Program Module(s) Affected

Chapter Links

Description of the Enhancement

MKMS STARK

Contact

New Contact Icons on the Subscribers Form (and the Prospects Form) now display the Contact dialog from while the User may Phone, Page, Text, and/or send an Email to that location.

Accounts Receivable

Verify Address

This new Verify Address option will execute an Address Validation process - that will be performed by the United States Postal Service ("USPS") - for the currently selected Subscriber.

Central Station Monitoring

Get Agencies

The new Get Agencies option can automatically assign Police, Medical, and Fire Agencies based on the Subscriber's Address by creating (when needed) a Town Code record which is then added to the Central Station Data section of the Subscriber record

▪Your Company must Subscribe to this service (go to https://developer.precisely.com/pricing

▪Available plans and pricing will be provided at this site, and this is where your Company may also subscribe to the service.

Central Station Monitoring

MKS Connect Service

The Communications Module and its associated Windows Service has been discontinued.

MKS now also uses the MKS Connect Service for the services previously supported by the Communications Module, and now offers

1.ASP - Automatic Signal Processing executed using an Automatic Action.

▪Activated using the ASPWorkerEnabled Company Setting

▪Executes the aspProcessAlarm stored procedure to process the signals

▪Signals Not Processed expiration time in Company Setting is ASPExpireMinutes

2.LLP - Interactive Low Level Signal handling using People To Call Contacts (communication using SMS and/or IVR).

▪Uses a Predefined Messages for Interactive SMS

▪Uses a IVR for Interactive Voice Messages and uses Predefined Messages for what is "said"

▪Requires that the People To Call phone numbers are subscribed to SMS or Voice Services

3.AAP - Automatic Action Processing (Smooth Operator) which includes the selection of different Contact List Types for certain actions that support sending notification to contact list members.

▪See the Automated Signal Capabilities discussion in the Understanding the MKS Connect Service chapter for additional information.

Central Station Monitoring

IVR/SMS Overview

IVR Setup

IVR/SMS Phone Account

Support for IVR and SMS capabilities are implemented using the Twilio Cloud Service [NYSE: TWLO] (www.twilio.com) which provides those cloud based messaging and telephony services through the use of their Application Programming Interface ("API").

▪The supported features in Micro Key software using that API include:

a.Ability to send Voice Messages to any phone number from any of the MKS apps.

b.Ability to make a Voice Call, read a Message, and present a custom IVR to that called person to allow them to interact with MKS software.

c.Ability to send SMS Messages to any phone number from any of the MKS apps.

d.Ability to handle incoming Low-Level Alarm Signals via interactive SMS Messaging ("LLP-SMS").

e.Ability to handle incoming Low-Level Alarm Signals via interactive IVR ("LLP-Voice").

f.Ability to handle incoming Alarm Signals during Emergency Mode using interactive SMS Messaging ("HLP-SMS").

g.Ability to handle incoming Alarm Signals during Emergency Mode using IVR ("HLP-Voice").

h.Ability to receive voice calls and provide custom IVR to Dealers and Subscribers, and their associated Contacts.

i.Ability to create and customize IVR menus.

j.Ability to create and customize SMS Predefined Messages.

k.Allow CS Operators to send Voice Messages to Contacts while processing a signal.

l.Allow CS Operators to send SMS Messages to Contacts while processing a signal.

m.Provide an IVR for Technicians in the field to enable them to Place Accounts on Test.

Central Station Monitoring

Third Party Services

The Third Party Services Form is where Services (e.g., Alarm Notification, Registered Subscriber and the associated Webhooks, Registered Subscribers and Registered Users, etc.) may be defined for a Third Party Service Provider ("Provider") which provides the solutions to what had previously been intractable problems

▪Third Party Services allows a Central Station using Micro Key software (MKMSCS) to provide Third Party Service Providers (External Companies) the ability to access specific Subscriber’s accounts and to receive real time notification of incoming alarms that affect their Registered Subscribers.

a.These Third-Party Service Providers will be able to use the MKMSCS API to get information in and out of the MKS System but only for the accounts registered to their Third-Party Services.

b.The Millennium software will allow the configuration of multiple Third-Party Services and the registration of subscribers’ accounts with these services

c.For each Third-Party Service the definition of a Webhook can be added where your Company can identify the URL that points to the external company API for the system to automatically send alarm notification to their system in real time.

▪Third-Party Users using this API will have access to the following: 

a.Get the list of Subscriptions to a Third-Party Service

b.Get individual Subscriber Account Information  

c.Get specific Alarm Information  

d.Get Alarm History Detail Information for a specific alarm

e.Insert additional Alarm History Details 

f.Update Alarm Status (Complete Alarms) 

▪Real Time Automatic Notifications to Webhooks:

a.Send Alarm notification in real time to the Third-Party Service Webhook

b.Send New Subscription notifications to the Webhook

c.Choose whether all alarm signal types (Alarm Condition Codes) will be sent to the remote third-party system, or that only specific alarm signal types will be sent.

Central Station Monitoring

Smooth Operator

The new Smooth Operator Form is used to define (identify and configure) certain procedures that will provide an Automatic Action (predefined alarm signal processing functionality) while the Central Station software is Processing Signals within MKMSCS.  

▪See the following chapters for more information

a)Automated Signal Processing - Enhanced chapter for the latest information

b)MKS Connect Service and Automatic Signal Processing information for a description of its capabilities and how predefined alarm signal processing functionality is setup.

c)IVR & SMS Overview and its subordinate chapters for implementing Low Level Processing using Twilio  (www.twilio.com) to provide cloud based SMS and IVR (Voice) communication services

Central Station Monitoring

Schedules

The new Schedules Form will display all of the existing (previously created) Schedules and provide for the creation of new ones

▪Once entered, these Schedules are available in Schedules For dialog accessible from within the Contact List tab (see immediately below) on the Subscriber Panels section of the Monitoring tab in the Edit View of the Subscriber Form

▪The Contact Lists tab is used to create an Account (CSID) specific Contact List with designated List Members

▪The List Members of a Contact List are individually chosen from existing Contacts (selected from that Account's Contacts (People To Call), Alternate Contact List, and/or Dealer Contact List)

Central Station Monitoring

Contact Lists

The new Contact Lists tab and its three sections provides an interface:

1.To list all Available Contacts accessed from that CSIDs Contacts (People To Call), Alternate Contact List, and/or Dealer Contact List  

2.To design specific Contact Lists for specific Purposes, and

3.To assign a specific Schedule for specific Days and Times, and Alarm Events, and

4.To assign a Schedule to a designated Contact List, and/or to an individual Contact (e.g.,Contacts (People To Call), Alternate Contact List, and/or Dealer Contact List member) and/or to List Members

❖See Contacts (People To Call) and Call Order below for related information

❖See the Before Dispatch and/or After Dispatch below for that special new feature

Central Station Monitoring

Contacts (People To Call)

Call Order

The revised Contacts (People To Call) tab still contains the names, telephone numbers, and other important information for the People To Call

▪Plus, it now includes a Call Order tab which replaces the stand--alone Call Order tab allows for the Re-Setting the Call Order of the existing Contacts (People To Call)

Central Station Monitoring

Before Dispatch and/or After Dispatch

Dispatch

There are new instructions for processing an Alarm Event that has the new Before Dispatch and/or After Dispatch Contact List

▪Before & After Dispatch Contact Lists are created in the Contact Lists tab:  

a.When Processing Alarm Signal - as the software is preparing to enter the Dispatch phase, the system now checks if there is a “Before Dispatch” Contact List created for this Account (CSID).

b.Assuming there is a Contact List entry which is active and not expired:

1)If the Contact List entry's Alarm Condition, CSID Zone Signal Identifier and Physical Zone fields are all empty, then the “Before Dispatch” Call List is always presented before proceeding to the actual Dispatch phase,

2)If there are specified conditions (Alarm Condition, and/or Signal Identifier, and/or Physical Zone) assigned to the Contact List entry, then the Alarm Signal must have those same conditions before the list is presented

3)If the specified conditions do not match the "Before Dispatch" Contact List entry, the software proceeds directly to the normal Dispatch sequence described below.  

c.Any “After Dispatch” Contact List entries adhere to the same rule but are presented after the Alarm Signal has been Dispatched.  

d.There is no default "fall back to" for Before Dispatch and After Dispatch Contact List entries

1)When there is no matching Before Dispatch and After Dispatch Contact List entry, the software moves on the next logical step in the Operator Guided Response, or Action Plan.

2)Call Lists will be displayed in the same format and same locations as they always have and will be as expected when presented to the Operator.  

3)The only exception is for the Before Dispatch and After Dispatch Contact Lists.