Windstream OfficeSuite UC® release 9.7 enables call group routing based on time of day, day of week

Rob_Marschall

The OfficeSuite UC team is pleased to announce new features and functions for its customers with the release of OfficeSuite version 9.7 software.

The primary customer-facing enhancement in OfficeSuite v9.7 is Group Presence Routing; available to customers using the WE Connect and MyWin portals as of October, 2020.

Group Presence Routing: OfficeSuite customers have a new routing function for Group Calls by time of day and day of week with the ability to define presence states with different routing for each, plus the option to change the presence state via the portal or by calling into an auto-attendant.

The primary use case for Group Presence Routing is for special handling of calls to groups out-of-hours or whenever business needs require different routing during the normal work week.   This new feature is available only in the WE Connect and MyWin customer portals and requires your services to be upgraded to OfficeSuite v9.7 software before you can use it.

For the majority of the time, customers will choose to route group calls to the members of the group, but this new feature allows handling of incoming calls to each group by four presence states for “In Office”, “Lunch”, “Away”, or “Vacation”. For each state, calls can be routed to group members, auto-attendants, other call groups, or other phone numbers; including external numbers, for example answering services.  This function is available for Broadcast, Hunt, and Rollover group types only.

Once routing is defined for each day and time by presence state, routing will change automatically when the time reaches the boundary of the next presence state. At any time, the admin can temporarily override the presence state via the portal, for example if a group is taking an extended lunch or is away attending a meeting. When the time boundary for the next presence state arrives, the temporary override ends and normal presence state routing resumes. The only presence state that is not temporary is “Vacation”. When this is selected, it must be manually reverted to one of the other states to resume normal time of day, day of week routing.

Furthermore, the admin has the ability to change the presence state by calling into an auto-attendant specially configured to allow for group presence state changes. Any AA can be used for this purpose. Pick one of the digit presses, e.g. star or pound or any number, and select “Group Presence Control” as the target.  When pressed, the caller will be prompted for the group extension and PIN for that group before being presented with the option to change the presence state for the group.

Instructions on How to configure Group Presence Routing in the WE Connect and MyWin portals

NOTE:  The above is part of OfficeSuite UC® v9.7 software. Refer to the upgrade schedule for details by server. Your services must first be upgraded to v9.7 and the capability exposed in the WE Connect and MyWin portals before you can enjoy this feature. Production rollout of OfficeSuite release v9.7 was completed for all customer servers as of June 14, 2021.

You can check the version of software your OfficeSuite UC® service is running by following these instructions: WE Connect (and MyWin) or by adding the OfficeSuite Releases widget to your dashboard.

Read the announcement of features and functions in the previous OfficeSuite Release v9.6