In its current implementation, Dominus Systems' Paging Plus ™ package allows service order entry clerks, dispatchers and other Field Force users to send "pre-determined" and "free-text" pages from within the Field Force module. The pages can be alpha-numeric or numeric-only and are usually sent to technician s, although in the Manual Page function any pager and pin-no can be entered.

Currently up to 230 alpha-numeric characters of pre-determined fields comprise the page message contents if sent from Service Order Entry or Dispatch; or up to 230 alpha-numeric characters of "free-text" can be entered by the user using the Manual Page function. This provides enough information for the service technician to respond to the service call without having to call back the dispatch center, as the service order number, company, company address, contact, contact’s phone-number, problem codes etc. are sent as part of the pre-determined page message.

These outbound pages are formatted, and sent to an "outbound" directory, where the paging system interface software forwards the page to its central processing location via either a dial-up modem or leased-line. The page is then forwarded by RPA to the various technician s in the field through their particular paging service provider.

RPA can provide a Confirmation and Messaging Service (CAMS) on an "id-basis", and the Paging Plus ™ page-control file is configured to accommodate for both types of ID’s. Multiple ID’s can be used for a single customer to accommodate for both different services for each ID, or departmental billing by the Paging System. If the page requires confirmation by the technician , then the page reference number displayed on the pager is in parentheses.

The CAMS service provides access to a toll-free number to the technician s or pagers, and pre-determined or standard response codes in order for the technician to not only respond to a call, but update the status of the call without having to call the dispatcher.

The confirmed messages sent back from the Paging System are processed back into the appropriate Field Force service call: every 60 seconds the "inbound" Paging System responses are processed via a Progress batch job that runs as a background process under UNIX. This service greatly "speeds up" the service call response time and "frees" the dispatcher.

If the call is not confirmed in the allotted time or number of retries (as controlled by the Paging System and determined based on the operational needs of the customer), a "no-confirm" response is sent from the Paging System to the host system. Subsequent pages can then be triggered, as part of the escalation process or manually sent from the Service Order Entry or Dispatching functions.