Set Up Your Inbound Call Routing

Using the Stratus web portal, call routing and forwarding can be set up using Time Frames and Answering Rules. This routing/forwarding could be for your business hours, holidays, lunches, and much more!

Create a Time Frame

In order for the system to know what dates and times calls should be routed to different destinations, a time frame will need to be created.

To add a new Time Frame…

1. Navigate to the Time Frames page.
   
2. Click Domain or click the Edit icon to pull up a list of the time frames for the whole business.
   
   

   Quick Tip: Alternatively, you can click the Add icon to quickly navigate to the Add a Domain Time Frame menu. 

    
3. Click the Add Time Frame button.
4. In the Add a Domain Time Frame menu, fill in the following information:
   
   • Name - Type in a unique name for this time frame.
     
   • When - Select the type of time frame to be created.
     
     Use the Module below to explore the selectable options for When:
     

     Always

     If the time frame should be active until it is disabled, select Always. 

     ✔ This option is commonly used for call forwarding that will be enabled for an undetermined length of time, such a forwarding for emergencies or an outage.

      

      

      

     Days of the Week

     Select Days of the Week if the time frame will be active on a recurring basis (same time and day every week).
     

     ✔ This option is commonly used for scheduling Business Hours and Lunch.

      

     To add a break in the time that the time frame is active on a certain day, click the Add range icon.
     

     Click Copy to All to have this time range added to the other selected days.
     

      

      

     Specific Dates

     Select Specific Dates to schedule routing during special date(s) and times that may or may not recur, such as Meetings, Conferences, etc.

     In the Specific dates section, select the date(s) and times the time frame will be active for and click the Add button.
     

     If the date(s) will be recurring, use the Recurrence dropdown to select when this time frame should automatically be active in the future.
     

     Quick Tip:  If you have set this time frame to recur, you can use the Ends option to set a date that this time frame will stop following the Recurrence option.

     

      

      

      

     Holidays

     With the Holidays option, you can select commonly celebrated holidays from different regions that you would like to forward or reject calls for.
     
     Use the search bar to find and select a holiday.
     

     Use the dropdown filters to look for holidays observed in specific regions.
     

     Select the range of time that this time frame will be active for, such as your business hours.
     

     To remove a holiday, click the Delete icon.
     

     If needed, use the Recurrence dropdown to select whether or not these holidays will be observed yearly.  
     

     Quick Tip: If you set these holidays to recur, you can use the Ends option to set a date that this time frame should stop following the Recurrence option.
     

      

      

      

     Custom

     Create custom time routing that combines days of the week, specific dates, and holidays all together to suit any time frame need.

     

      

      
5. Click the Save button.
6. To add more time frames, repeat steps 3-5. 
   

   ✔ You should now have a list of time frames that can be used to create answering rules by you or other users.
   

   Basic users will be able to view and use these time frames for answering rules, but they cannot edit these time frames. 
   

   Now the Domain time frames can be selected when you and other users are creating answering rules. 
   

   Note: To learn how you can use these time frames to create Answering Rules to route calls, check out this article.

    

    

Check Your Phone Number's Routing

In order to know where we need to add the routing we will create; we need to confirm where your phone number is routing calls.

To check the Destination for calls to your phone number…

1. Navigate to the Inventory → Phone Numbers.
   
   

   ✔ On this tab, you can check where your phone numbers route. 

   

    
2. Click the phone number that needs to be edited.
   

   Quick Tip: Alternatively, click the Edit icon next to a phone number.

    
3. In the Edit modal, check and update the following information:
   
   
   • Treatment - This will determine the type of destination we want callers to be routed when someone dials the phone number.
     
     • Available number - Leave the phone number unassigned.
       • Fax-to-Email phone numbers may be set as an Available Number. 
     • User - Route the call to a specific user.
       • Direct Dial Numbers (DIDs) can be routed to specific Users. 
       • "Main Numbers" will usually be routed to an Inbound Routing User (x8900) that uses Answering Rules and Time Frames to route calls depending on the time and day. 
     • Fax - Routes calls and fax messages to a fax number. Not all accounts will have this option.
     • Conference - Routes callers to a conference bridge that has been created.
     • Call queue - Routes callers directly to a call queue.
     • Voicemail - Routes callers to a specific user's voicemailbox.
     • Auto Attendant - Route callers directly to an auto attendant to have their call handled.
     • PSTN - Routes calls to an off-net, 10-digit phone number, such as an Answering Service or a cellphone.
     • Fax Server - Calls with fax tones will be sent to our fax server.
       • This option is used for fax numbers used by our StratusFAX service.
   • Caller ID Prefix - This will add text to the beginning of the caller id name for all calls that route through this phone number. 
   • Notes - This is where you can add information about the use of the phone number, such a location or business name. 
   • Forwarding Number - In the case of a catastrophic event on our (SpectrumVoIP's) network, numbers can be forwarded to this fallback number. Other call forward options are available if you are experiencing a local network or power issue.

Create an Answering Rule

Now that we have a time frame and know where calls for your phone number are being routed, we can add in an Answering Rule that will route calls according to the time of day.

To create an Answering Rule…

1. To view your main business routing, navigate to the Users page.
   
2. Use the search bar to find the user (Inbound Routing User, Call Queue, Auto Attendant, User, etc.) that handles calls from your phone number
3. Click the name of the routing user and visit the Answering Rules tab.

   Quick Tip: Alternatively, click the Edit icon and select Answering Rules.

   

    
4. If you need to add a new Time Frame Rule, click the Add Rule button.
5.  In the Add Rule window, use the Time Frame drop-down to select the new/updated Time Frame.
   
6. If the rule should be active when the time frame is active, ensure the Enabled checkbox is selected.
   
7. In the Call Forwarding section, select the Always checkbox and in the box, type the destination for calls during this time frame.
   
   

   Quick Tip: Possible destinations include:

    – Call Queues
    – Auto Attendants
    – Conference Bridges
    – The Phone or Voicemailbox of a Specific User
    – General Voicemailboxes
    – An Off-Net 10-Digit Phone Number (Answering Service, Cellphone, etc.)

    
8.  Click the Save button.
   

   ✔ You will then see the new rule for your new time frame listed.

   

    
9. Make sure that the Answering Rules are prioritized correctly. 
   • You can move Time Frames around by clicking and dragging the triangles on the left-hand side of the answering rules. 
     
   • The rules take priority from top-to-bottom.
     • Top = Highest Priority (Usually a Temp Forward or Holiday answering rule)
     • Bottom = Lowest Priority (Default/After Hours answering rule)
       

       Quick Tip: The Default Answering Rule (listed at the bottom) is utilized as the After Hours. 

       It acts as a catch-all for any calls that come in when all of the Time Frames are inactive.