Transitioning customer's old station numbers to new station numbers (reflecting DID)
 

Greetings!
Does anyone have any suggestions how this could be done better?



HISTORY

A couple of years ago the customer started out with POTS trunks and used the auto attendant to route callers to 2000 and 3000 numbered stations (about 70 stations). Due to a facility move and location which PRI could be acquired they decided to get a digital trunk and DIDs.



OVERVIEW
All users are currently using station numbers which reflect their DID number. To ensure outside callers call reach the same persons using their 'old' station numbers will take a bit of programming. First, the automated attendant must be setup to account for the 'old' station numbers. Currently the client has accounted for this by creating a single digit option in the main menu directing users to a submenu where they can enter a user's station number beginning with the digits 2 (old stations), 3 (old stations), 4 (new stations) or 8 (new stations). Second, the 'short code,' 'phantom user' and 'hunt group' would need to be programmed for each user with an old station number. See the below example notes and check current programming to see how this is done.

EXAMPLE
User name: Professor Xavier
Old Station Number: 33xx
New DID: abc-82yy
New Station Number: 82yy

SHORT CODE
1. Create a short code with the 'code' beginning with "*23" and followed by the old station number. For example, if you are creating a short code for Professor Xavier (station 82yy) whose previous station was 33xx you would create a code of "*2333xx."
2. Change the feature type to be 'Voicemail Collect.'
3. For 'telephone number' enter "#" followed by the user's station number. For Professor Xavier (station 82yy) you would enter "#82yy" without quotes. After selecting the 'OK' button, the telephone number will change to include quotes.

SHORT CODE ADDITIONAL NOTES
*23 was chosen as there were no short codes beginning with this code. As the client will be creating 20+ short codes (one for each user with an old station number) it makes send to have *23 preceed the old number. Thus Prof Xavier's short code is *2333xx

PHANTOM USER
1. Determine a new station user number is not currently in use but also allows you to associate with the user's old station user's number. As we are working on Professor Xavier (currently station 82yy) whose old station was 33xx, I have set aside the station number 30xx.
2. Create a new user. Enter the name using a nomenclature that will allow you to remember this is for a phantom station. I've used "Phantom 3065" but you can choose anything.
3. Enter the new station number decided in step 1. In this case it is '30xx.'
4. Goto the voicemail tab and deselect 'Voicemail On.' We do not want voice mail for station 30xx.
5. Goto the forwarding tab and select the 'Forward Unconditional' option. Enter the short code in the previous instructions in the 'Forwarded Number' field. As we are working with Professor Xavier, the short code created earlier is '*2333xx.' Ensure 'Forward Hunt Group Calls' and 'Forward Internal Calls' are selected.
6. Select the 'OK' button and confirm this user has no extension (physical port nor SIP/IP phone) associated with it.

PHANTOM USER ADDITIONAL NOTES
Because of the nature of phantom user/stations, you will get an message in the error list indicating a user/station has no extension assigned to it. Remember, the new phantom user's numbers must not match any existing user or hunt group. Station number 30xx was chosen as it somewhat matches the old station number of 33xx.

HUNT GROUP
1. Create a new hunt group and enter the name (15 alphanumeric characters) of the hunt group to reflect the action you are trying to accomplish. I created the name of this group to be 'Fwd33xx to 82yy.'
2. Enter the extension number as the old station number of the user. As this is for Professor Xavier (station 82yy) whose old station was 33xx, I entered '33xx.'
3. Scroll down to find the 'edit' button to enter stations in the hunt group. As we are working with Professor Xavier, we select 82yy and select the 'append' button to enter this user as member 1 of the hunt group. Find the phantom user, 'Phantom 30xx,' and enter as member 2 of the hunt group. Select 'OK' when complete.
4. Goto the 'Voicemail' tab and deselect 'Voicemail On.'
5. Assuming all entries are correct and the timing from ringing the station and going to voicemail is the same as when calling other stations normally, you are complete and should select the 'OK' tab and the bottom of the hunt group fields.

HUNT GROUP ADDITIONAL NOTES
It is possible to use the overflow as the 'termination' of sequential hunt group but in this release of IP Office, only other hunt groups can be used. It became easier NOT to use the overflow and just place the phantom user (which is call forwarded to a short code which sends calls straight to a user's voice mailbox) as the last member of the hunt group.

CONCLUSION
Clients who know Professor Xavier's old station number can reach him by dialing the main number, 522-82yy, pressing 1 for the dial by station submenu and then entering 33xx. His phone, station 82yy will ring three times and then will go to the voice mailbox for station 82yy. To speed up programming. I would suggest creating a spreadsheet ahead of time to layout the steps and ensuring this can be done a great deal quicker. Additional time can be saved by copying/pasting from the current examples of short code (*2333xx), phantom user (30xx), and hunt group (33xx) offsite and then importing. It is highly recommended that users re-record their voice mail greeting and inform callers of their new station and DID number, depending on regulations.

If they love their current extensions so much, why change the numbering? Just direct the DID to the extension number...
If they truly want to match the DID to the extension, then they should change the extension numbers...

The time it takes to figure out the work a round, and then troubleshoot if it doesnt work, is crazy. If they want want something bad enough, they will change the extension numbers

Drat, I should've mentioned that.

In the initial conference calls, they knew their current four digit station numbers would not match the DIDs. Many years ago they had a Nortel Norstar MICS using three digit station numbers with POTS lines. Later they transitioned to an IP Office with the same POTS lines and chose to go with four digit stations. To do this they just added an initial digit of 2 or 3 to the previous station numbers to provide some continuity. Fast forward to the present day where they determine ISDN PRI pricing is worth the jump and I am contracted to integrate the digital trunk to the system.

So, the initial conversations were to use station numbers which matched the DIDs. Then while programming the conversation changed several times between the prime contractor and the end customer. Now we had a change order to determine the easiest way to integrate their old station numbers as many of their clients had business cards listing the main telephone number and the user's station number. I created a 'proof of concept,' and their IT team would implement any changes on an 'as needed basis.'

Strangely when asked to do this I was positive it could be done but I didn't know immediately how to do it. ATAC and support were scratching their head and saying the same thing: "It's possible, but we don't know how and why would you do it?"

Oh well, if another runs into the same problem, here it is...