At lunch transfer calls to voicemail

[MojoDK]

Hi,

We're a little company and would like at lunch (12.00-12.30) that our calls are automatically redirected to a voicemail, so customers can leave a message.

Is that possible in 3CX?

Thanks!

Mojo

 

[leejor]

Yes, you really don't have to do anything special for this to happen. If a call is not answered, either at lunchtime or after hours, it can be set up to go to a voicemail from a ring group after a given time. It all depends on how many lines/extensions and what sort of set-up you have in mind.

 

[MojoDK]

Hi leejor,

Thanks for answering my post.

Well when customer calls us they get a "Press 1 for ... Press 2 for ...", but when it's lunch (between 12.00 and 12.30), I want the customer to bypass "Press 1.. etc" and go directly into a "Hi, we're not available right now, but leave a message...".

I would like 3CX to just look at the time the customer i calling and take them to the mailbox at lunch ... rather than having employes setting up something or pressing something.

Hope you get what I mean

Thanks!

Mojo

 

[leejor]

There is the night service option. I know that it was enhanced in version 9, but, that there are still requests for further flexibility so I don't know off hand if a lunch time option is now available. I haven't used it myself and don't have a working 3CX in front of me at the moment. That sort of feature, a time based service, would be the only thing you could use if your daytime calls now go into an automated attendant. I had assumed that they only went into a ring group.

 

[SY]

Hi leejor,

Thanks for answering my post.

Well when customer calls us they get a "Press 1 for ... Press 2 for ...", but when it's lunch (between 12.00 and 12.30), I want the customer to bypass "Press 1.. etc" and go directly into a "Hi, we're not available right now, but leave a message...".

I would like 3CX to just look at the time the customer i calling and take them to the mailbox at lunch ... rather than having employes setting up something or pressing something.

Hope you get what I mean

Thanks!

Mojo

Inbound rules - office/out of office destination may have different destinations and you can configure inoffice/outofoffice time.
If this approach is not acceptable then try to implement cases of usage using different DRs and then make "routing point" in form of "fake extension" which will deliver call to desired destination basing on caller ID, time etc. etc.

 

[abc123]

I think the answer you want it to configure "breaks" for each extension.

These can be managed by the admin or each extension user under the forwarding rules.

There is an Office Hours tab where you can set whether the extension uses standard office hours or its own.

More importantly you can "set my status to away during break", configure the break for 12-12:30 and set the Away forwarding rule to the Digital Assistant.

 

[TwigsUSAN]

No, what he wants is the system to be intelligent enough to realize that a call is being presented between 12-1230pm. Instead of directing it to the Auto Attendant tree, he wants it to present to a voice mail box stating that they are out to lunch and leave a message. Outside of those hours, he wants the call presented to the auto attendant tree.

I'm not sure if this is possible or not. I would have to sit down and play with a system and see if I can make it work or not.

 

[TwigsUSAN]

After just getting my daughter down for a nap, I was able to quickly test this configuration.

1) Log into your 3cx
2) Go to Extensions and add a new extension. Create a dummy extension, for example 7777
3) Under the dummy extension, make the following chages
a) Make sure enable voice mail is checked under the General tab
b) Go to the Forwarding Rules Tab
c) Under the Forwarding Rules --> Available --> No Answer set it to 1 sec and Send Call to your IVR
d) Under the Fowarding Rules --> Available --> Phone is busy: Send call to your IVR
e) Under the Fowarding Rules --> Available make sure its checked to accept more then one call
f) Under Fowarding Rules --> Out of Office make sure both Forward all Internal and External calls to Voicemail
g) Under the Other Tab --> User Information --> User Status is set to Available
h) Under the Other Tab --> Extension Capabilities make sure Do Not show Extension in Call Assistant is checked
i) Under the Office Hours Tab --> Configure Hours select This extension has specific office hours. Then click on configure and set the office hours for each day that you want this extension available to answer calls. So for example you want this extension available M-F 8am-12pm, 12:30pm-5pm. That would give you a lunch break of 12pm-12:30pm.
j) Under the Office Hours Tab --> Action check Automatically switch status to "Out of Office" outside "Office Hours"
k) Click apply and ok
4) Change your outside lines, SIP or analog, to have them point to this dummy extension.

From this point on, during the office hours you specified under that dummy extension, it will present the calls to the IVR. During the outside times, it will present it to that dummy extensions voice mail. Now you will still need to setup the voice mail message for the dummy extension.

Again, I only did a quick 10 minute test with this configuration. I didn't check any other items (ie. Caller ID, etc). I was able to produce the results you wanted. Hopefully everything works just right.

 

[MojoDK]

Thanks all for your help!!!!!

Your help means much to me!

Mojo

 

[Lukas]

Hi! I am bringing up this old thread because it helped me achieve just what I wanted -- except one thing:

if the client presses * while leaving the message he gets transferred to the default operator... but the operator is having lunch as well!

How can I make it so that clients can only leave voicemail and not request to be transferred to the operator?

Thanks!!

 

[abc123]

The default operator's extension would need to be set to away (can do this automatically in the extension config in 3cx) and make the forwarding rule for away to go to voicemail.

 

[Lukas]

A-ha! Thank you, Mark -- and shame on me for not having thought of it...