Partner Messaging and Automated Attendants 3

[petegerster]

I am a 68 year old newbie. I bought a Partner ACS R7 and a Messaging R7 (4 port) for the office at my church. There are 7 people with phones. I installed the hardware and I can call out using the system. I get the default message when I dial in. The lights are green.

I connected to both ACS and Messaging with the PC admin programs, did a backup and felt pretty good about the system

Using the PC admin programs I did the things in the order set out in the Messaging manual All went well until I got to the section on assigning Automated Attendant extension(s).

I am unable to get my head around the interrelationships among the automated attendant extension (there can be 10 but I assume that I that I need at least one) and the 4 automated attendants and the Messaging system.

My objective is that when a call comes in to the system it will ring 2 or 3 times at ext 10 and then play a message to the caller with the typical instructions one hears in this situation. I think I understand how to set the selector codes, record the submenus etc., and connect them together but I can't get beyond this question of the automated attendant extensions.

I sure would appreciate if someone could help me out of my confusion. Thanks.
Pete

 

[TouchToneTommy]

You don't need ANY automated attendant EXTENSIONS. Think of an automated attendant extension as needing an extension answered with multiple choices. Say you send a call to a phone that is used by several people, and when it does not get answered, instead of just one mailbox taking messages, you get "For Fred, press 1; For George, press 2;, etc" and then 1, 2, 3, etc goes to different "guest" mailboxes.

For your setup, you only need to assign the lines to be answered by the Auto Attendant through #206-7-NN-1, where NN is the line number. Set the number of rings before answer through #506-M-NN-XX, where M is the Mode (1=Day/2=Night), NN is the line number, and XX is the number of rings from 0 to 6. Any line you DON'T assign to auto attendant 2, 3, or 4 will be answered by auto attendant number 1.

Set Ext. 10 to Immediate Ring on the lines, the other phones to No Ring.

Make mailboxes for the extensions, and give them Auto VMS Cover through #310-XX-1

Now calls will ring in at Ext. 10 for X number of rings, then be answered by the auto attendant. The caller enters the extension number they want to talk to, or a selector code to go to a submenu or announcement, and if they go to an extension, they ring there for 3 (can be changed) rings and then cover to the individual mailbox.

 

[petegerster]

Thank you TouchTone Tommy. I will go at it again this morning and see how far I get.

 

[petegerster]

I now have the system dialing out, answering calls, dialing extensions, recording and playing back messages, processing submenus etc.

But why do incoming calls ring on all my phones, not just extension 10?
Thank you
Pete Gerster

 

[TouchToneTommy]

Did you program the other extensions for No Ring? Default is every extension rings on every line. At Ext. 10, Feature 00, Left Intercom twice, Right Intercom once, dial an extension number. Now look at the LEDs next to the line buttons. Solid indicates Immediate Ring, slow even flashing incicates Delayed Ring, and fast fluttering indicates No Ring. Press a line button to toggle the line from Immediate to Delayed, to None, and back to Immediate. When one extension is set up properly, press the Right Intercom button again, dial another extension number, and repeat the process. Feature 00 when done.

 

[petegerster]

THANK YOU! You are amazing.