Remote Coverage Point Loop

[curtc85]

I have been tasked with building out a method to dial out to 5 cell phones, in order, until someone answers for after hours escalations.

I am trying to figure out an efficient way to do this.

Scenario:
Caller calls into our Help Desk number after hours and has chosen the option to escalate to on-call management -> dial cell #1, no answer -> dial cell #2, no answer -> dial cell #3, no answer -> dial cell #4, no answer -> dial cell #5, no answer -> go back to cell #1 and repeat until the call is answered.

I've tried using remote coverage points but it won't loop, it will always stick at the last point dialed and ultimately dies in the voicemail box of that cell phone. Even tried having the last coverage point be a VDN that routes back into the station with the original coverage path, that throws a loop denial. Well damnit! I want it to loop!

Same thing happens if I create a bunch of dummy stations using EC500 and put those in the coverage path.

I also tried a circular hunt group going to stations with EC500, it never gets passed the first station and just dies in the associated EC500 cell phone voicemail box.

Could I use point 6 to route to a VDN that routes to a different station using a different coverage path that then routes out to the cell phones again? If these 5 resources aren't answering after 2 attempts each that's on them as far as I'm concerned.

Is what I want to do even possible?

 

[kyle555]

Kinda sorta maybe.

Presuming the cell phones work, are in range, and the batteries haven't died and they will actually ring a few times if called and not go straight to voicemail...

What if the last point of the coverage path was v1000 and VDN 1000 went to a vector that routed the call back to the extension that was called in the first place?

You might be able to make a call loop forever, but why not use "notify me" in a voicemail system to let them know about it or something?

 

[G van Hamburg]

Mostly, 70% of these solutions need to be company procedures that need to change. You can use the CM to fill in the 30%. I’d go for creating a few vectors with variables. The person on duty (that’s the organisation part) dials in and sets his phone to be the escalation phone. He’d better answer because he’s on duty. You will probably be able to figure out to have a second person available too. Let the other 4 enjoy there time off.

Freelance Certified Avaya Aura Engineer

 

[curtc85]

We're using a variable today that gets updated weekly by the resource that on-call that week. I guess that isn't good enough for our higher ups as it introduces a single point of failure. I tried explaining to them that any phone in this series is a single point of failure if it's off or the call fails as the call outs will stop and die with that phone. We've been using the single variable for years, only now did it become a problem because that resource didn't have his phone by him overnight. Of course that means I need to "fix" it.

We use Notify Me today for our after hours Help Desk calls, that pages our on-call Help Desk individual, this works fine, although the same leaders are questioning that too as it's also a single point of failure...

I told them they are more than welcome to pay a third party calling service if they really want that piece of mind but that "isn't in the budget this year".

I'm going to play around some more today.

 

[curtc85]

I was able to get it to loop through during testing twice by using 2 remote coverage points in the 1st coverage path, the 3rd point in that one is a VDN that routes to a station with a different coverage path, I then use EC500 enabled dummy stations in that one...What I found is that it will skip cov point 1 in the second cov path (remote cov loop denial) but it will use the 2nd point so I just made points 1 and 2 be the 1st phone I wanted to call out to, two more dummy stations with EC500 followed.

It's crude but it seems to do what I want it to aside from an endless loop...But, I still think these guys should answer it if they each get 2 calls a piece.

 

[DAVIDPAYNE]

This is unlikely to work or at least not very clean.
I think you best option will be use dummy extension linked to EC500 setups for the cell number.
Then use a vector to forward to dummy extension without coverage. You should be able to loop. Assuming the system pulls the call back. And that is where the issue is. The system may not be able to tell, and setting up the EC500 will have be tested based on the carrier as they do not handle things the same way.
You could also try using the dummy extension and set them to fwd to the cell, and then use the vector. But the vector is the only way I can think if that you might be able to get it to loop.
but typical the system remembers that it has tried a extension/VDN/etc. and it does not try it again.
Good luck

 

[curtc85]

I have it working like this;

Caller calls into Help Desk after hours, selects option 2 to escalate, vector routes to a station w/ a coverage path.

Coverage Path #1 uses 5 remote coverage points, and then a VDN at the end. That VDN routes to another vector->station with another coverage path that has EC500 dummy stations as route points. It will die at the last point, it won't loop again, which is fine with me. They already got two calls each, I'm not solving for incompetence.