On-Call Forwarding

[foste103]

My scenario is as such: I am running IP500V2 using IP Office 9.1 and Voicemail PRO. I have a department with 3 people that are on-call week on, week off, and use their mobile phones to take the calls. They would like the ability to hit a button on their individual desk phones (5420) before they leave to forward the on-call number to their mobile phone for that week.

I'm new to IP Office and can't seem to determine how to accomplish this. I know I can make an extension with its own phone and create a button for each on-call person and label appropriately. However, I'm trying to minimize complexity and increase conveniences with a simple button press. Does anyone know if this is possible? I've spent a couple days researching different features but can't seem to find one that will fit. Remote Call Forwarding, Forwarding, Twinning, Diverting Calls, Follow Me...etc...

Any help is much appreciated.

[thiel2]

There are a lot of approaches you can use.

You can create a User that is not associated with any telephone. Make it a hot desk user, and create a simple shortcode for Extension Log In.
(an example would be that the extension is 123, and its login code is 1234. Make short code *#XXX / Ext Login / N*1234. When you dial *#123, your telephone becomes Ext. 123)
Equip Ext. 123 with just a Call Appearance, a Call Forward All button, and a Log Out button.
The person on cal this week dials *#123, and their phone becomes the forwarding extension. They press the Call Forward button to turn off the current forwarding, press it again and type in their own cell number, and then save. Then press the Log Out button to return to their own extension. In your afterhours automated attendant, emergency calls are transferred to Ext. 123 and end up forwarding to the person on call.


Another way is within the Voicemail Pro itself. Use a User Variable, create a module to announce the current value of the variable, and set it to a different value. Then, when a call is transferred to the on call person, check the value of the variable, and transfer to the appropriate person. That means you dial a short code, voicemail answers, says the on call person is number 1, and asks you to enter the new value. You dial 2, it confirms that on call person is now number 2, etc.

[markgallagher]

First, regardless of which route is selected, you need to look at removing the IP Office's off-switch transfer restrictions which are on by default. Look at System | Telephony | Inhibit Off-Switch Transfer/Forward. If you have analog trunks look at Line | Analog Options | Allow Trunk to Trunk Connection.

My answers for the rest of the question would depend on how the calls are being routed during normal operation. Do we assume that during normal hours calls go to a group containing all three agents. In that case, what we're trying to control is the group's out of hours (night service) routing, switching it between agent 1, 2 or 3.

[foste103]

It Worked!

Thanks with a little trial and error your suggestions did the trick!

[morri234]

Did you, by any chance, use the "twinning" feature to solve your problem?