wants. Voice mail with pagers
allows the caller to leave a message. The volunteer can quickly
return the call. An answering service with two pagers can make the
phoneline gender-specific. After reviewing the various technologies
available, consider a combination to best suit your area's needs.
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Additional Resources
A more complete list of guidelines
for beginning a phoneline may be found in A Guide to Phoneline
Service. More information may also be obtained from neighboring
phoneline committees. NA World Services may help in contacting
others close to you with phoneline experience. Sharing our
experience, strength, and hope in this area of service can greatly
enhance the ties that bind us together.
Please use the following contact
information for any addition inquiries:
NA World Services
PO Box 9999
Van Nuys, CA 91409
USA
Tel. (818) 773-9999
Fax (818) 700-0700
Website: www.na.org
Email: info@na.org
NA World Services - Europe
PO Box 2652
B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
Tel. 32/2/646-6012
Fax 32/2/649-9239
NA World Services - Canada
150 Britannia Rd. E
Unit 21
Mississauga, Ontario L4Z 2A4
Canada
Tel. (905) 507-0100
Fax (905) 507-0101
Note: This resource paper was updated
with current contact information in 2004.
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