asterisk users - Nov 2005 - Master Telephone

I am the network administrator for a small school in Michigan.  We are
currently using an older proprietary pbx system and are trying very hard to
get away from this one vender lock in. I have set up an asterisk server
using the version 1.2 of asterisk.  Our current system has a master
telephone used by the head secretary that can transfer anyone's calls and
just generally handle all phone redirection.  Kind of like a head
receptionist.  The one rule we have about our telephone system is that
during school hours a person must answer.  Our superintendent refuses to
have a machine answer if there are people working.  So the head secretary
must either redirect the calls to someone who is there or take the call
herself.  How can we accomplish this with asterisk? Also if it can't be
accomplished through programming what special hardware would we be required
to purchase.

 

Johnathan Falk
Network Administrator

Clinton Community Schools

1-517-442-9622

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Hi Johnathan -
> I am the network administrator for a small school in Michigan.  We are
> currently using an older proprietary pbx system and are trying very hard to
> get away from this one vender lock in. I have set up an asterisk server
> using the version 1.2 of asterisk.  Our current system has a master
> telephone used by the head secretary that can transfer anyone's calls
and
> just generally handle all phone redirection.  Kind of like a head
> receptionist.  The one rule we have about our telephone system is that
> during school hours a person must answer.  Our superintendent refuses to
> have a machine answer if there are people working.  So the head secretary
> must either redirect the calls to someone who is there or take the call
> herself.  How can we accomplish this with asterisk? Also if it can't be
> accomplished through programming what special hardware would we be required
> to purchase.
Asterisk is flexible enough that you can do almost anything with it in terms
of dialplan.  We also have an "always answer" policy at my company. 
We do
this with multiple-line sip phones (Polycom IP601).  If multiple calls come
in, our receptionists answer each one, and put the calls on hold as
necessary until they can go back and deal with them all.  You could also set
something up with queues, so that each person is guaranteed to eventually
talk to your receptionist, but they may have to wait a minute or two before
actually speaking with her.  You could play hold music and/or a greeting
during this time.

- Noah Miller

First, you have to configure your zapata.conf & sip.conf to support your
hardware (see http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/index.php?page=Asterisk and read
http://www.nufone.net/downloads/asteriskdocs/AsteriskTFOT.zip ,this last is a
must-read one)

After that, you have to see if all incoming calls are done within work hours:

[incoming]

exten => s,1,GotoIfTime(9:00-15:00,mon-fri,*,*?accepted,1,10)
exten => s,2,thefunctionyouwantdoneifisnthourtime

[accepted]

exten => 1,1,Dial(thephoneyouwantasmaster)
; add here what you want if that phone is in use        

as you see, you have no need for new hardware and programming is really simple
;)


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Johnathan Falk 
  To: Asterisk-Users@lists.digium.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 4:22 PM
  Subject: [Asterisk-Users] Master Telephone


  I am the network administrator for a small school in Michigan.  We are
currently using an older proprietary pbx system and are trying very hard to get
away from this one vender lock in. I have set up an asterisk server using the
version 1.2 of asterisk.  Our current system has a master telephone used by the
head secretary that can transfer anyone's calls and just generally handle
all phone redirection.  Kind of like a head receptionist.  The one rule we have
about our telephone system is that during school hours a person must answer. 
Our superintendent refuses to have a machine answer if there are people working.
So the head secretary must either redirect the calls to someone who is there or
take the call herself.  How can we accomplish this with asterisk? Also if it
can't be accomplished through programming what special hardware would we be
required to purchase.

   

  Johnathan Falk
  Network Administrator

  Clinton Community Schools

  1-517-442-9622



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