Telephony Software at NCH

Hi! My name is Dustin and I am the new lead developer for NCH Software’s Telephony products. Previously, I’ve been working on our company’s Utility products such as FileFort backup software, Verity child monitoring software and Orion file recovery software. I am excited about this new opportunity and I hope I can make our Telephony products even better!

One new feature coming soon to our Axon virtual PBX is the ability to access your web interface from any internet connection without the need for complicated router configuration. This is accomplished by connecting to an NCH Software server using a simple internet address like http://sampleaddress.users.nchuser.com which relays to your Axon server. Pages can even be viewed over a secure (HTTPS) connection to guarantee that transmitted information is safe. This feature is ad supported so there is no extra cost to you. You will still be able to view the web interface without ads the same way you always have but with this feature we hope Axon will be even easier to use remotely.

So be on the lookout for this new feature in Axon and more feature and usability improvements to come to our telephony software:

• Express Talk Softphone
  
• Axon Virtual PBX System
  
• IMS On-Hold Messages Player
  
• IVM Answering Attendant
  
• TRx Single Line Call Recorder
  
• VRS Multichannel Voice Recorder
  
• Quorum Call Conferencing Software
  

Making A Music Video

Over on Review Explorer Chris McGivern posted a detailed interview with Singer-songwriter Andy Fosberry of Ironlight River about making a music video. Fosberry took a do-it-yourself attitude and made a great video without sacrificing his creativity or breaking the bank. And we were particularly thrilled that Fosberry turned to NCH Software using Switch Audio Converter, Prism Video Converter and VideoPad Video Editor to help him along the way.

"As a musician, I use a piece of software call Switch by NCH Software which converts audio formats. And it’s brilliant. To convert these video files I used their A/V equivalent which is called Prism. When it was downloading, I had the option on loads of other things and saw something called VideoPad, which was billed as editing software. I figured it would be like WavePad and, therefore, just for clips etc, but it’s a fully working, kind of mid-level piece of editing software ... Its just so beautifully usable. So much so that I had a working edit in about 8 hours. All the effects, are nicely editable in themselves. So you can really make significant changes to what you are working on."

– Andy Fosberry

If you're interested in making your own music video(s) we would encourage you to go over to Review Explorer and read How To Make A Music Video – For Free for more details on what Fosberry did for his video, and to see the results.

Record Video from Anywhere

Debut Video Capture Software records and captures video from webcams, recording devices, and from your computer screen. It’s great for recording tutorials you can post to online sites such as YouTube, for making company messages, for recording streaming video, and more. See for yourself how easy it is to get started capturing and recording videos in this Debut video tutorial:

Axon Windows PBX Tutorial

Putting together a phone system can be a daunting task. When you need to figure out phone lines and extensions, plus extras like on-hold music, things can quickly spiral out of control, especially if aren't well versed in Linux—which many PBX systems require. Fortunately, there is another option. With Axon, a Windows PBX system, as with all of our telephony software, we have done our best to keep everything simple and straight forward. Plus we have just finished a new quick start video tutorial to further guide you through the process of setting up your new PBX telephone system.

So if you are looking for a way to manage telephone calls and extensions across your business, and you don't have an IT team to do the grunt work for you, take a look at Axon virtual Windows-based PBX software. It will make getting your phones up and running as painless as possible, and you don't even need to learn a new operating system.

Express Invoice Super Options: New Invoice Customization

Our goal in developing an invoicing program has always been to produce professional documents that any business can use. To obtain a professional looking invoice we know it's important to do the following:

• keep the clutter to a minimum
  
• line up edges and blocks of text to keep the invoice looking clean
  
• be organized
  
• above all, value simplicity over flashy elements
  

One of the most requested features for Express Invoice is for complete customization of the final look of the invoice. One way to go about this would be to let the customer drag and drop the various pieces they need onto a template and generate the invoice from their vision, but we strongly feel that by giving more options we would violate the criteria laid out above. So, we compromised. While we want your business's invoices to stand out from the crowd, we don't want you to get carried away with colors, clip art, borders, fonts and kittens (you'd be surprised at what we've seen out there).

On the Invoice tab of the program Options, you will now find a button for more invoice options, giving you the choice to add certain design elements and invoice options such as including a remittance slip, shading every other line behind the items list, or whether to show the discount column on the invoice. The options make Express Invoice even more versatile than before, making it a perfect fit for an small business, freelancer, or contractor needing an invoicing solution.

Need more small business solutions, such as accounting software, employee management software, or an automatic telephone attendant? Be sure to check out our other business software, all of which comes with a full, free 14-day trial.

Video Tutorial: Simple Slideshow Software in Action

See how easy it is to bring your digital photos to life and share your favorite memories with family and friends with PhotoStage slideshow creation software. Our recently finished PhotoStage video tutorial walks you through the process so you can see how easy it is to combine images, video clips, music and narration into a truly memorable slideshow movie.

Download PhotoStage slideshow software today to start making your own custom multimedia presentation to share with friends and family and preserve your memories.

Be a VideoPad YouTube Export Expert

One of the neat things about our VideoPad Video Editor is the ability to not only output a YouTube-ready video, but the ability to upload a video directly to YouTube, making the transition from local to internet viewing quick and easy, eliminating much of the upload hassle on your part. How? Take my hand, friend, and we'll walk across this avenue together.

Inside VideoPad (and once you’re happy with your finished video), go up to the top menu and select the "Save Movie" button. This will bring up a dialog box with export settings for a variety of formats at the top. From this menu, scroll over to the rightmost selection, (YouTube), and select the YouTube icon. Once selected, you’ll notice that you have new, YouTube-specific options below, such as where to save your file locally, YouTube login details, places to add details about your movie, keyword information, etc. Fill in the blank fields and hit "OK". From here, VideoPad goes into autopilot and will remotely login to YouTube, encode your movie and upload it for you; all you have to do is sit back and relax.

This is just one of the many small innovations that make VideoPad one of the most user-friendly video editing packages available. If you’d like to jump into the editing arena, VideoPad offers an intuitive, simple interface so you’ll be editing your own masterpieces in no time. Try VideoPad free, and if you’re new to VideoPad or looking for a more in-depth look at the finer points of editing, watch our VideoPad tutorial series to help get your feet wet.

Hitting the Software Nail on the Head

How many shirts do you need to try on before you find one you want to buy? How many cars do take for a test drive when shopping for a new car? And how many pieces of software do you download and try before you find one to solve your problem? Results from a study of software vendors show only about 1 sale is made for every hundred trials that are downloaded, which is a remarkably low number when you think how many programs people must end up trying or how often they just give up without finding what they want. In the blog post Why Hammers Sell Better Than Your Software, Bob Walsh concludes that the reason there are so many people walking away is that it is simply too hard to figure out how to use the program and they give up.

His suggestion to software companies is something that NCH has been striving for for years - make users immediately comfortable with your applications. Simplify things: provide quick start guides and tutorials or screenscasts to help get the user get through the first few minutes of uncertainty when they don't know what to do with the software they have just downloaded. We have long focused on the first three minutes of a user's experience when using our software, trying to remove as many road blocks as possible so that you can start using the program immediately. Our range of video tutorials and documentation resources helps those who prefer to see how it all works before they dive in. We are doing our best to make sure that when you download our software you will find that the shoe fits and you don't need to worry about breaking it in.

PhotoPad: Proving that Change Can be Good

PhotoPad Image and Photo Editor has a new look. It now uses tabs to sort the categories of features, effects, and filters to make more efficient use of the toolbar. Each time you click a new tab, the toolbar displays the options associated with that tab:



Remember when we first started seeing tabs in our Internet browser windows? At first we had to get over the impulse to keep numerous windows open and play the memory game with the task bar, but we recognized the convenience they provided us. Now we’re getting used to tabs atop some programs, such as Word and Excel, which Microsoft calls a ribbon. The initial change was stilting to those of us who had become experts at navigating the labyrinth of menus and options, but we’re starting to get used to this change too.

My point is, even though we resist it, without change we wouldn’t grow and develop.

When developing software, the rule of thumb is to stick with what people are comfortable with, or what they are used to seeing. That way, people won’t spend too much time looking around the interface before they can actually start using their new program. Another rule of thumb is to do what is best for your users. Sometimes these rules clash, and decisions have to be made. That’s what happened with PhotoPad.

PhotoPad is a product with lots of features, options, and cool buttons. Imagine all the possible photo manipulations there are, and then imagine designing a program that will organize all those features into the most user-friendly way possible. Then imagine that you are going to add features to the program over time, and need to plan for where those features might go. Enter tabs. They allow us to display many more options along the toolbar than one static toolbar would.

I know a lot of you are dubious. If you never got used to the Microsoft ribbon, and you really miss the menus. But believe me, everything that was in the menu is now on this tab, and the tabs require much less fine motor control over the mouse than using menus would. I happen to be a great fan of the new look.

Let us know what you think about the tabs, and look for them in more NCH Software products in the future. Let’s embrace change!

Software On-Demand

I recently finished reading The On-Demand Brand by Rick Mathieson, which takes a look at how our culture has become increasingly demanding, seeking instant gratification. From everything from fast food to television, we are no longer willing to wait for things. While Mathieson points to Burger King and their "have it your way" campaign in 1970's as a starting point for this trend, technology and the internet have only increased our need for having things the way we want them on our own schedule. Mathieson goes on to examine ten rules that marketers should know in this on-demand world, all relating to how companies need to shift their thinking to be in line with the expectations consumers have.

The software industry has seen this shift too. We've talked before about software buying trends and the percentage of people who buy their software in a retail store versus purchasing online. It used to be the only way to get software was to get the box with several floppy drives or CDs inside to install from, and it could be a rather time consuming process. Now, you can download and install software in fraction of the time. You don't really need to make plans in advance about your software needs; if you come across a need you can download a software solution on-demand.

NCH Software has adapted to this on-demand mentality quite well. We spend a lot of time trying to improve the usability of our programs so that a user can have the software up and running in three minutes or less, catering to this high-speed demand. Most of our products are under 1 MB in size, so the download time is negligible. We also have a wide range of products that are easily integrated, making it easier for customers to customize a software solution to meet their needs by picking and choosing only the exact products and features that they are looking for. All so you can "have it your way" with software on-demand.

See How In Action

We have been working on expanding the number of video tutorials on NCH Software products. Since our post back in March we have added several more video software tutorials plus the series on to help you with some the programs that you might want to make available to others over the Internet. Be sure to check out these video tutorials, and let us know if you are itching for a tutorial on one product in particular so we can try to move it up in the queue.

So now in addition to the BroadWave, Golden Records and WavePad tutorials we previously announced, you can also find video tutorials on VideoPad, BroadCam, Troubleshooting server-based software applications and Setting up Web Access in Express Invoice.

These videos are part of our continuing effort to help users get our software up and running as quickly as possible. We hope that these videos will answer some of the common questions about basic functions, especially for people with a visual learning style. Stay in the know and see all of our tutorials by subscribing to the NCH Software YouTube Channel.

Assistive Technology

Recently I stumbled across an article by Luke Hsieh, an assistive technology advocate, about building a low cost electronic magnifier with a webcam and Debut video capture software. This was not only a nice example of how versatile our video recording software is, but it got me thinking a bit about assistive technology, which doesn't always get its due.

A lot of technology is designed with a somewhat constrained image of the typical user, and as a result can sometimes be very difficult or even impossible for people with various disabilities to use. Assistive Technology, on the other hand, makes it easier for individuals with disabilities to access information technology, which is extremely important in the high tech world we live in.

I have heard from customers in the past complementing our software applications because they have found them to be very accessible. While I am thrilled that they have found our software accessible, I have to admit this is more the result of our efforts to make our products as intuitive and user-friendly across the board than anything else. It makes sense that software that it easy to use is also more accessible, and as a result, we hope everyone will find our software easy and accessible.

Some examples of how our software can be used as assistive technology include Verbose text-to-speech software to convert a document to an mp3 file to listen to latter, or as a screen reader; and as Hsieh pointed out you can use Debut video capture software to make a custom electronic magnifier, or when you're making your next YouTube video. We will continue striving to make all our software easy to use for everyone, and hope that everyone finds our software accessible along the way.

Helping or Hindering Users

I can't stand it when a software program like Word decides it knows what I want to do better than I do. In their efforts to be user-friendly they seem to actually gone past helping me do what I want to do, and have started making some incorrect guesses that make it harder for me to do what I wanted in the first place. While I applaud the effort to remove some of the tedious work of formatting out of the hands of the user so that they can focus on the content I find some of the formatting changes disrupting. While on the other hand automatically correcting obvious typos like changing 'teh' to 'the' for example actually was an absolutely marvelous idea.

Sometimes we as developers think we know best, but it is a question worth considering: Where do you draw that line between what you do for the user in the name of usability and what you leave for the user to do themselves?

At NCH Software we strive to make our software as user-friendly, and easy to setup as possible, so we need to think a lot about what the default settings for programs should be and make as many educated guesses as possible about what will work for the most users. Whenever there are options you will never be able to pick settings that will actually work for everyone but you want the defaults to work for as large a majority as possible, and make it easy for the few that need to change them to do so.

If there are too many question marks as to what will work best for the majority of people that is often when we introduce a setup wizard for programs like Axon PBX Software which allows us to ask questions to help us set default values for the user instead of straight out guessing how many phone lines the user will have on their phone system. By carefully choosing the questions we ask we can get all the answers we need to help the user get their customized system ready as quickly as possible without them needing to hunt down every option on their first run, even though all of those settings can easily be changed later.

It is a fine line to walk trying to help the user along the way but not get in their way of being able to configure options for themselves, but it is one we are doing are best to get better at in our ongoing effort to make our applications user-friendly.

Tell Us What You Think

AppleRepo recently posted a user review of our Free PitchPerfect Tuning Software, written by Oswaldo Suástegui. The article focused on PitchPerfect for the iPhone, but PitchPerfect is also available for Windows, Mac and Pocket PC mobile devices. Read Suástegui's complete PitchPerfect User Review to learn why he prefers PitchPerfect to some of the other guitar tuning applications he has tried.

We enjoy hearing about what our users think and how they use our products so much that I wanted to make it easier for you share your experiences. Today I gave our blog a little face lift and added the Contact Form so that you have an easier way to get in touch with us. Use the contact form to let us know what you think about NCH applications, to share your stories and experiences, to contact us about guest posting about software, suggest topics for us to post about, or about putting together a case study. We look forward to hearing from you!

Showcase and Share Your Memories, Photos, Video Clips and More

Vividly recreate and preserve your memories with a multimedia slideshow you’ll be proud to share with friends and family with PhotoStage slideshow creator software.

There’s no better tool than PhotoStage for showcasing your favorite photographs, images and video clips. PhotoStage brings your pictures, images and video to life and lets you share your favorite memories with family and friends in an interesting and portable way. Creating a slideshow from your digital photos has never been easier.

The Twitter Principle for Software

Not long ago I saw a tweet about our software that really hit on one of the standards we try to achieve with our software products. It was phrased in such a way that I really just loved and it has stuck with me:

@debreuil I'm still amazed WavePad is 500kb. The Twitter principle for software, if you can't say it in less than a meg...

Keeping our products small is very closely related to some of the usability issues we have talked about before, especially our goal to have customers actually using our software in three minutes or less. We strive for a fast download, simple program, and simple interface as much as possible. We want our software to be a quick, easy and intuitive solution, and the program’s file size plays a major part in reaching those goals.

We have set the bar high in this arena and there is always room for improvement. When preparing new releases of applications, programmers are warned if the file has grown by a significant amount, it's a flag that maybe a feature hasn't been streamlined as much as it could be. We are very cognizant that, in this internet age, people have been conditioned to expect results quickly, and by keeping the executable size of our programs we are catering to the user's desire to use a program as quickly as possible after downloading.

It is nice to see that someone has recognized some of this underling effort. With Twitter, it can sometimes be a challenge to condense what you want to say in the very limited space of 140 characters. You want to keep only the things that matter. We try to do that with our software too. We try to get to the heart of what people will want to do with the application and make sure we not only do that well but that it is as easy for the user to do it as possible. I think that focus is what makes the “Twitter principle for software” phrase fit us so well.

Florida Lawyer Reduces Paperwork and Cuts Administrative Costs with Express Dictate

If any job can claim to be buried in paperwork, it would certainly be the legal profession. Everything that is said related to any case must be documented, on the record, creating a constantly growing paper trail that can be hard to stay on top of. Just ask Richard Georges, a lawyer in St. Petersburg, Florida whose practice handles real property, corporate, wills, trusts and estates law.

“Dictating memos, correspondence, and mounds of paperwork is something that lawyers do all day, every day,” Georges said. He used to spend his days dictating into handheld machines, carrying tapes to his secretary, or using expensive systems that sent dictation over cords to a carousel tape machine on his assistant’s desk. But that wasn’t enough. He also wrote important case details down on paper and brought his scribbled notes to his assistant for transcription.

The paperwork was overwhelming, and he needed a solution that would enable him to devote enough time to strategize, research, to counsel his current clients, and to attract new ones.

Georges writes a column called Future Lawyer for the Tampa Bay Review. He served on the Florida Courts Technology Commission by appointment of the Florida Supreme Court, and is a past Chair of the Committee on Technology for the Florida Bar. He also served on technology-related Committees for the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Committee of the American Bar Association and the Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association. His knowledge, experience, and position afforded him the opportunity to do exhaustive research of every possible dictation solution.

He found Express Dictate digital dictation software was a perfect fit for his needs, allowing him to record and send dictation directly from his computer. The software also included a Palm OS version that allowed him to dictate from his cell phone when he was away from the office.

“Express Dictate is the most useful, easiest to use, productivity tool in my arsenal,” Georges said. “Just dictate, and email the result to your transcriptionist.” This new dictation process is far more accurate and less time consuming than the old tape machine system. “My assistant no longer has to listen to me read to her, which has made her very happy.”

To see how Express Dictate can revolutionize workflow in your legal practice or office, cut down on scribbled notes, and relieve your assistant from doubling as a transcriptionist, download a free 14-day trial today. For your transcriptionist, Express Dictate works seamlessly with the free transcription program Express Scribe.