Call Routing Scenarios

Let's begin this course by exploring additional call routing scenarios.

In the courses on Call Queues and Auto Attendants, you have already seen how you can route a phone number directly to either object and how the call routing will change depending on which different Time Frames are associated with them. Those are not the only options for our customers. 

DID routing to User's extension

In some cases, our customers might just have a phone or two on their account and only need the phone number to point directly to a user's extension. Other types of accounts, such as (but not limited to) lawyers offices and real estate, will have multiple DIDs on the account, each pointing directly to a user's extension. 

The call routing in those scenarios will depend on the Answering Rules found on those extensions.

DID routing to Call Queue

Another common scenario that we have already covered is where the phone number routes directly to a Call Queue. This will sometimes be used on smaller accounts where they don't need an Auto Attendant but would like everyone or a few different people in the office to be responsible for answering incoming calls. You might also see this on larger accounts with multiple DIDs where one or more will point directly to specific queues. For example, an organization might have a Toll Free Number route directly to a VIP Support Queue for certain clients. 

Once again, the call routing with aDID pointing to a Call Queue will depend on the Answering Rules of the Queue in question.

DID routing to Auto Attendant

Next, we have another scenario that was already covered. You can route a phone number to an Auto Attendant. You will often need to use this type of routing when a customer has many departments and don't have a person or group of people dedicated to screening all incoming calls. As we have seen in the Auto Attendant course, you can fully customize this scenario to meet your customer's needs and add Time Frames to change the routing based on time/day. 

The call routing for a DID going to an Auto Attendant will depend on the Auto Attendant's Answering Rules.

DID routing combinations

Let's now discuss how we can combine Call Queues and Auto Attendants to create custom scenarios for your customers.The most common example is a Reception Ring Group combined with an Auto Attendant. Often, businesses will have one or more receptionists who can screen incoming calls and want an Auto Attendant if the call can't be answered right away.

In order to do this configuration, you would create an Auto Attendant and customize it to the Customer's preferences.Then you would create a Ring All Call Queue. If it's the first or only Call Queue on the account, it is recommended to use "8800" for the extension and "Reception Ring Group" for the name. The next step is to configure the Answering Rules on that Ring Group. You need to know how long we should attempt to ring at reception before going to the Auto Attendant. 

Here's an example where 24/7, the call routing attempts the Call Queue first and goes to the Auto Attendant if there's no answer.

If you show your Customer how receptionists can log in/log out, you can also use the Require Agents option and set the "Forward if unavailable" to go to the Auto Attendant as well. Both can be found in the Pre Queue Options. This will have calls go to the Auto Attendant when the receptionist(s) log out.

If instead, the receptionist prefers always to be logged in and/or leave at the same time every day, you can also use an Office Hours/After Hours configuration to send the calls straight to the Auto Attendant when the office is closed. Here's an example.

Understanding Call Flows

In this portion of the course, we will teach you a method to understand the call flow for any situation and then put it into practice by looking at a few accounts on our system.

Understanding call flows is very important regardless of your department within client services. Whether you are configuring a new account, troubleshooting an issue or advising clients, being able to read existing call flows will enable you to make better decisions and understand how everything ties together.

Method

Here are the steps you should always follow when reading a call flow:

1.      Start with a phone number on the account. Note the extension it is being directed to. What is the treatment? If it's User, we know the Answering Rules will be engaged. If it's Call Queue or Auto Attendant, the Answering Rules will be ignored.

2.     Look at the Answering Rules for the extension in question.When you are at this step, pay attention to all the Time Frames, if any.Take a moment to familiarize yourself with all the scenarios currently in place.

3.     If there are any Time Frames in use within the AnsweringRules, go to the Time Frames tab and note each one's days and time.

4.     If you are dealing with a Call Queue, go to the Call Queues tab and take a moment to look at the type, Pre Queue and In Queue options to understand how it functions. (Optional) Also, take a look at the list of agents to have an idea of who's in there.

5.     If you are dealing with an Auto Attendant, go to the Auto Attendants tab and see how it functions. Listen to the greeting and look at the options. If the Auto Attendant has multiple instances, repeat this step for each one. This step is important to see if further investigation is required. If you see some options pointing to other Call Queues or Auto Attendants, you may need to look at those as well.

6.    If any of the Answering Rules forward to another User, look at it's Answering Rules as well and follow steps 2-6 until you reach the end of the chain.

Applying the Method

Let's put what we learned into practice by using this method on a customer's account.

1.      The Phone Number's tab on this account shows us two phone numbers that point to the same destination; a reception ring group.

2.     When looking at the Answering Rules for User 8800, we can see that the Call Queue is used during Office Hours and rings for 30 seconds before sending unanswered calls to an Auto Attendant. During After Hours, Holidays andStorm Days, callers are sent straight to the Auto Attendant.

3.     We confirm that the office is opened from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday in the Time Frames tab. The Storm day Time Frame has no dates set for the future and the Holiday one has all the dates for 2021.

4.     From the Call Queues tab, we can confirm that the Call Queue is configured as a Ring All.

5.     Since we have 3 Answering Rules that are pointing to an Auto Attendant User, we have to look at those Answering Rules as well. We see more Time Frames being used, but we have to remember that no phone numbers are pointing directly to this Auto Attendant. It is invoked by the Call Queue, which only uses the Storm Day, Holiday, Office Hours and Default Time Frames.The important thing to note here is the different Auto Attendant instances used by each Time Frame.

6.    Finally, we can look at each AutoAttendant instance in case some options might require further investigation,but we find nothing important. Here's an example of their Office Hours AutoAttendant.

Now that we compiled all of the above information, we can put everything in a diagram to visualize the call flow.

Using the Method withTroubleshooting

When troubleshooting an issue, you need first to understand what the intended behaviour the customer is expecting is, and you need to know the behaviour that is happening instead. If you see multiple phone numbers on the account, asks which one you should dial to reproduce the issue. If Auto Attendants are involved, ask which option you should press to reach the destination. Place a test call to confirm you can reproduce the issue.

If you follow the method to read the call flow, you should find that everything is configured to match the behaviour you experienced when you called. You now need to make the necessary changes to match the customer's expectation of how the call flow should be. 

Here's an example:

Your customer is calling to report that their Support Queue should be forwarded to their cellphone number due to an Internet outage. Yet when calling to test, they hear the Queue's regular hold music. They only have one phone number on the account that points to their Auto Attendant, and you need to press 1 to reach the Support Queue according to your customer. When you place a test call, you get the same result as when they test. Let's have a look at the call flow.

1.      The phone number on the account is going to User 8000.

2.     There are multiple Time Frames in the Answering Rules for the 8000 Auto Attendant. You notice the Office Hours is currently active.

3.     You check that Time Frame and confirm with the customer that it is right.

4.     When looking at the Auto Attendant's instance for this Time Frame, you see that Option 1 points to the correct Call Queue. You notice that it was configured using the Call Queue option instead of the User option.

5.     Knowing that the Call Queue option doesn't invoke the Answering Rules, you suspect that you may have found the problem. Since the customer's goal is to bypass the Call Queue at the moment, there isn't a need to check the Pre Queue/In Queue options. You check the Answering Rules on the 8800 Call Queue and notice the Outage Time Frame is active, and you confirm with the customer that the number is correct.

6.    Finally, you check the Outage Time Frame and notice it is set to Always. You confirm with the customer, and they say it is what they want. Their goal is to change the order of the Answering Rules when an outage occurs.

Now you understand that the behaviour you get when testing is because of what you found during step 4. Since option 1uses Call Queue instead of User to send callers to the Support Queue, the Answering Rules are completely ignored. From our point of view, there is nothing broken. Technically the system is doing exactly what it is instructed to do. To match the behaviour the customer is expecting, you need to change option 1 to use the User functionality to route to 8800.

A final test confirms that you are being re-directed to the customer's cellphone number when you call the number and press 1 from the Auto Attendant.