Example 2: Call transfer using Dial By Name

This example has been created to illustrate how you can use a caller application to allow callers to take advantage of the Dial by Name feature. This feature allows callers to “spell” the name of the party they are trying to reach, and the system automatically looks up and tries to match the number entered with a subscriber on the system.

Considerations

Normally, it is not necessary to use a caller application to access the Dial by Name feature. In most cases, the system Automated Attendant can access Dial by Name directly by assigning any numeric key press to Directory.

However, in cases where you do not want to use the system Automated Attendant, you can still access the Dial by Name feature using caller applications.

The key is to use a Menu with extension or Menu with mailbox action type (see Menu actions). In both these action types, the # key is reserved for the Dial by Name application.

This means that all you really have to do to make use of the Dial by Name feature with a caller application is create an application node with one of these two action types. You do not need to create a separate caller application to use Dial by Name.

The caller application design

The following is a possible call flow for this caller application. Note that this does not necessarily need to be an entire application by itself. In fact, it will more likely be used to best effect by simply creating an application node within an application (for instance, it could be used as an additional option in Example 1: Alternative “Auto Attendant” Main Menu). This example is intended primarily to illustrate how to set up the node.

Building the application

The following table presents a step-by-step method for building this caller application. It assumes that you have already started the Caller Applications Editor. The Action(s) column gives a description of the step in the process, and the Location of procedure(s) column provides a link to the detailed procedure in the documentation that tells how to perform the step.


Step	Action(s)	Location of procedure(s)
1	Create the caller application base node. Name it Transfer by Name. Provide a brief description and select the language.	Adding the base caller application node
2	Modify the caller application base node properties: Select Menu with extension as the action type. Select Play entry prompt and then select Application prompt. Add a prompt and enter “Transfer to Dial by Name” under Comments. Note: You will not actually record the prompt at this point, you are merely creating a placeholder for it. Verify that the application is set to use the Default operator, <Parent node> as the Default cancel setting, and the * key as the Default cancel key.	Configuring the caller application properties
3	Save the application, if you have not already done so.	Saving a caller application

Note: Because you are using the Menu with extension action type, the # key is automatically reserved for the Dial by Name feature (as it is with the Menu with mailbox action type). This means that it is not available for other options.