Pilot/Hunt Group without attendant console? 1

[derango1]

Hi everyone, I'm glad I found this forum. I've been recently thrown into this job as our normal phone person is out ill and I'm kind of stuck and hoping I can get some pointing in the right direction. So here's my situation.

We have a receptionist (X-2400) that needs to have her line flow onto 2 other groups of people. Group 1 consists of 3 phones, if none of them answer it flows to group 2 which consists of 4 phones, and finally if no answer it flows to voicemail on the 2400 line.

Now, I was thinking of creating a pilot point/hunt group. Problem is, they don't want to use the Attendant console and they want all the lines in the group to ring at the same time instead of going to longest idle, etc.

I'm sure this is a simple solution, but my lack of experience is showing. So any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[jneiberger]

Okay, take my advice with a grain of salt because we don't actually use the Cisco solution. We're just researching it at this point.

I think you make x2400 a hunt pilot number. Then you create two hunt groups, one for each of the groups you mentioned, and configure them for broadcast distribution. Then you create a hunt list comprising the two hunt groups you created and then apply the hunt list to the hunt pilot number.

Does that make sense? I think it's correct, but I'm not positive.

 

[derango1]

Yes, that makes sense. But, I'm learning how to create the pilot numbers. On the cisco forums, it was suggested I leave 2400 as is and create a different pilot point. Then have 2400 forward onto the new pilot point if it wasn't answered, then onto the 1st hunt group, and onto the second, and then onto the VM. Jeez I hate trial by fire lol.

 

[jneiberger]

That sounds like a reasonable plan. Set x2400 to CallForwardAll to the pilot number. That way you don't have to mess with the other programming for that extension.

Good luck!

 

[AdmanOK]

What version of CallManager are you running? If you have 4.0 or above you can use Line Groups which are designed to ring multiple lines at once. A hunt group does not ring on multiple lines simultaneously, but as the name suggests hunts through them one by one till it finds one available.

 

[derango1]

We're running 4.0 (4.12 specifically) Yeah, I'm going to be using line groups as well. But, I'm not exactly sure how to set one of those up so I've been reading. Like I said, I'm quite the inexperienced admin with this.

 

[jneiberger]

AdmanOK, what about broadcast distribution in hunt groups? Wouldn't that, by definition, ring all phones simultaneously?

 

[AdmanOK]

I'm running 3.3(3) and I don't have a broadcast option; only first available and longest idle... maybe that's how they implimented line groups. I haven't personally had experience with them.

 

[jneiberger]

Take a look at the new documentation:

http://tinyurl.com/dtbpg

The line group configuration now includes a "broadcast" option that rings all non-idle phones in the group.

 

[iptuser]

Have you tried configuring a single DN on all phones so it rings on all of them. Also I think if you have 5 x appearances then it can receive 5 separate calls? Or perhaps configure a new dummy DN with a CFNA to VM I fyo do not have no coverage feature ?