Unified Communications

Hi, I'm trying to figure out a one-touch or very-low-touch way for the Telecom admin staff to forward two extensions to a rotating employee each week. The rotating employee is not an agent, so we don't want to build an ACD queue for this.

Ext 1 and ext 2 do not live on desk phones, but are configured as 9611's. Each week, we want all calls to Exts 1 and 2 to ring directly to a different employee. The employee has a desk phone, but is only onsite a couple of days a week, and likely using EC500 when they are offsite. A bridged appearance of Ext 2 on Ext 1 doesn't seem to follow the Ext 1 forwarding or the employee's EC500. Ext 1 works fine. 

I know I can use Console Permissions to forward both extensions to the employee every week, but I was looking for a one-touch or lower-touch method for our team. I created a VDN and Vector, but I don't know how to tell the vector to forward a phone or unforward it.

Ideas?

OK, this is what I came up with. Maybe more at home on the CC forum.

I haven't messed around with vectors and variables in quite a while, but I remember how powerful they are. I set a doy (day of year) variable and built this test vector around it and it seems to work. So my plan would be to turn my Ext 1 and Ext 2 stations into VDN's and point them to this vector. I'll populate the steps from 73 onward with the employees' real extension numbers (it's only about 10 people). The tough part will be filling out that WC variable for all the Mondays of the year, and it will need to be redone every year at the end of the calendar year. But I'm thinking this will be easier than having to do the forwarding commands every single Monday morning forever.

A problem I see is when they'll inevitably want to shift the schedule. I'll have to tinker with those route-to steps to match the covering employee to the variable.

Does it seem overly complicated? Am I missing an easier way to "set it and forget it" (-ish)? Am I missing important basic vector commands?

    Number: NNN              Name: Fwd Test Vector
Multimedia? n      Attendant Vectoring? n    Meet-me Conf? n           Lock? n
     Basic? y   EAS? y   G3V4 Enhanced? y   ANI/II-Digits? y   ASAI Routing? y
 Prompting? y   LAI? y  G3V4 Adv Route? y   CINFO? y   BSR? y   Holidays? y
 Variables? y   3.0 Enhanced? y

01 wait-time    1   secs hearing ringback
02 goto step    73            if WC ##day of year##               <      204 ##Sunday, July 23##
03 goto step    74            if WC                                          <      211 ##Sunday, July 30, etc.##
04 goto step    75            if WC                                          <      218
05 ##etc...##

73 route-to     number 5500 ##Employee 1##         cov y if unconditionally
74 route-to     number 5501 ##Employee 2, etc.## cov y if unconditionally
75 route-to     number 5502                                     cov y if unconditionally
76 ##etc.##

91 stop
92 disconnect   after announcement none

Hi, I'm trying to figure out a one-touch or very-low-touch way for the Telecom admin staff to forward two extensions to a rotating employee each week. The rotating employee is not an agent, so we don't want to build an ACD queue for this.

Ext 1 and ext 2 do not live on desk phones, but are configured as 9611's. Each week, we want all calls to Exts 1 and 2 to ring directly to a different employee. The employee has a desk phone, but is only onsite a couple of days a week, and likely using EC500 when they are offsite. A bridged appearance of Ext 2 on Ext 1 doesn't seem to follow the Ext 1 forwarding or the employee's EC500. Ext 1 works fine. 

I know I can use Console Permissions to forward both extensions to the employee every week, but I was looking for a one-touch or lower-touch method for our team. I created a VDN and Vector, but I don't know how to tell the vector to forward a phone or unforward it.

Ideas?

Chip,

We have something similar setup for quite a few of our groups.  We took the number that is for the "forward" and turned it into a VDN that points to a vector.  In the vector, we have the caller enter a code to be able to call the forwarded number (in our case, we use this for after hour support -- and we don't want vendors or others to call wake people up if they don't need to be).

We then do a route-to statement to route to the phone number stored in a variable (in this case, variable IS) of the on-call person.

The variable IS would need to be a global variable.  You would then build another VDN/Vector to set that variable.  Have the people enter it JUST as they would dial the number (meaning, include your ARS code).  An option you could have is to store your normal folks in the rotation and let them choose who is the current active one by doing the vector -- or just let them set the current phone number.  That way, they own the schedule and can change it at will.

OK, this is what I came up with. Maybe more at home on the CC forum.

I haven't messed around with vectors and variables in quite a while, but I remember how powerful they are. I set a doy (day of year) variable and built this test vector around it and it seems to work. So my plan would be to turn my Ext 1 and Ext 2 stations into VDN's and point them to this vector. I'll populate the steps from 73 onward with the employees' real extension numbers (it's only about 10 people). The tough part will be filling out that WC variable for all the Mondays of the year, and it will need to be redone every year at the end of the calendar year. But I'm thinking this will be easier than having to do the forwarding commands every single Monday morning forever.

A problem I see is when they'll inevitably want to shift the schedule. I'll have to tinker with those route-to steps to match the covering employee to the variable.

Does it seem overly complicated? Am I missing an easier way to "set it and forget it" (-ish)? Am I missing important basic vector commands?

    Number: NNN              Name: Fwd Test Vector
Multimedia? n      Attendant Vectoring? n    Meet-me Conf? n           Lock? n
     Basic? y   EAS? y   G3V4 Enhanced? y   ANI/II-Digits? y   ASAI Routing? y
 Prompting? y   LAI? y  G3V4 Adv Route? y   CINFO? y   BSR? y   Holidays? y
 Variables? y   3.0 Enhanced? y

01 wait-time    1   secs hearing ringback
02 goto step    73            if WC ##day of year##               <      204 ##Sunday, July 23##
03 goto step    74            if WC                                          <      211 ##Sunday, July 30, etc.##
04 goto step    75            if WC                                          <      218
05 ##etc...##

73 route-to     number 5500 ##Employee 1##         cov y if unconditionally
74 route-to     number 5501 ##Employee 2, etc.## cov y if unconditionally
75 route-to     number 5502                                     cov y if unconditionally
76 ##etc.##

91 stop
92 disconnect   after announcement none

Hi, I'm trying to figure out a one-touch or very-low-touch way for the Telecom admin staff to forward two extensions to a rotating employee each week. The rotating employee is not an agent, so we don't want to build an ACD queue for this.

Ext 1 and ext 2 do not live on desk phones, but are configured as 9611's. Each week, we want all calls to Exts 1 and 2 to ring directly to a different employee. The employee has a desk phone, but is only onsite a couple of days a week, and likely using EC500 when they are offsite. A bridged appearance of Ext 2 on Ext 1 doesn't seem to follow the Ext 1 forwarding or the employee's EC500. Ext 1 works fine. 

I know I can use Console Permissions to forward both extensions to the employee every week, but I was looking for a one-touch or lower-touch method for our team. I created a VDN and Vector, but I don't know how to tell the vector to forward a phone or unforward it.

Ideas?

That's great, Nick, thank you! We do have something similar set up for a different group. This particular group though, we want zero touch on the users' side, and very low touch on our side.

I decided to abandon the Day of Year method, and build Holiday Tables for the six staff members in the rotation, with an Exception Table (thank you Mary Doran for that idea!) as the first Holiday Table for quick changes.

Original Message:
Sent: 07-17-2023 09:26 PM
From: Nick Kwiatkowski
Subject: One-touch forwarding of 2 exts to rotating hybrid staff

Chip,

We have something similar setup for quite a few of our groups.  We took the number that is for the "forward" and turned it into a VDN that points to a vector.  In the vector, we have the caller enter a code to be able to call the forwarded number (in our case, we use this for after hour support -- and we don't want vendors or others to call wake people up if they don't need to be).

We then do a route-to statement to route to the phone number stored in a variable (in this case, variable IS) of the on-call person.

The variable IS would need to be a global variable.  You would then build another VDN/Vector to set that variable.  Have the people enter it JUST as they would dial the number (meaning, include your ARS code).  An option you could have is to store your normal folks in the rotation and let them choose who is the current active one by doing the vector -- or just let them set the current phone number.  That way, they own the schedule and can change it at will.

------------------------------
Nick Kwiatkowski
Director of Design and Engineering
Michigan State University
East Lansing MI

Original Message:
Sent: 07-17-2023 05:44 PM
From: Chip Powell
Subject: One-touch forwarding of 2 exts to rotating hybrid staff

OK, this is what I came up with. Maybe more at home on the CC forum.

I haven't messed around with vectors and variables in quite a while, but I remember how powerful they are. I set a doy (day of year) variable and built this test vector around it and it seems to work. So my plan would be to turn my Ext 1 and Ext 2 stations into VDN's and point them to this vector. I'll populate the steps from 73 onward with the employees' real extension numbers (it's only about 10 people). The tough part will be filling out that WC variable for all the Mondays of the year, and it will need to be redone every year at the end of the calendar year. But I'm thinking this will be easier than having to do the forwarding commands every single Monday morning forever.

A problem I see is when they'll inevitably want to shift the schedule. I'll have to tinker with those route-to steps to match the covering employee to the variable.

Does it seem overly complicated? Am I missing an easier way to "set it and forget it" (-ish)? Am I missing important basic vector commands?

    Number: NNN              Name: Fwd Test Vector
Multimedia? n      Attendant Vectoring? n    Meet-me Conf? n           Lock? n
     Basic? y   EAS? y   G3V4 Enhanced? y   ANI/II-Digits? y   ASAI Routing? y
 Prompting? y   LAI? y  G3V4 Adv Route? y   CINFO? y   BSR? y   Holidays? y
 Variables? y   3.0 Enhanced? y

01 wait-time    1   secs hearing ringback
02 goto step    73            if WC ##day of year##               <      204 ##Sunday, July 23##
03 goto step    74            if WC                                          <      211 ##Sunday, July 30, etc.##
04 goto step    75            if WC                                          <      218
05 ##etc...##

73 route-to     number 5500 ##Employee 1##         cov y if unconditionally
74 route-to     number 5501 ##Employee 2, etc.## cov y if unconditionally
75 route-to     number 5502                                     cov y if unconditionally
76 ##etc.##

91 stop
92 disconnect   after announcement none

Original Message:
Sent: 07-17-2023 10:39 AM
From: Chip Powell
Subject: One-touch forwarding of 2 exts to rotating hybrid staff

Hi, I'm trying to figure out a one-touch or very-low-touch way for the Telecom admin staff to forward two extensions to a rotating employee each week. The rotating employee is not an agent, so we don't want to build an ACD queue for this.

Ext 1 and ext 2 do not live on desk phones, but are configured as 9611's. Each week, we want all calls to Exts 1 and 2 to ring directly to a different employee. The employee has a desk phone, but is only onsite a couple of days a week, and likely using EC500 when they are offsite. A bridged appearance of Ext 2 on Ext 1 doesn't seem to follow the Ext 1 forwarding or the employee's EC500. Ext 1 works fine. 

I know I can use Console Permissions to forward both extensions to the employee every week, but I was looking for a one-touch or lower-touch method for our team. I created a VDN and Vector, but I don't know how to tell the vector to forward a phone or unforward it.

Ideas?