Enable answering rules for call routing in Pilot Voice

    This article explains how Answering Rules work with a handy list of the full rules to use.

    Introduction

    Answering Rules are a secret productivity weapon. With a little planning, these setups can help any business create powerful call routing applications. 

    This guide explains some basic information about answering rules and how they work in Pilot Voice. It also includes the full list of Answering Rule options to help your team customize and streamline things to suit your company.

    How Answering Rules Work

    Create as many rules as you wish per User. They’ll always be prioritized from top to bottom and by Time Frame. You may only use a Time Frame once per set of Answering Rules. However, two different Time Frames may overlap. Confused yet? Here's a good example to help explain:

    A Holiday Time Frame and a Business Hours Time Frame. If the holiday took place during business hours, both sets of answering rules would apply—but only the first one listed will be processed. Only account admins can update shared Time Frames in the Pilot Voice portal.

    Not sure which Answering Rule is up and running now? The blue Active icon appears next to the rule name to help you find it easily. In this example, the Default rule is active.


    How Ring Time is Determined

    A standard ring time is 30 seconds, or about five rings. However, answering rules process for the number of seconds set in your Ring setting. After that, the call rolls over to the Unavailable destination or voicemail (if voicemail is enabled, you don’t have to specify it in the Answering Rule destination). If neither options are selected, the caller will just hear a busy tone. 

     
    The List of Answering Rule Options

    These options are available with each rule:

    Option
    Description
    Time Frame
    Time Frame under which this rule will be processed. Additional Time Frames may be created on the appropriate tab
    Enabled
    The rule is enabled per the parameters created
    Do Not Disturb
    This is synced to the DND option on Polycom phones
    Call Screening
    If enabled, only numbers listed in the Allowed box will bypass call screening
    Always
    Immediately sends the caller to this destination
    When Busy
    Forwards calls if you are on the phone or during DND mode
    When Unanswered
    Forwards calls after the Ring timeout
    When Offline
    If an endpoint cannot receive a call (usually due to loss of network connection) the caller will be sent to this destination
    Simultaneous Ring
    Used to create a ring group
    Include User's Extension
    Adds user's extension to the ring group. Not recommended for Call Routing users
    Ring All User's Phones
    Ring any phones attached to the user. This does not apply to Call Routing users
    Answer Confirmation for Off-net Numbers
    If a number not associated with your organization’s Pilot Voice account is listed below, the receiving party will get a confirmation prompt before accepting any call
    Just Ring User's Extension
    This feature enables or disables the ringing of your telephone only. Checked = incoming call rings just your telephone.  Not checked = feature is disabled.

    Now you’re ready to customize Answering Rules to your team’s preferences. Add new rules or edit your options with this tutorial.

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