auto attendant menu configuration suggestions for notification to on-call doctor

[telephonesteve]

IPO v10 with VM Pro on UC Module

I have a doctors office as a client.
They have 5 doctors who take turns being on call and sometimes they have another off-site doctors office cover for them.
To reach the on-call doctor is only an auto attendant option after hours.
There is only 1 doctor on-call at a time and each doctor has his own mobile phone to receive the mailbox notifications on.
They would like the messages left in each doctor's own emergency mailbox and then notify that doctor that there is a message in his mailbox.
They make changes on the fly so it needs to be flexible and changeable remotely in case they want to change doctors mid-weekend which they do.

What do you think is the best way to do this?

I was thinking different auto attendants that all had the same exact message but the option for the on-call doctor for each one would route to a different doctor's mailbox but this seemed to be getting kind of overly complicated.
Another idea I had was 1 auto attendant and the option for the on-call doctor would transfer to a phone and then on that phone they could set the forward to the different doctor's extensions but then I wasn't sure about changing the forwarding on that phone remotely.

To set up the notification on each of the doctor's extension is basic I guess what I looking for is 1 auto attendant message the has an option to call the on-call doctor and it goes to the appropriate doctor's mailbox without the patient having to do anything other then pressing the one button and then leaving a message and of course simple for the customer to change.

It seems like it should be simpler and maybe I'm not thinking of something that's why I have to ask.

Thanks

 

[TouchToneTommy]

Do it all in VM Pro

A User Variable to hold the value of which doctor is on call at the moment. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6)

A menu to test the current value of the variable, announce which doctor is currently on call, and then asks you to press 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 to select the new doctor to put on call, and another announcement to confirm the selection

A variable routing from the automated attendant selector code, that checks the value of the variable, and transfers the caller to the correct mailbox.

 

[Nortel4Ever]

Another idea I had was 1 auto attendant and the option for the on-call doctor would transfer to a phone and then on that phone they could set the forward to the different doctor's extensions but then I wasn't sure about changing the forwarding on that phone remotely." This is the option I would choose because it is the easiest for the patient (customer) to use and that's what is most important.

Whatever option you go with there will be some intervention required by someone at the office to change the on-call number, I don't think you can make it any easier, and yes remote access is an issue but there is no easier way around it.

I suppose if the Doctors were always on call in the same 5 week rotation you could set up a time profile that would work with the incoming call route to send the call to the appropriate destination automatically, but again someone has to administer this and it would be more difficult to change.

 

[IPGuru]

nortel4ever
the potential problem with your solution is that calls would fallback to the same VM, not the VM of the on call doctor.

Personally I would not have the callers go to VM anyway I would have them transferred to the on call mobile & let the mobile VM handle things, unless you are going to use escalated ou calling on the mailbox so that other doctors get called if the on call doctor does not answer.




Do things on the cheap & it will cost you dear

 

[pmcook]

I suppose a kludgy way would be to let the doctors decide. Send the VM by email to an account they all receive and the designated doctor replies. It should work because in the offices I support the patients tend to not treat every little hiccup as a 911. The old fashioned way would be just to have a forwarding service. Costs about 90 bucks a month.