Holiday Schedule setup, long read

[bigb7000]

Ok, so we have our Holiday schedule coming up. We have our normal standard greeting telling you about the holiday that will play all day on holiday days off but we are closed for two weeks so during those days that we are closed but not a normal holiday we have a second greeting with emergency contact info playing just from 8am to 5pm then we want to go back to the standard holiday closed message. I think I have it worked out where our main AA will go from being on a schedule to none and then we record the emergency message in the custom area and we have that set on a schedule with the days and times needed. My last part is how to I get the main line hunt group that only has one member the receptionist go into holiday mode so the phone takes that call and go to the main AA instead of ringing? I see a holiday option in the hunt group is that what I should use for the entire time we are closed set each day up in that schedule?

Hunt Group Holiday schedule pass call directly to main AA then based off our main AA schedule it will play what is needed?

Thanks in advance,

[Jason Learmouth]

Could you say that again slowly?

Pending clarification I'll have a crack at it. Using a schedule on the hunt group is reasonable to direct the calls to the hunt group to an AA during off hours or holiday mode. It doesn't even have to be the same schedule as the AA is working on.

I tend to use Work Groups when complex scheduling is required, they have 4 modes, the same as AA's but offer a back up extension. I think that the lack of a back up extension is an oversight by ShoreTel. If AA's had a back up extension then I'd probably use them for scheduling call flow because the prompt field can be good for keeping notes on your setup. You could still do this with a WG or HG in front of the AA for backup, it just gets harder to keep track of.

[bigb7000]

Ok, so tell me again what the backup is going to do? Our HuntGroup has the backup set to the main recpt. and the only member in the group is the main recpt. as well.

[Jason Learmouth]

The reason I don't use an AA as the first answer point for an incoming call (i.e. use the DID) is because there is no field for a backup extension. If the server is unavailable then the calls go to the backup AA on the switch, which is not the best experience for the caller. If you use a WG as the answer point with forwards to the AA immediately then you can set a backup extension an have more control over the situation if the server is off line. Backup extension only comes into play if the switch that hosts the HG is unreachable.

It's all about surviability.

[bigb7000]

Ok, I have another question about an all staff meeting and now I want the phones to get the voice greeting. What is the best way to do this? Our old phone system I would put it in night mode is there a schedule I can use just to put in right to the AA greeting for just a few hours from like 11:15am to 1:20pm and then it goes back to ringing the front desk?

[bigb7000]

Should I just use the custom schedule for this need?

[Forum]

I use the Custom schedule for office meetings. Works great.

[bigb7000]

Ok, so I have a question about needing multiple recordings. I need to have a custom message that says we are closed from 3pm to 5pm then it will switch to our off hours greeting. But later in the next week we are still closed and I now need the custom message to kick off from 8am to 5pm with a different message. I can create the schedule but how can I store a new message or do I have only one message at a time so I have to call to the voicemail and record over that 3pm to 5pm message?

Thanks in advance,

[Forum]

You could do that, or get really 'out of the box' by using route points, etc.
Obviously, route points are much more complex. Call flow is the hardest thing with Shoretel (not that it's hard, it's just everything else is so easy ).

Charles

[bigb7000]

So do you need a second server to use it in my scenario?

[Forum]

2nd server? This is Shortel, not Cisco . We don't add servers!

I use route points to direct call routing for different situations. Consider it an extension without a phone assigned. It doesn't have some features like escalation, or call manager, but it lets you do some interesting configs.

Think outside the box. Play a little.

Charles