Immediate Call Handling

With Immediate Call Handling, the PARTNER Messaging Automated Attendant Service is the primary handler of incoming calls on designated lines. Set button appearances of these lines on other telephones to Delayed Ring so that an incoming call rings on these telephones only if the Automated Attendant does not answer the call within the Delay Ring interval.

Note:

When Fax Call Handling is programmed, Automated Attendant Service recognizes the fax calling (CNG) tone and directs the fax call to the programmed Fax extension.

For PARTNER ACS Release 3.0 or later, set the number of rings to "0" if the line does not have Caller ID, or to "2" if the line does have Caller ID.

The following PARTNER communications system programming is required for Immediate Call Handling:

• Use Group Call Distribution (#206), Option 1, to assign the lines that you want answered by Automated Attendant to Hunt Group 7 (the VMS hunt group).
  
• Use VMS Hunt Delay (#506) to set the lines to ring immediately for Automated Attendant Service.
  
• Set the VMS Hunt Schedule (#507). You can set the VMS Hunt Schedule for Always, Day, or Night.
  
• Make sure a Night Service Button (#503) is assigned at extension 10.

Programming the VMS Hunt Delay varies depending on the communications system. In PARTNER ACS Release 3.0 or later, you set the mode (Day or Night) and can set the VMS Hunt Delay for each line. In PARTNER ACS prior to Release 3.0 and in PARTNER Plus and PARTNER II systems, you do not have a mode option, and you set the number of rings for delay for all lines at the same time.

Similarity, for PARTNER Plus systems, PARTNER II systems, and PARTNER ACS prior to Release 3.0, you set the VMS Hunt Schedule for all lines. In PARTNER ACS Release 3.0 or later, you can set the VMS Hunt Schedule individually for the lines.

If you want some telephones to provide backup Call Handling for the Automated Attendant, program the following:

• Assign the lines answered by the Automated Attendant to those telephones.
• Set the lines to Delayed Ring on those telephones.
• Set the button appearances of these lines on other telephones to No Ring.

If you want the Automated Attendant to answer calls only at night, you must set the VMS Hunt Schedule (#507) for Night Only. With this setting of Night Only, the Automated Attendant answers calls only when Night Service has been activated by the system operator pressing the programmed Night Service button.