TalkWorks Pro 2.0
By Symantec
Requires multimedia Pentium PC/Windows 95/98
$170, 800-441-7234, www.symantec.com/talkworks
Far too many people purchase high-powered multimedia PCs bristling with sound features, telephone connections and such only to find that the promise to deliver telephone answering and fax capabilities is a hollow one because the software is too complex and there are no written instructions in the box.
Designed for small-business use but also a splendid package for a busy household, TalkWorks Pro 2.0 not only comes with excellent manuals, it also includes marvelous set-up wizard modules that hold your hand as you set up your computer to handle up to five voice mail boxes for family members or employees.
There are a bewildering number of features in the software. They include setting up a fax-back service, changing outgoing messages for daytime and nighttime callers and automatically calling a pager number if the home machine receives faxes or phone calls.
Symantec’s heavily used WinFax Pro 9.0 also is included in the TalkPro package.
In tests for this review, the set-up process was delightfully smooth.
Although it is impossible for a solitary reviewer to fully evaluate how it might work for each and every business need, TalkPro is far more than adequate for home needs.
