ring multiple phones simultaneously w/o bridged apperances

[lq2]

Hello,

Our current setup has 5 phones with 5 bridged appearances each of a particular extension. It is 'almost' a call center style situation, with the difference that each user needs to have the opportunity to answer each call coming in (it needs to ring on all stations involved).

We're going to be adding more stations soon, and we're chewing up way too many buttons. For each of the bridged apperance buttons I've learned we have to have a local extension call apperance, and it's getting unwieldly already.

Is there a way, without using bridged appearances, to have all of these stations ring simultaneously with each incoming call? I've played unsuccessfully with hunt groups, as I've only been able to get them to ring one station at a time.

As a LAN/WAN guy, it doesn't take much to get beyond my experience in the Definity world. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[lopes1211]

You need a coverage answer group. It will ring up to 8 phones at once and doesn't require any additional buttons. "add cov ans next". Then "add cov path next" and make the 1st point cX where X is the cover answer group number.

-CL

 

[lq2]

Thanks for the quick reply! I'll give that a shot next time I have the chance.

One detail I neglected to mention: The current bridged extension (7382) covers to voicemail after 6 rings. By immediately covering it to X number of stations, will that break voicemail? In my limited experience I've learned that it's possible to only go to cover once.

I'll play around and see if I can make it work.

Thanks- Jeff

 

[green6]

Jeff
The cover answer group can only be accessed via a coverage path. You can make x7382 an x-ported station with coverage to your cover answer group as the first point of coverage, the second point of coverage would be to voicemail. The caveat is that an xported station covers immediately to the first coverage point, the second coverage point would take affect based on the "Local Cvg Subsequent Redirection/CFWD No Ans Interval (rings):" on the System Parameters Coverage/Forwarding screen. That setting affects all coverage paths so it's not something you generally want to change without careful consideration.

I'm on a Ver.8 so the options may be different on your system. I still don't know why they haven't split out that feature so that you have the option of changing the timer for each function but that's another story. : )

 

[kristiandg]

Here's how I'd do it: Create an X-ported station that covers ALL to a coverage path. In that coverage path, is your coverage answer group for however many rings you need. The second path in the coverage path is your VM hunt group.

Hope this helps...

Kris

 

[MattRutter]

I agree with green6, except that the global time he mentions was finally abandoned at r10? or was it 11?

If you have a later switch, you can vary the subsequent ring times on a per-cover-path basis.

Matt

 

[Bobg1]

You can also do this without using an X-ported station. Set up a hunt group with no members, just use the coverage path.