How do I use my pc to dial phone calls instead of my regular home phone?

[LanceG]

  I work from home, I'm in direct sales.  I call leads all over the country all day.  I am using my home phone to manual dial 100+ numbers a day.  My neck is tired from holding the phone and I hate having to manually dial all those numbers.

I want to make calls from my computer using a headset w/speaker.
Is there an affordable program to load my leads into the computer ahead of time, have the computer dial the number and make calls using my headset instead of having to use my old home phone. 

I already have unlimited digital phone and internet service through my cable company
I want to make the pc make the call instead of the psysical phone?

[patio]

Here Ya Go...

However it may only be suited for a dial-up modem. But on the same page there are about 30 other free apps perhaps one is suited for a cable network connection....

[soybean]

Skype is a popular PC phone service; you may want to get the Business version, since it may serve your needs better.  Another option is Yahoo Voice, which works through Yahoo Messenger.  I use Yahoo Voice, but I'm inclined to say Skype may be a better choice for business use.

By way, regarding use of a regular phone, why in the world have you not purchased a speaker phone or a phone headset so that you don't have to hold a plain, ordinary handset to your ear all the time? 

[LanceG]

I did purchase a headset last night. It plugs into the laptop.  My brother told me that I had a program called phone dialer on my computer.  I cant get it to work, I thought I would take it into BestBuy, but first I would ask here. 

[soybean]

My brother told me that I had a program called phone dialer on my computer.

I gather this is what you're talking about: Phone Dialer overview

I cant get it to work

What happens?  This might help: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/841802

I'm not familiar with Phone Dialer.  I can not find it in my Win XP Pro SP2 system and, so far, I have not found a reference on how to add it to Windows.  Can you tell us how it got installed in your system?  And, where is it in your Programs menu?

[LanceG]

I had to dig for it on  windows xp

click the start button
from the start menu click run
in the dialog box type: dialer.exe and press enter
the application should open
I then added it to my communication menu

[soybean]

Well, I took a look at it; I tried to make a call but was not successful.  My impression, at this time, is that you'll find a service like Skype or Yahoo Voice, or something from the link patio posted, easier to use.  And, you wouldn't need to pay a fee to GeekSquad or whoever. 

[Deerpark]

As I understand it, in order to use Phone Dialer to call a phone you need a dialup voice modem. But I'll second Soybean's suggestion of using Skype or something similar.

[patio]

Correct.

[Deerpark]

To answer the question you asked somewhere else.

My question is cant my phone dialer program send out the call in the same analog signal as a reg phone can?  why is this so complicated?  NEED A SOLUTION.....

A program can't generate an analog or digital signal, hardware installed in the computer does that. More specifically a voice modem can generate the kind of analog signal you would need for your computer to call a phone directly. If you don't have one installed, you will either need to get one or find another solution.

[soybean]

A program can't generate an analog or digital signal, hardware installed in the computer does that. More specifically a voice modem can generate the kind of analog signal you would need for your computer to call a phone directly. If you don't have one installed, you will either need to get one or find another solution.

Deerpark, I believe that's not the case with services like Skype and Yahoo Messenger, and I believe that's confirmed by, for example, the system requirements shown here for Skype: http://www.skype.com/download/skype/windows/business/   The reason the hardware requirement you mentioned is not actually needed is that the Internet phone service converts the digital signal from your computer to analog; your computer does not need to do that with these services.  I can't say I'm 100% sure about this but I feel almost 100% sure about it.

[Deerpark]

A program can't generate an analog or digital signal, hardware installed in the computer does that. More specifically a voice modem can generate the kind of analog signal you would need for your computer to call a phone directly. If you don't have one installed, you will either need to get one or find another solution.

Deerpark, I believe that's not the case with services like Skype and Yahoo Messenger, and I believe that's confirmed by, for example, the system requirements shown here for Skype: http://www.skype.com/download/skype/windows/business/   The reason the hardware requirement you mentioned is not actually needed is that the Internet phone service converts the digital signal from your computer to analog; your computer does not need to do that with these services.  I can't say I'm 100% sure about this but I feel almost 100% sure about it.

You're absolutely correct. Skype and other VOIP services is something else entirely. Those services have the hardware necessary to convert the signal to analog when needed. I was talking about what LanceG would need to call another phone, using only his computer and his phone line without paying someone to convert the signal for him.

[soybean]

I got ya.  Thanks.   

[LanceG]

So the solution would be to purchase a voice modem.  I thought my laptop already has one?
Take a look at this article from your link:  I can purchase one, but where do I connect it to?
My phone is connected to the cable and my laptop is connected via ethernet cable.  Do I connect the voice modem into the cable box as well??  I cant plug it into the phone jack, I would have to get my service with Verizon turned back on, no?

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Windows comes with a Phone Dialer. This utility will dial a number with any type of modem; after Phone Dialer dials a number, you use any normal phone (connected to the 'Phone' jack of the modem) to complete a voice call.

Third-party software can be used with a voice modem to enhance functionality. One such package: ModemSpy can record phone calls to wav files.

All modems are also capable of supporting voice functions provided by 'Internet Telephony' - the modem is connected to your ISP in data mode, and software on your system sends and receives voice-encoded data to a compatible telephony server to complete a call. (Many of these services used to be free.) Some providers include: PhoneFree, Dialpad, IConnectHere, Net2Phone, and Skype.

A modem that includes speakerphone capability will have additional audio components on the modem to provide an interface for a microphone and speaker or headset. This allows the modem to dial or answer and provide high-quality full-duplex voice functionality.

Full duplex means you can talk and hear at the same time. Many 'voice' modems when used on voice calls will provide only half-duplex functionality: at any instant, you can either be talking or listening. The quality of the audio produced using a voice modem is often a problem.

Voice modem chipset makers include in the driver or firmware code to interface to the wave device, but do not develop the software that provides voice functionality. The modem makers generally bundle  "compatible" third-party voice modem software. Some voice modem software offerings: Ring Central, BVRP, and Messaging Software. Microsoft Windows provides TAPI (a telephony application program interface) and a Unimodem service provider (driver). The Microsoft-provided Unimodem driver uses your modem driver (.inf file) to support TAPI-compliant applications and your modem.
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[Deerpark]

Yeah many laptops still comes with modems.
If your laptop already got one you will need to connect it to a phone jack in the cable box just as you would a phone.