Abstract: A telephone system provides personalized announcements to calling parties in support of branded products and services of the system and others during call processing to called parties. A processor coupled to the system includes a database of designated calling parties receiving personal announcements. Record means stored in the processor for each designated calling party define the parameters for each personalized announcement. Call processing means responsive to the processor initiate a call from the calling party to a called party according to the parameters for the calling party defined in the record means. In one form, audio means under control of the processor play the personalized announcement to the calling party during the pre-answer period of the call or until the call is abandoned or the line is busy.

Abstract: A method of completing an international call comprises the steps of receiving one of a request to change the status of an international service or a request to provide system status. For example, in an international redial service, a subscriber may request that a redial service to a dialed international number be terminated. Also, in an international redial service, at the conclusion of a redial period for the service, apparatus for completing the international call may call the subscribing calling party and offer to initiate a new redial period. Other features of the method for completing an international call include the capability to permit the subscriber to receive an indication of the international service status or to change service parameters from default values.

Abstract: A method of completing an international call comprises the steps of determining if the international call cannot be completed as dialed for one reason or another and then automatically attempting the call again. There are many reasons for an international call failure including called station busy, domestic or foreign network congestion and invalid dialed number format. The domestic toll network can receive unsuccessful call reason information from either the domestic or foreign network upon the event of an international call failure. It has been shown that if the reasons are, for example, station busy or network congestion, then there is a significant probability that, if the call is immediately reattempted, the call may be completed on the second try. On the other hand, if the reason is an invalid dialed number format, an automatic reattempt of the international called party is inhibited.

Abstract: A method for providing a called party with audio messages/prompts in a language selected by the caller or a language spoken in the called party's geographic location comprises the steps of determining the geographic location of the called party; selecting a language from a plurality of language selections by a calling party for delivery of audio prompts to the called party in response to the determined geographic location of the called party; and providing the called party with audio messages/prompts in a selected language. Alternatively, the called party may be provided with audio prompts/messages in a language selected by a calling party through a method comprising the steps of determining dialed digits that identify the called party; selecting a language from a plurality of languages for delivery of audio prompts in response to determined dialed digits; and providing the called party with audio prompts in a language selected by the calling party.

Abstract: A system for an international telephone redial service is provided for callers who attempt to complete telephone calls to parties via foreign telephone networks. If a call is not completed, the foreign network returns unsuccessful call reason information related to the cause of the call completion failure. Informative messages may be played to the caller to inform the caller of the nature of a given call failure. Unsuccessful call reason information may be organized in groups, so that each group of unsuccessful call reason information is associated with a different informative message. International redial service may be selectively based on unsuccessful call reason information. International redial service may be inhibited when the cause of a call completion failure is due to a semi-permanent condition, such as when a non-existent number is dialed.