Day/Night mode answer time

[sweetac]

I have a client that wants calls to queue after 4 rings during normal business hours but wants AA to answer immediately at night. I think I need the day AA to have a "..we're busy..." announcement and then transfer to the auto-logout group for queueing and the night AA to have the normal night AA answer message.

Right now, they simply have all calls overflowing to VM calling group after 20 seconds, regardless of the time of day.

Is it possible to have calls during normal business hours to transfer to daytime AA after 4 rings but calls during off-hours transfer to nighttime AA after 1 ring?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[merlinman]

Does the main operator have a personal mail box?

That is, how do calls get to the AA now?

There are several methods.

 

[sweetac]

Technically there is no main operator. There are 4 employees and all 4 may answer the phone at any time. Currently I have the 3 CO lines as members of calling group 790. This calling group overflows to 770 (Integrated VMI) after 20 seconds.

Basically I am trying to set the system up so that after business hours the Night AA on their MLM007 answers immediately but during business hours all 6 ext phones will ring like they do now for 20 seconds but have the daytime AA transfer to an auto-logout calling group that has queuing set up. The daytime AA would say something like "We're busy, please wait on the line..." and then the call would be placed "on hold."

I am assuming this setup does not support different overflow times based on business schedule and I can live with that.

Is it at least possible to have the daytime AA transfer to a queue? I am not sure how to set something like this up. Everything I have tried has failed. Avaya has told me this is possible with the Merlin Legend R7 that they have but I would like to try to get this setup without their help as it is $110 per half hour for them to perform remote maintenance.

Thanks!

 

[merlinman]

You can get your calls answered immediately at night by putting your VM Calling group in the NIGHT SERVICE GROUP for the Main Console.

That usually does it.

To get the calls to a queue, you would probably want the DIAL ZERO Time out to go to a CALLING GROUP, with your 4 employees in there.

But a word of caution, getting calls that are not answered by them to voice mail could be difficult if not impossible.

Also, unless they want to LOG IN and LOG OUT, you would probably want an ALL RING calling group, but that is only available in the later releases.

 

[sweetac]

I forgot about the NIGHT SERVICE GROUP.

Do you mean I should add all the extensions as members of a calling group that will handle dial zero time out for the daytime AA? If I am understanding you correctly and this is what I should do, will calls transferred to this group automatically be placed on hold?

 

[sweetac]

Also, instead of adding the extensions to the queue calling group, can I add set up a calling group (777, for example) with members that don't actually have phones attached and set the group to auto-logout and then set dial zero timeout to that group (777)? Since auto-logout is the group type and there is not phone there, wouldn't all calls go right into queue?

Forgive me if that sounds rediculous. I am somewhat new to phone system setup.

 

[merlinman]

Do you mean I should add all the extensions as members of a calling group that will handle dial zero time out for the daytime AA?[/color blue]

Yes, that would send DIAL ZERO from the DAY AA to that CALLING GROUP.

Since auto-logout is the group type and there is not phone there, wouldn't all calls go right into queue?[/color blue]

Yes, but who would know there are calls waiting.

I guess you could set up an EXTERNAL Alert for that calling group.

But bear in mind, you have to use an MFM ADJUNCT in an MLX PHONE to have such a device. - -

-OR- there is another trick of having 1 single line set as the ONLY MEMBER of an AUTO LOGIN Calling group, and have a loud bell on it for folks to do a PICK UP on.

 

[sweetac]

For the single line in an auto login calling group trick, what would happen if a call rang on a line that's not in the group? Would it not get queuing treatment?

When a call goes into queue, what does the physical line appearance (light) show? Does it appear that the call is on hold? If this is how it works that will be fine for them. If I can set up an external alert that would be even better. How can I configure this and how would the alert be conveyed?

 

[sweetac]

No matter what I try when I dial the group that I want set up as the queue it just rings and rings. At this point I'd be willing to pay (through PayPal or something) if you could help me set this up remotely.

 

[merlinman]

If you can figure out my email, with out me posting it, we could do email.

Have you ever heard of comcast.net?

 

[sweetac]

Yes, I have Comcast Internet. Are you in the midwest?

 

[sweetac]

Also, if you would like I can stand up a temporary web site in my home and throw an ASP form up where you could submit it to me without it being broadcasted all over. Let me know what works best for you.

 

[merlinman]

What ever, but it's not to hard to figure out my 3/\/\ail from my handle.

 

[merlinman]

PM Received, thank you.