Internet Call Manager is InfoInterActive’s special patented telephone service which provides Internet users with computer-screen notification of incoming telephone calls – including the caller’s name and number – even while the phone line is tied up during Internet usage. The customer then has a number of options to handle the call with the click of a computer mouse.

The InfoInterActive service solves the common problem of families and small businesses missing important phone calls and faxes during Internet use and is a fraction of the cost of acquiring and leasing a second phone line just for Net use.

The latest version of ICM, Internet Call Manager for Business, also allows small businesses and home offices to monitor incoming calls on a number of lines, including those not related to their Internet connection. A "Remote Control" feature also allows business people to monitor incoming calls to their office from home, a subsidiary office, or while they are travelling – and vice-versa.

Internet Call Manager High-Speed is a version of ICM that can be used with all of the latest high-speed Internet services.

When a customer receives an incoming phone call during Internet use, a message instantly appears on the customer’s computer screen, identifying the caller by name and phone number. With the click of a computer mouse, the customer then has the option* to:

• Answer the call by logging off the Internet while holding the incoming call.
• Acknowledge the call by sending a special voice message to the caller, indicating the customer is on the Internet and will return the call later.
• Ignore the call, sending it to voice mail or a busy signal.
• Transfer the call to a different number, such as a cellphone or another phone line (for instance, a nearby fax/phone).

Internet Call Manager also provides customers with a permanent log of incoming calls, including the caller’s name and number and the time of the call.

Internet Call Manager does not require any custom calling features such as Call Waiting or Caller I.D., nor any special phone or computer equipment. When a customer is not on the Internet, the phone system operates exactly as normal.

The InfoInterActive service works with virtually all Internet Service Providers and web-browser software. The service is extremely simple to acquire and use, activating automatically to monitor incoming calls as soon as a customer logs on to the Internet.

Internet Call Manager is a special Internet adaptation of conventional telephone services such as Call Waiting, most of which have little or no functional value during Internet use. (For instance, the beeps on the line indicating Call Waiting and Voice Mail messages cannot be heard during Net use. )

The vast majority of North American telephone customers (approx. 83%) have single-line phone service and a low tolerance for missed calls. Consumers currently spend an estimated $2 billion a year on the conventional Call Waiting phone feature alone.

Cincinnati Bell Telephone, a lead distributor of the InfoInterActive service in the U.S., estimates that without Internet Call Manager, households with regular Internet users miss an average of 80% of incoming telephone calls.