Company Overview
STOK.COM is registered as a New York Corporation under the name Stok Software, Inc. and has been founded in June of 1982.STOK has built a reputation with system software for Personal Computers that you might have had on your PC if you purchased one in the early 1980's.
Our software has been part of Concurrent PC-DOS when IBM first introduced the PC in the 80's. We have since then specialized in telephony software and we provide voice mail and phone systems for home based and small businesses with low-cost solutions.
We pioneered the use of voice mail for personal computers and designed software tools that were used by many other developers for their voice applications.
Having later formed relationships with major phone service providers, we were able to offer many Residential and Business Phone Service solutions.
Most recently we acquired the distributorship for the new VoicePro imported from TCL. This is a full-featured automated attendant, with voice mail and a multi-line PBX.
"Our philosophy is that we will continue to EARN your business each and every day," says Glenn Stok, President of Stok Software, Inc.
History of Stok Software
Stok Software, Inc. has had a unique start in the early 1980's by having shared in the development of software for home computers when the IBM PC was first announced. They have developed the hard disk backup procedure that has become part of Concurrent PC-DOS.As pioneers in the Voice Mail programming field, Stok had written the original Speech Editor, called VBASE/40, sold by Dialogic Corporation (now owned by Intel) under licensing agreements with Stok.
Stok's specially developed file structure for handling multi-prompt speech files, and the VBASE (VAP) format, has become an industry standard format. Companies such as Dialogic, Intel, Expert Systems, Compass Technology, Pika Technologies, Bitworks, Bicom, Cascade Technologies, and Voice Information Systems had chosen to use Stok's file structure for Voice and Prompt files in their own software products.
Developing Voice Mail Software in the 1980's has led Stok Software to continue their focus on offering many creative Telephone Communications solutions for small and large businesses, as well as individuals. Stok's partnerships with providers, along with their own programming expertise and problem solving skills, have combined their energies to provide cost effective telecommunications and value-added services.
Here is a history of Stok Software's product launches and distribution channels...
1981 ~ STOK PILOT ~ First Software Product
Stok Software's first product was STOK PILOT, a screen based menu system for the control of PC resident programs. Morrow Design, an early pioneer of personal computers, included STOK PILOT on thousands of their machines under the name MORROW PILOT.
1983 ~ BackRest ~ File Backup Program
Meanwhile, other software development was in the works.
In 1983, BackRest was released to protect critical data on the
growing number of home and business computers.
1984 ~ Audio Date ~ First Talking Classifieds
In 1984 STOK PILOT was released with a speech instruction set for speech recording and playback, allowing the first PC based voice mail systems to be written using store and forward of digitized speech files.To put this new technology to use, Stok began the first telephone dating service, called Audio Date. Audio Date was operated in New York City in 1985 and 1986. It allowed people to place recorded personal ads, browse and listen to other ads, and leave private messages for one another with voice mail. It was before the days of "pay-per-call" such as 900 and 976.
1985 ~ WFAS Radio Interview
Glenn Stok, president of Stok Software, was interviewed on WFAS radio in New York in October 1985 by news reporter Kathy Karpin for an on-the-air report of "Audio Date" as a new and exciting technology: the first talking classifieds!1984 ~ Stok Software's BackRest Software Is Included In Concurrent PC-DOS
Stok Software's involvement with early IBM PC's has its roots starting in 1980.
That was when representatives of IBM visited Gary Kildall, president of Digital Research,
with the interest in acquiring his operating system known as CP/M.
IBM needed an operating system for their Personal Computer that was completing development, the well-known IBM PC.
Talks between Gary Kildall and IBM failed to materialize a contract and IBM went to Bill Gates. Mr. Gates had originally sent IBM to Mr. Kildall because he was too busy, at the time, working on a new version of the programming language BASIC. But he later accepted the assignment when IBM came back after failure to work out a deal with Mr. Kildall.
With hopes of re-capturing the Operating System market lost to Microsoft,
Digital Research asked Stok Software to help develop Concurrent PC-DOS in 1984.
Concurrent PC-DOS was a PC operating system that allowed running four programs in four windows simultaneously.
Digital Research signed a contract with Stok Software for the development of the "Program Manager" routines in Concurrent PC-DOS.
They also licensed BackRest from Stok Software, which Stok originally wrote in 1983. BackRest quickly became the vital hard disk backup and recovery program in Concurrent PC-DOS used on millions of computers.
Microsoft's MS-DOS, and eventually Windows, became the industry chosen Operating Systems. Life would have been different for Stok Software if Gary Kildall had accepted IBM's offer.
Novell ultimately purchased Digital Research.
1984 ~ Sony Sells Computer With Stok's BackRest Software Included
Also in 1984, Sony Corporation chose BackRest to protect their SMC-70 computer's hard drive.1985 ~ Stok's Speech Editor Becomes Industry Standard
By 1985, Stok released VBASE/40,
the first speech editor on the market. Their proprietary VBASE/40 file format quickly became
a worldwide industry standard due to the need for a speech file indexing structure.
It has been used and/or distributed by voice application manufacturers
such as Dialogic Corporation, Expert Systems, Compass Technology, Pika
Technologies, Bitworks, Bicom, Cascade Technologies, and Voice Information
Systems. Stok Software Inc. was, essentially, the software behind the voice!
1985 ~ Voice Mail and Application Toolkits
In 1985, Stok Software began marketing two major voice systems...- COMET ~
a full-featured PC based voice mail, auto attendant, and audiotex software
package. COMET has grown to include complete support for the
profitable Telephone Answering Service (TAS) Business with many unique and
necessary features. Stok Software knew what was needed since they used
their own software to run a Telephone Answering Service, known as Private Line, in New York City.
- Contact Caller ~ a Programming toolkit for the development of Interactive Voice Response (IVR) applications with a built in script based language. It included a ready-to-use Autodialer for Telemarketing and other Message Delivery applications.
1993 ~ Stok Runs Voice Mail Service In NYC
Using their own software, Stok began offering an Automated Voice Mail Service in New York City with custom Automated Attendant features.1998 ~ Virtual Services Offered
Stok began offering Voice Mail and Automated Attendant services nationwide, by partnering with vendors who provide great service and customer support.2000 ~ Y2K Compatibility
Y2K upgrades were made available in advance for all effected software. Stok Software's customers got through the millennium with no problems at all. Old software was written with Y2K in mind so those who did not upgrade were safe.2002 ~ All In One Voice Mail/Phone System
In an effort to make it easier and more cost effective for small business owners to have the same features of a full voice mail automated attendant, without the expense of a computer and voice hardware, Stok included the VoicePro in their product line.The VoicePro is a complete Self-Contained Voice Mail, Automated Attendant and PBX phone switch, supporting up to four incoming lines and 12 extensions. Stok wrote their own version of the installation manual to better support their customers.
2005 ~ Installation and Programming Manuals Published
 
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In 2005 we began publishing paperback bound printed manuals for all our products.
The COMET Installation and Programming Manual remains a useful resource for any user of Intel/Dialogic based applications. The manual for the VoicePro has been completely re-written. It includes easy-to-follow instructions, which walk you through the setup process with detailed programming examples of various auto attendant scenarios. The Manuals for Contact Caller and VBASE/40 Speech Prompt Editor are no longer available since these old DOS based software applications have been discontinued. |
 
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January 2009 ~ Enhanced Virtual PBX
Addressing the need for a better Virtual PBX, we have now partnered with iTeleCenter to offer their Virtual PBX, as a complete hosted phone system solution with a toll-free number you chose and unlimited calling.October 2010 ~ Purchase of VoicePro Distributorship
Stok Software purchased the distributorship of the new VoicePro phone systems manufactured by TCL Communication Int'l Ltd. We can now offer direct support and maintenance of older VoicePro units as well as provide the newer and more reliable VoicePro units manufactured by TCL.January 2011 ~ Flat Fee Repair of damaged VoicePro units
Now that we are the importer of the new VoicePro phone systems, we have the ability to repair older units that were damaged by any means. Lightning, misuse, lost parts, etc. We have introduced a flat fee repair plan to take the guesswork out of getting an old VoicePro working like new.March 2011 ~ Online VoicePro Support Group
The VoicePro is becoming our most sought-after product and we want our customers to be heard. So we designed the Online VoicePro Support Group for members of the VoicePro user community to share their knowledge and experience with one another. This is where questions can be asked for a quick response, from us as well as from other customers who wish to share.April 2013 ~ Updated VoicePro User Manual
We just released an updated Installation and Programming Manual for the VoicePro. Various changes have been made based on user feedback to provide an enhanced user experience.Many customers have requested duplicate copies so they can provide manuals to their personnel. So now the VoicePro manual is available on Amazon with overnight shipping.
