Extension Mobility possibilities

[jhodes]

I work in a healthcare environment that's moving to a new VOIP solution with CCM. Here's the key business problem I'm trying to solve:

- Each doctor in our clinic gets a personal extension
- Each exam room also needs its own, fixed extension

- We'd like doctors to log in to exam room phones using extension mobility. That way their calls follow them to whatever exam room they are currently occupying.

- However, the fixed exam room extensions must always ring, whether or not any doctor is logged in.

Our contractor tells us this is not possible with a CCM system. They say that extension mobility takes over an entire phone, not just a single line, and thus, if a doctor logs in, the exam room extension no longer rings.

Is this indeed impossible? Any ideas about how to solve this?

Thanks in advance,
Jacob

 

[pndscm]

What type of phones are in the Exam Rooms? If there are multiple line buttons, put both Dr's extension on one button and the Exam room's Extension on the second button in the Login profile. If you have single button phones, 7905 ,7911, 7912, you're pretty much hosed.
Frankly, if I was the one the Dr. was examining, I would be offended if he took a call during my exam. And I wouldn't want an Extension ringing while he was listening to my heart either.

 

[Phoneguy69]

You don't have many options with this scenario.
You can train the Doc's on manually forwarding their phones to whatever exam room they will be in. Of course- the Dr's will probably not like that due to they will have to remember to unfwd there phones. Like PNDSCM suggests- get some multi line phones and add there dn's.
With this way the phones will ring for all the dr's lines.
I would suggest the Dr's leave something on their voicemail
an option to dial for an assistant or reception. This way if it is an emergency, then they can be notified immediately.

Hope that helps.

 

[jhodes]

Each exam room will be getting one 7940 (with 2-line buttons).

> put both Dr's extension on one button

I should have clarified that we have approx 40 doctors and 40 exam rooms. This solution wouldn't work, would it? Any other thoughts?

Thanks again.

 

[Phoneguy69]

If anything you can provide a Doctors line (Kind of like the BAT line). Put that Line appearance on the phone and when it rings only the dr's can pick-up that line.
Maybe provide them with a dedicated DID if you have a PRI.

What kind of calls are they expecting, (Personal or business calls). Most Dr's offices I've installed systems for- the exam rooms are used generically.
You probably want to ask Why they want to do things that way. And then tell them it can't be done.

 

[pndscm]

You'd have to build 40 Login Device Profiles for every Dr. One for every exam room so that when they login EM would bring their Ext to the second button on the phone.
What about a few 7920 phones for the Dr's??? Let them EM login to the wireless phone and carry them to every room.

 

[jhodes]

Thanks pdnscm. So to clarify:

I *could* set it up the way i want, but it would take 40 times 40 = 1600 login device profiles? (yikes.)

I'm new to CM, and frankly surprised that this isn't more workable. I would have thought having one fixed number and one EM-variable number on a phone would be doable.

If you or anyone else has a solution with less than 1600 device profiles, please let me know!

 

[pndscm]

One fixed number and one EM-variable IS doable but you're talking about 40 numbers that need to be accessable by 40 people in any of 40 rooms. Huge problem.
I still think a group of wireless phones is your best solution.

 

[jneiberger]

I agree with getting your doctors the 7920 phones. That was the first thing I thought of when I read this post. Forget about extension mobility for this particular problem and just give them wireless phones.