Internal Vs. External Call Handling

[blanning]

I have several situations where there is a need for internal calls to be handled differently than external calls. The easiest solution would be to have a check box in the call handling mode screen that says "Internal & External the Same" and if that box is checked, they do the same thing, if not you can specify every detail of the call handling mode programming distinctly for both internal and external calls.

The case I am working on right now is a school district (k-12) where an AA will be in use but they do not want outside callers to be able to ring into classroom extensions during the day. This gets complicated because they do want to be able to extension dial office staff all the time. The end result will be using CCR style AA menus to rout calls and simply turn off extension dialing during class hours from the AA.

Ideally I would like to be able to send external calls to VM during class hours but always allow internal calls to ring through.

[Palitto Consulting]

Please see the personalized call handling rules in ST 9.1. Use the Time of Day and Phone Number Match rules.

[blanning]

I understand that you can use those rules to mimic what I am asking for to an extent, but not completely and certainly not cleanly! This is a rather basic feature for a PBX (although not for many key systems) and should not be difficult based on the programming that already exits in the ShoreTel environment.

[blanning]

I apologize, I looked again at what Palitto Consulting had said and you can do more with the personal call handling rules to achieve this result than I had thought. I would still like to see this be a feature of the call handling mode rather than a custom feature for professional and up users only, but the solution is available.

Our most recent use was a school where recommending that they upgrade 600+ teacher phones to professional call manager just for that feature was not even something we wanted to bring up.

[Palitto Consulting]

It should be possible to apply the rules then downgrade call manager and still have the rules work, though I haven't tested this. These rules are implemented by the switch. If you don't want the hassle of doing it this way, I'm sure we can also find a way to do this that makes the modifications directly, without requiring the cost of additional licensing.

[blanning]

If you could give me a price for a utility or method that would allow us to build basic rules like that on personal call manager extensions we would be very interested.

Thanks.

[Palitto Consulting]

The price can vary immensely based on what you want to do.

• Are these rules going to be controlled by the user or by the system administrator?
• Do you want full control over the rules, as in PCM's interface, or would the ability to copy existing rules from one user to another meet your needs?
• Would you like to be able to export/import sets of rules as CSV files to ease editing in batches?
• What criteria, if any, should be available for sorting and grouping users for applying rules to many users at once? i.e. User name, group, extension, workgroup membership, etc.

If you wish to brainstorm further, you can also give me a call if you prefer: 330-335-7271

[blanning]

• Are these rules going to be controlled by the user or by the system administrator?
• Do you want full control over the rules, as in PCM's interface, or would the ability to copy existing rules from one user to another meet your needs?
• Would you like to be able to export/import sets of rules as CSV files to ease editing in batches?
• What criteria, if any, should be available for sorting and grouping users for applying rules to many users at once? i.e. User name, group, extension, workgroup membership, etc.

• The rule would be controlled by the system admin.
• The ability to copy rules from a professional call manager user to a personal call manager user would be sufficient.
• CSV files could be nice, I would be interested in how much that changed the price.
• Should be able to sort based on user group and site.

Thanks for the response. I am trying to convince my boss that this would be a worthwhile investment as a function we could charge for without it costing us as bad as professional licenses for 300 teachers.

[cburgy]

Shoretel Professional Services has written a couple applications that would apply here. Contact your partner for pricing information. Details below...


Call Handling Mode (CHM) Schedule Application
Overview
- Automatically sets a group of phones into “busy” or “available” states based on a configurable schedule
- Phone states are set based on hour of the day for each day in the week
- Used to prevent inbound calls at certain times of day
- Software only Application loaded onto ShoreWare Director or DVS server
Benefits
- Extends ShoreTel’s ease-of-use story
- Centralized management for consistent system behavior and less work for users
- Intuitive color coded administrative interface
- Pairs perfectly with ShoreTel CHM Override Application for full flexibility
Target Customers
- K-12 schools for blocking calls into classrooms during teaching hours


Call Handling Mode (CHM) Override Application
Overview
- Allows phones in DND or forwarded modes (e.g. “In a Meeting”) to be called
- Caller must use special dialing technique to activate
- Software only Application loaded onto ShoreWare Director or DVS server
Benefits
- Natural pair for ShoreTel CHM Schedule Application
- Fully automatic – Once installed, application runs continuously in background
- Special dialing technique can be shared with limited group of company personnel
- Dialing technique simple and configurable
- Configurable no answer timeout before caller will be transferred to called party’s voicemail box
- Calls must be made from ShoreTel IP phone
ShoreTel Professional Services: Integrated Applications Catalog – V1.0 August, 2008 Page 5
Target Customers
- Natural fit for customers (e.g. K-12 schools) who purchase CHM Schedule Application
- Any customer who desires ability to communicate instantly and privately (i.e. not via intercom) with
employees regardless of phone mode

[cburgy]

Wait, you are a partner.... LOL.


Contact Maura Higgins at Shoretel for pricing assistance.

[blanning]

While I see what ShoreTel is trying to do that would produce similar results, it seems silly to me to have to over-ride the call handling mode in order to call into a phone internally. What ShoreTel really needs to implement is what I said in the first place, a basic way of doing internal vs. external call handling for all users, not just those who have professional call handling modes. Aside form the fact that this is rather basic PBX functionality and it seems dumb to have to pay for it on a system that offers so many other great features and brags about offering the other guys enhanced features as part of the default package, it is also a pain to have to configure the rules for each individual person rather than setting them up as call handling mode defaults and making exceptions where needed.

All that being said, I will look into the pricing; so thank you for the response. I always appreciate more options even if I do not like the way some of them look.

[blanning]

I would still like ot see numbers from pallito consulting, but immediate need has been dealt with. We finally talked the school into having a seperate tachers line that only allows transfers to VM from the AA menu.

[VJ]

Yep! This has been a frequent deal killer for me too. ALL key systems we have sold do this out of the box - simple and no fuss. Wanted to move a medical practice to ST and when we faltered on OUTSIDE vs INTERCOM calls the contract went to AVAYA.
We are testing another lesser intense useage by sending OUTSIDE to a route point with a MB and have it monitored by the intended station.