Besides offering voice-mail service, DirectTalkMail allows faculty to obtain complete distribution lists for their classes, which change automatically as students drop and add courses. It also has the potential to take information on the Boston College computer system and use it to generate automatic voice mail messages to deal with overdue library books or incomplete student loans, for example, Spellman said. One of DirectTalkMail's new features, she added, offers users the alternative of reviewing and storing their voice mail messages on their computers through Netscape, the World Wide Web browser. To access messages, users enter their extensions and passwords, as they would on the telephone, and can view a summary of new, saved and outgoing voice mail messages. Users can listen to the messages on their computers, then save or delete them.
Users retain the option of retrieving voice mail messages over the telephone.
Another of the system's new features allows families to obtain student account information and pay tuition over the phone with a credit card. The system is accessible via a national 800 number and provides nearly simultaneous responses to transactions, Spellman said. Using technology to improve service and promote efficiency reflects the aims of Project Delta, Spellman said, and more refinements are on the way. This system, and the others to follow, will help us achieve that goal. Spellman encourages anyone still experiencing difficulties to contact the Help Center for assistance at ext.