BCM400 running OS 4.0.2.03a - redirect / forward calls externally for main phone number? 2

[nibblesoft]

Hope all reading this are well.

In the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, I am exploring options to redirect all calls made to our main telephone number (received through 2 x ISDN lines (4 channels)) to an external number outside the firm. What would be absolutely ideal is if this could happen after a certain number of rings on the BCM400 system if no-one locally answered. At present there is a single member of staff onsite manning the calls (who physically lives next door), but in the event they become sick I want to be able to redirect calls for the main number back out to an external number. If it can be set to do this after a certain number of rings, I could put that in place in readiness, should my colleague not be present for any reason (whilst allowing them to continue manning the phones if they are present).

To add, I don't want to do a redirect of the whole line and all DDIs, as a DDI serves my boss' domestic setup in the house next door to our office. I don't want this neighbouring household to lose access to the phone services they have through the BCM400.

Any thoughts, even if it's to tell me this cannot be done, would be useful to me. If it is possible, some guidance on where to go in the Element Manager would be awesome.

Many thanks all

 

[curlycord]

running OS 4.0.2.03a"
You can refer to your BCM400 as Release 4.0

Since you have a BCM you should be utilizing the greatest gift at this time of need, IP sets!
You can copy reception programming to the IP set.

Othewise:
Under Set/Capabilities programming you must enable "Allow Redirect"

Under Forward No Answer, just enter the outside dest code plus the external number.

Or just forward the receptions set:
F4 Y XXX-XXX-XXXX (Feature 4, Destination Code, External Number)


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[nibblesoft]

Many thanks for taking the time to reply, and sorry my response has been a couple of days. Please see my responses below, and thanks in advance for any further advice

"running OS 4.0.2.03a"
You can refer to your BCM400 as Release 4.0
Noted - I included the full build number in case it was relevant to features available (whereas I'm guessing it just indicates bug and security fixes, and not capability enhancements)

Since you have a BCM you should be utilizing the greatest gift at this time of need, IP sets!
You can copy reception programming to the IP set.
So do you mean to use either IP phone set hardware compatible with the BCM400 or the BCM400 softphone software? If using the softphone over a VPN connection, how would this perform? Also, don't I need licenses to utilise IP softphones? (which I don't think I have at present)

Othewise:
Under Set/Capabilities programming you must enable "Allow Redirect"
So this I'm familiar with, and as far as I can see all active handsets are allowing the possibility of redirect

Under Forward No Answer, just enter the outside dest code plus the external number.
Again, this bit I'm familiar with. My boss has a separate business and the member of staff that manages that business always works remotely, so there is a permenant redirect for the DDI for their phone in the office. However, if this were just me wanting to redirect a DDI I wouldn't be asking the question - so how would I implement this for the main number that isn't directly atributed to any one handset? Can you apply a redirect on no answer to a group of phones that normally ring when the main office number is called? (is this perhaps what's referred to as a 'hunt' group? Forgive me if I have this totally wrong)

Or just forward the receptions set:
F4 Y XXX-XXX-XXXX (Feature 4, Destination Code, External Number)
So you see, we don't have a 'reception set' as such (or perhaps we do and I'm just being a novice!) - most of the phones at the firm ring if the main number is called (some staff prefer not to be disturbed, so they are excluded from this). Whoever picks up first takes the call. Is there anyway this 'group' can be set to still all ring, and if not picked up after a certain number of rings redirect? Or do I need to allocate the main telephone number to a single handset (is this possible, or only with DDIs?) and then apply redirection? Also, I saw the suggestion you've made above when googling, but doesn't this need to be physically done from the handset, and again will only apply for associated DDI on the handset? (I cannot readily go onsite at present due to social distancing, and I add it will be beyond a problem if I have to talk my boss through programming anything into the phone handset!)

Many thanks

 

[nibblesoft]

Further to my last post, I have finally found something that I think might do it. In the Element Manager, I've gone to:

Configuration -> Lines -> [main line for phone number] -> Preferences (tab) -> 'Redirect to:'

If I put the number in here, I'm guessing it will redirect back out to an external number I set? I however cannot see anywhere I can set number of rings before it does this.....

I'll give it a go now to see if it works, but look forward to your thoughts! Cheers

 

[nibblesoft]

To confirm, the redirect worked a charm. It looks like it is only redirecting calls made to the main public phone number (as I want it to), and the public phone number for the domestic setup for the house next door is registered on a separate line in the Element Manager with it's own specified DDI (I cannot test this yet, as it's the middle of the night here, but I think it will work regardless of what I do with our main phone number).

So it looks like the only thing that remains I can't work out is a way to allow the main number to ring a number of times before it does the redirection. There just doesn't seem the option to set this here. Any thoughts, or not possible?

Many thanks

 

[curlycord]

Under Forward No Answer, just enter the outside dest code plus the external number."

"Under Forward No Answer, just enter the outside dest code plus the external number.
Again, this bit I'm familiar with. My boss has a separate business and the member of staff that manages that business always works remotely, so there is a permenant redirect for the DDI for their phone in the office. However, if this were just me wanting to redirect a DDI I wouldn't be asking the question - so how would I implement this for the main number that isn't directly atributed to any one handset? Can you apply a redirect on no answer to a group of phones that normally ring when the main office number is called? (is this perhaps what's referred to as a 'hunt' group? Forgive me if I have this totally wrong)"

"I can't work out is a way to allow the main number to ring a number of times before it does the redirection. There just doesn't seem the option to set this here. Any thoughts, or not possible?"

I have already told you how and you said you are familiar with it, so do it!
Pick a set that has the main line ring at it and program as said.
Suggest you pick a set that does not have somebodies mailbox behind it such as a courtesy, kitchen, mail room, etc.





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[nibblesoft]

Hey Curlycord.

I know how to set it so it rings a few times before redirect for a given handset / DN that has an allocated DDI number attributed to it (perhaps this has been lost in my above posts, and sorry if I'm using terminology incorrectly or am misinterpretting your instructions as I'm a novice). But in the area I've found (as relisted below) to redirect the main number it's not possible to 'Forward No Answer', only to 'Redirect to:', as far as I can see anyway.

Configuration -> Lines -> [main line for phone number] -> Preferences (tab) -> 'Redirect to:'

Here works a charm with redirecting the main line number back out to an outside number, but there isn't the option for ringing the phones locally a number of times before redirecting like there is when programming the 'Active Sets' for a specific handset.

Does that make sense?

Thanks

 

[curlycord]

I do not think your familiar with the Forward No Answer setting as you thought...

Config/Telephony/Active/2XX/LineAccess/Forward No Answer - this is where most sets are told to go to the Callpilots DN (mailbox) should they not answer.

Your best to contact a vendor perhaps at this point, it's possible to program remotely too.




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[nibblesoft]

Ah yes, that rings a bell (no pun intended). You've jogged my memory that this wasn't quite the function I thought before. It's such a time gap between doing things on the BCM (often years), I often forget how to do or not do things I worked out before, and of course I don't have the opportunity to try things onsite at present. Sorry if I've been using totally wrong terminology too!

With the BCM400 support, British Telecom (provider of the unit and used to support us) ceased supporting all Nortel BCM units back in 2018. In 2017, I got very familiar with the hardware and the System Software / OS from a technical perspective. I procured parts and licenses for building a complete second system as a backup which is ready on standby should we ever need it. I found the biggest failure point over the years was the internal hard drive, so I found a way of switching this to an M.2 SSD card too, using a convertor, which has worked really great. 3 years with no problems at all!

Sorry, I digress - the point is we don't actually have support from a vendor anymore. Our needs are normally extremely basic (we don't even use voicemail) and it's only the Covid-19 situation that has prompted this need to redirect calls (and at that only potentially - as long as my boss remains well, it won't be necessary). I already had a project under way to switch to 3CX for our phone system, with SIP trunks taking over our ISDN lines eventually, but I sense now would be a bad time to enact such a shift whilst the country and world are in chaos. So instead I plan to redirect our main phone number to a temporary SIP trunk on the 3CX system IF the need arises.

I'm going to assume ringing a number of times before redirect on the BCM400 is simply not possible, which is fine.

Thanks for your attempts to help me - I hope I haven't been too frustrating! Your time appreciated. Cheers

 

[curlycord]

"I'm going to assume ringing a number of times before redirect on the BCM400 is simply not possible, which is fine."


What part of the Forward No Answer do you not understand?
That is just want you want!
It will redirect the call (to the said phone that has the main line) to an external number based on the ring count you choose, so very simple!

I confident by saying everyone already knows the situation with the BCM not being support by the majority players.
There are tons of us vendors available that still do, we do not need to be on site either.


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[nibblesoft]

Sorry mate. I'm just responding to your comment above:


"I do not think your familiar with the Forward No Answer setting as you thought...

Config/Telephony/Active/2XX/LineAccess/Forward No Answer - this is where most sets are told to go to the Callpilots DN (mailbox) should they not answer.

Your best to contact a vendor perhaps at this point, it's possible to program remotely too."


I took your meaning from this specific post that the 'Fwd No Answer' setting can only be used to redirect to voicemail or another internal service, not out to an external number. And everywhere I see this setting it is just for that particular handset (which often has it's own DDI). Are you saying that I could just set a 'Fwd No Answer' on any of the handsets that don't have a DDI programmed, and it would have the effect of forwarding the call through for the main number if not picked up anywhere onsite?

And there isn't an option under Config -> Telephony -> Lines -> Target line -> 300 [main number] -> Preferences to forward or redirect after a certain time of no answering - there is just a 'redirect to:' which happens immediately. Also, if I follow your path in the EM as you've listed above (Config/Telephony/Active/2XX/LineAccess/Forward No Answer), it doesn't actually exist (what are you suggesting by 'Active' supposedly immediately under 'Telephony'? There are loads of options under there but not this directly - do you mean 'Sets -> Active Sets', for example?)

I profess to know little about the BCM400 - my specialism is in Windows OSs and general network infrastructure and security, not general telephone systems, although there is some degree of crossover. And I sense you probably think I'm an idiot who should just get external support, but I thought the purpose of this forum was to be a place to get advice to try and fix things oneself where possible. I've followed back everything you've said above, which often isn't a fully complete path in the EM, and I'm doing my best to make sense of your suggestions. I'm a novice and sorry if I have served to anoy you. I am also at a disadvantage that I cannot be physically on site whilst I play around with settings to see what is working and what isn't :-(

Fundamentally, I've found a way of redirecting the main phone number to an external number on my own volition, it would just be nice to have it ring locally a number of times before doing this.

 

[curlycord]

Config/Telephony/Active/2XX/LineAccess/Forward No Answer"

2XX - is a Set so yes I mean Sets/ActiveSets.
I do not have to pin point to the "T" but often I try, feel free to read the manual and look for Forward No Answer, or if you think I meant X then look at X.

"And I sense you probably think I'm an idiot who should just get external support"
I am glad you think, that you have good spidey sense's.

"I thought the purpose of this forum was to be a place to get advice to try and fix things oneself where possible"
Tek-tips, not "Tech Train"
There are times when it looks like we need to finally advise you to use a vendor, this appears to be one of them for these reasons:
-You asked for some guidance, you received it but it was not good enough
-You need precise navigating of programming
-You have not read the manual
-You assumed a setting was for internal use only
-You assume I think your an idiot
-You appear to be battling the person trying to help

In future it works best when you cut the non relevant conversation and stick to the issue when posting for help.

Good luck in fixing your issue, I trust you will figure it out.....eventually

and with staying healthy at these times.

Cheers
cc









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[nibblesoft]

Hi there.

Thanks for the message back. Sorry about the waffle in my posts - you have a valid point there!

I don't mean to sound pendantic either - it's genuinely that I find the navigation of the Element Manager not the most admin friendly, with somewhat similar options in multiple locations and often buried deep, and it not always being clear where to look. When I reply on forums like Experts-Exchange to assist other users on stuff I actually know about, I do always try to go to the absolute 'T' with everything when listing any kind of path locations to limit mistakes. But I do see your point.

I really don't want you to think I was trying to battle you in trying to help, merely just trying to get an answer and make sense of things. I've tried to come across gracious and express I'm a novice, and apologies if that hasn't been received that way - or if I've been a PITA! I'd have a look at the manual, but it's onsite somewhere. Perhaps there is a PDF of it out there - I'll do a search on Google. I did spend hours trying to search for a solution to this before originally posting.

With what I've looked at from riffling through the EM and reading between the lines on some of your posts, if I could go back to the beginning now and ask a question it would simply be this:

"If I set the 'Fwd No Answer' field to an external number for ANY one of the 'Active Sets' that is part of the group of phones that ring when the main office number is called, will this trigger the call forwarding if the call remains unanswered after the set number of rings?"

Do not feel you have to answer that - I will experiment with it remotely later tonight when no-one is onsite and see if it works. If it does, I'll post back here

Thanks for your time, sorry if you've found me irritating. I appreciate you trying to help. Take care with everything that's going on right now and stay safe

Cheers

 

[curlycord]

Bridge under water.....you meant what I knew!

If you set one of the phones that has the main line ring at it then it will proceed to forward the call after the set amount of rings you choose.
So if you set the rings to 4 then the 5th ring goes to the external number.

Note: your ring count must be lesser than other settings to avoid conflict.
Example
-the main set is Forward No Answer to the General Delivery mailbox at 4 rings
-the mail room set is Forward No Answer to the External Number after 4 rings <---change this to 3 rings






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[nibblesoft]

Many thanks for the further pointers

I've played around with various settings in these early hours and the phone system is behaving inconsistently in forwarding calls out - I won't go into detail as I'm sure it is due to either my ignorance or something being blocked at the BT Exchange (as I experienced when trying to set up something in the past, and was informed on that occasion it was a limit of the ISDN services provided by BT and not anything I was actually doing wrong).

The method I've found to immediately redirect the main number will work if we need to implement it. I'm hoping my boss will stay well and I won't need to do anything, but if I do this will suffice for our needs.

Thanks again for your help on this, appreciated

 

[allworxguy]

Marv ccna