caller id with answer dn

[mrdom]

hi everybody! i'm a new user to the ucx50, and as i continue to tweak the system and get it working the way we need it to, will be posting some items in hopes i can call upon the expertise of the group!

my first question has to do with the use of the answer dn. how exactly does the system treat an answer dn? i have extension 222 programmed as an answer dn on four other extensions (programmed as 221R). when i dial 222 from a phone that doesn't have the answer dn programmed, extension 222 rings with one long ring, and the phones with the answer dn programmed ring with two rings.

the issue i'm having is with the display. if i look at the display on ext. 222 when an internal call comes in from another extension, it will show the name of the extension calling. however, the phones with the answer dn programmed will only show the extension - for example, "234 calling 222 ... 221 calling 222" etc. Is there a way that the extension name can be shown on the display of extensions that have the answer dn programmed?

thanks for the help!

 

[mrdom]

sorry - i meant (programmed as 222R) above ... typed the wrong number!

 

[ucxguy]

Just wondering - what types of phones do you use?

If you use digital phones, the display is 16 characters wide. Let's say that the names are Elisabeth and Charles - if you use names, the line should read "Elisabeth calling Charles" - that is 25 characters. On the digital phone display, you could see at best "Elisabeth callin". If you configured full names for extensions (e.g., Elisabeth Smith), you'd see just the name of the first extension. When using just extension numbers, it's more likely that the entire text will fit on the display.

 

[ucxguy]

About the Answer DN feature - there is no Answer DN feature on UCx!

Using a BLF gives you a speed dial button with a status indication and an option to generate ring when the destination phone is alerting. There are some limitations - for example if the destination phone is on a call and another call starts alerting, the BLF indication is that the phone is active - you get no ring on the phones with the ringing BLF for such calls. Also, call forwarding a phone with a BLF (ringing or not) won't apparently forward calls on the BLF key.

In my opinion, if you want to get closer to the Norstar/BCM Answer DN behavior, you should do the following:
1. Create a new ring group with
- A number that will be easy to associate with 222 - so let's say 6222
- The name could be set to something like "Answer ring group for 222"
- Include the four extensions where you need the "Answer Key" capability in the Extensions list
- Set the strategy to "ringall"
- Use a ring time longer than what you'll use in Follow Me setting of the extension 222 (see below) - let's say 60 seconds
- Use a CID Name Prefix indicating that the call is from the "answer DN" extension (for example "222: ")
2. For the extension 222, configure Follow Me settings
- Set the strategy to "ringall"
- Use a ring time shorter than the time used for the ring group above (let's say 30 seconds)
- In the Follow-Me List include:
* the extension itself => 222
* the ring group number followed by # (very important) => 6222#
- Set the Destination if no answer to "voicemail for 222 unavailable"

With this configuration, when someone calls 222, all five phones will ring. The caller ID presented on the extension 222 will identify the caller (for example "Charles 266"), the caller ID presented on the other four extensions will be prefixed with the CID name prefix (for example "222: Charles 266"). Using call forward on an extension in the ring group will forward calls intended for 222 to the call forward destination.

 

[mrdom]

thanks for the reply joe! btw, I really appreciate your youtube videos on various features of the UCx - they've been incredibly helpful to me as I continue to tweak our system here! sorry - wrong lingo. i should have called it a blf with ringing (XXXR in programming). i'm wondering if the names are too long and the system isn't transmitting them when the extensions ring. interestingly enough, if i answer a call from one of the extensions that the blf-r button is programmed, it WILL show the extension name when the call is connected. i'll play with it a little more and see what i can come up with. perhaps the ring group option might be a better fit.

 

[ucxguy]

My name is not Joe. Joe's nick here is I believe

http://www.tek-tips.com/userinfo.cfm?member=GordonKapesMZ4

 

[mrdom]

ack ... i'm sorry about that. I got you and joe confused ... you've had some great UCx posts too - they've been really helpful.

 

[GordonKapesMZ4]

Thanks Mrdom for the comments about the videos. I've just uploaded some more videos featuring the function of each Nortel phone on the UCx. I appreciate the kind words and Thanks for clarifying UCxguy! UCxguy always provides amazing information on here!!!

"Keep the Peace, Use RLS"

http://www.joetheucxguy.com

 

[mrdom]

thanks ucxguy - this worked perfectly ... it's doing just what i need it to, and for shared phones, users can tell if the call is theirs by looking at the CID prefix to identify their extension!

i wonder if the busy lamp/ring feature (xxxR) is simply to identify ringing extensions, and this feature isn't really meant to pass along CID information. it would seem that, programming-wise, it would be easier to use a blf-r, and for some uses, this might work, but we really need the extension name sent along, so the alternative workaround is great!

appreciate the help.