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Getting Creative with Bridged Appearances

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WCeightoh

Vendor
Dec 16, 2014
58
US
Hey everyone. I've got an IPO going in on 9.1 Essential Edition (embedded VM in Intuity mode) and I'm trying to piece together a programming solution for a customer of mine.

They have your standard executive/assistant set up to start - the assistant will have bridged appearances for the person that they answer calls for, and remain on the calls to listen in and bridge on additional people as needed or take notes during the call.

Where things get tricky, is if the assistant doesn't answer, they want calls to go to the receptionist, and if THEY don't answer, to ring at all assistants in the office until one of them picks up.

This all needs to be done on bridged appearances. But that's all pretty straight forward - immediate BA on assistants, 15 second delay BA on Receptionist, and 25 second delay BA on the other assistants.

The one thing I can't figure out is their last request - being able to turn off the delay to the receptionist BA's, if an assistant is out of the office or on an important call. They want those to start ringing immediately at the receptionists and then continuing the rest of the call flow. I think if the "off" assistants kept a 25 second delay on these calls it won't be an issue.

I've told the client that switching the call flow after it leaves the assistant's phone to a hunt group might be the best way to handle it, but then they'll have to transfer that call back to the executive's bridged appearance. They weren't keen on it as it would create a different type of call flow than what they'll normally be using. But it's being kept on as an alternative.

Hope it all makes sense. It's a sort of complicated set up with lots of coverages, but I'm determined to make it work. I've love to hear any ideas. Thanks!
 
This whole setup sounds insane

if the exec is not going to answer his calls why not simply roue the call to a group containing the Assistants & then overflow to reception/all assistants?
with immediate overflow enabled if everyone in a particular group is logged out or on DND then the call will trip immediately.

whoever answers the call can then conference in the necessary Exec.
no nee for bridged appearances at all



Do things on the cheap & it will cost you dear
 
Thanks IPGuru!

I totally agree. It's an insane setup.

What we ended up going with was bridged appearance so on the assistants that directly cover for the agents, send the calls to sequential HGs with the agents in it, and then setting up overflow groups to first the receptionist, then to all the other assistants. Agents have Internal Auto-Answer turned on, and receptionist + other assistants all have call intrude buttons. So they can answer the call on their Call Appearance, create a conference, and use call intrude to bridge them onto the agent's first available line button.

It's a seriously crazy configuration. It would work fine if every phone had like 2 sidecars and give them bridged appearances for everything, but that just wasn't viable. I think it will work out - they're going live next week so we will see!
 
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