Hunt groups provide solutions to a several call routing scenarios.
Backup Routing for Workgroup
To use a hunt group as a backup when the workgroup server cannot be reached, create a hunt group with workgroup members who will serve as backup members. To use the hunt group when the workgroup server is not reachable because of a network outage, admission control, or a server outage, set the workgroup’s backup number to the hunt group. When the hunt group is set to offer each member a single call at a time, then call offering is similar to a workgroup. Hunt group members are hunted even though they are logged out or in wrap-up with respect to the workgroup.
Hunt Group as a Call Forward Destination
In a small office where individuals generally receive calls directly, users may want someone in the office to answer calls when they are unable to answer. To handle this situation, create a hunt group with everyone in the small office as a member. Individual users can set their call forward destinations to this hunt group. The hunt group can be configured with simultaneous ring, to hunt members only once, and to go to voice mail with Call Forward Busy and Call Forward No Answer conditions.
When configured as described above, if a user's call was forwarded to the hunt group after it wasn't answered, the hunt switch hunts everyone in the office. If the call was not answered after the maximum number of rings, the call is forwarded to voice mail where the caller can leave a message in the original target's mailbox.
Distribution of Calls to Backup Operators
In this scenario, a primary operator who handles calls to a main company number requires one or more secondary operators to receive the calls when the primary operator becomes too busy.
To create a hunt group to back up the primary operator, create a hunt group with backup operators. Enter the main operator and all the backups as members of the hunt group in the order in which they are to serve as backups. Set the hunt group for
multiple calls to be hunted to a given member, and set the call stack size for each of the users to control the number of calls he or she can receive.
When there are incoming calls to the hunt group, the primary operator is offered the calls first. The operator may be offered multiple calls concurrently up to the limit of his or her call stack. If a member's call stack is full, the member is skipped and that particular call is not be offered again (unless the hunt group is set to hunt forever and no member picks up the call before the member is reached again in the hunt list). If a member of the operator group does not answer the hunt call, the call is offered to the next member after the number of rings configured for call forwarding. Thus, even if the primary operator has room on his or her call stack, the call is offered to the next member in the list when the operator does not answer the call in time.
If you want calls to go directly to a backup when the primary operator is not available, then set the hunt group not to hunt the members when their current call handling mode is set to Call Forward Always (DND). Operators can use this configuration to pass calls to other hunt group members by changing their call handling mode to Call Forward Always.
You may wish to have a hunt group that goes immediately to voice mail or another number during non-working hours. The hunt group can be configured with an off- hours schedule. Setup a schedule for on-hours during which the call handling mode for the hunt group is configured to forward calls to another number only if the hunt group is busy or no one answers. For off-hours, set the hunt group to call forward always to voice mail or another number. The auto-attendant automatically changes the hunt group's current call handling mode based upon the configured schedule.
Common Line Monitoring
A hunt group can be used for line monitoring. For example, several operators may wish to monitor the same line and all have an opportunity to answer calls at the same time. For this case, set up a hunt group with simultaneous ring. When a call is received, the hunt switch rings all operators in the hunt group whose call stack is not full to the number of rings configured. If the hunt group is set to hunt forever, when the number of rings is reached the hunt switch rehunts the same users again. However, the
members who have room on their call stack for additional calls may have changed, so each additional hunt may result in different phones ringing.
Pickup Groups
Group Pickup is a traditional PBX and key system feature used in group environments. The feature allows users in a pickup group to answer any ringing phone in that group, and the feature works best in places where several people work together on a daily basis, such as design firms. If a group member is away from her desk and across the room while her phone rings, she can quickly answer the call from another person's IP phone by pressing the relevant soft key or programmable button, or by using a simple star command from an analog phone.
The following example may help illustrate how this feature is used.
Assume three hypothetical users (e.g. Mike, Joe, and Sarah) work together and have jobs that require extensive collaboration. They also sit near one another. Their extensions (x1001, x1002, x1003, respectively) would be added to an extension list, and then this list would be associated with a pickup group.
The pickup group would have its own extension (e.g. x3755). Note that this extension is invalid and cannot be dialed, and thus acts more like a code than an extension. This non-dialable extension could be programmed into a PCM toolbar button or an IP phone programmable button on Mike's, Joe's, and Sarah's phones.
So, assume Joe's phone rings (x1002) while he is having a conversation with Sarah at her desk. He would hear his phone ringing at his desk, yet he could press the pre- programmed button on Sarah's IP phone in order to answer his own call.
Alternatively, if Sarah had an analog phone, Joe could press *13 + 3755 to answer the call.
Pickup groups can include the following types of extensions:
• User extensions
• Workgroup extensions
• Bridged Call Appearance (BCA) extensions
Details
• Pickup groups can be associated with a programmable toolbar button, or with a programmable button on an IP phone, and can work with Office Anywhere.
• The user whose phone will be picked up must have class of service “Call Pickup Allowed” to use this feature. However, other users need not be members of the pickup group to pickup a call.
• This feature is not supported on the following legacy ShoreTel switch models: ShoreGear T1 and ShoreGear E1.
• The call pickup feature will support:
• 24 members per group
• 16 groups per switch
• The sum of all members assigned to all Pickup Groups on a switch cannot exceed 80
• A single user can be a member of up to 5 Pickup Groups
• A single switch can host a combined total of up to 24 Hunt Groups, Bridged Call Appearances, and Pickup Groups.
• Users can use this feature in several different ways:
• IP Phone – If a programmable button has been configured for Pickup Groups,
the user can press the button, or key, and enter the extension for the Pickup Group to answer the call.
• IP Phone – If a soft key has been programmed, the user can press the “pickup”
soft key and enter the extenion to answer the call.
• PCM – If one of the pre-programmed buttons in PCM has been set up for
Pickup Groups, a user can enter the extension of the Pickup Group to answer the call. If the key has already been programmed with the extension of the Pickup Group, then it is not necessary to enter the extension.
• PCM – Alternatively, the user can access the “pickup” command from the Call
Menu, followed by the extension.
• Analog Phone – The user can enter the *13 command, followed by the Pickup
Workgroups
The ShoreTel 7.5 system supports up to 128 workgroups, with up to 300 members per workgroup. (The Simultaneous Ring feature is limited to 16 members.) A workgroup enables a group of users to appear as a single unit to calling parties. Calls can be routed in top-down, longest-idle, round-robin, and simultaneous-ring fashion. Workgroups are typically used by support and sales groups to help automate call handling. The ShoreTel 7.5 system provides a Workgroup Agent Call Manager and Workgroup Supervisor Call Manager with the proper software licenses. In addition, you can run workgroup reports on the server to help you understand and assess workgroup activity and performance.
NOTE ShoreTel analog phones do not display Caller ID for calls forwarded from a workgroup.