There are times when trials settle or change while the office is closed, such as over the weekend. When this happens the selected jurors must be informed of their reporting instruction changes. Instead of assigning a pre-recorded "Scheduled To Appear" message and returning to the courthouse to re-assign a different pre-recorded message, you can create and assign a similar Ad hoc message and use your home phone to record over it with new reporting instructions.

For example, suppose you anticipate that a specific trial might settle over the weekend. You begin by creating and recording an Ad hoc Inbound Reporting Instruction message very similar to the pre-recorded "Scheduled To Appear" message. You might include instructions for the juror to call back again Sunday evening. You then assign this message to just the selected group of jurors for that trial. If you do receive word during the weekend that the trial settled (or was re-scheduled, etc.), you can call into AJIS using the Remote Administration phone line and re-record over the same assigned Ad hoc message with new juror instructions. Then, when the jurors call back as directed, they receive their new instructions.

(Note: To use Ad hoc messages you need a touch-tone phone, the Remote Administration phone number and your Remote Administration Password. For more detailed instructions on using either of these features, see the AJIS Users Guide, Section 7, Ad hoc Messages and Section 8, Remote Administration.)

We suggest that you note the number of the Ad hoc message you have assigned to the selected jurors before you leave the office for the evening and listen to (or "review") the message from home before you record over it to be sure that you have the correct one. (Refer to the Remote Administration Call Flow in Section 8, Remote Administration)

When you return to the jury office on Monday, remember that the typed text for that Ad hoc message will still be the "Scheduled To Appear" text. You should delete, or correct the text for that Ad hoc message so that all jury office members (even those in other divisions) know what the recorded message really says.

Web Users

The specific illustration above will not work in quite the same way for AJIS Web users since they will only see the original typed text. For this application, you might type a slightly different message into the Ad hoc message text box. For example, you might tell the jurors that because their reporting instructions may change, they must CALL into AJIS using a touch-tone phone on Sunday evening to receive any updated instructions.

Once you are comfortable with these features and understand the concept of Ad hoc messages and the Remote Administration feature, you can be even more creative. Use AJIS however it best fits your needs.