We all wish we had someone to answer the phone when we are not there.

The next best thing is getting your PC to handle your calls, faxes and email.

Communicate Pro v.5 software offers most of the benefits of a full-time telephonist without the expense of wages.

The real benefit of the package is the way it can be configured to suit the individual user.

Greetings can be personalised and voice messages can be re-routed from a land line to a mobile.

Faxes can be forwarded to hotels, remote business locations or alternative email addresses.

Messages of all kinds can be checked remotely and new messages can be set to trigger an automatic alert on the short messaging service (SMS) of your mobile phone or pager.

In the office, you can enhance your phone system with a call-screening configuration, phone conversations can be recorded and computerised speakerphone systems set up.

Faxes can be sent with any Windows application while you are away from your desk.

The most exciting part of the software for me was the text-to-speech function that let me hear my email read by the computer.

A real time-saver and completely hands-free.

The software is relatively easy to use but a little too complex for an absolute beginner.

The average systems manager should not experience any problems and have everything set up, including the greetings messages, within a couple of hours.

This is a cost-effective way of managing your communications which offers a reasonable selection of user-definable options.

More than enough for me.

Price: £39.99.

www.amazon.co.uk
Feel good factor:

7 out of 10.