Schedules (Admin Center Voice Features)

• Schedules Usage
• Schedules Types and Priorities
• Existing Schedules and Schedule Status
• Creating a New Schedule
  • Holiday Schedule Wizard
• Schedules Settings and Affected Numbers---
  
  • General Settings
  • Set Schedule
  • – Custom Schedule
  • – Holiday Schedule
  • – Weekly Schedule
    
  • Affected Numbers
• Assigning Schedules with Schedule Route Settings

Schedules Usage

Schedules are an automation tool that lets you set up times (referred to as events) for when certain features of the phone system will be enabled or accessible.

Unless your organization works around the clock all year, one schedule you will need is for your IVR to route calls based on your business and holiday hours. For example, on weekends or holidays, such a schedule will route calls to a general mailbox instead of the main IVR.

Other common uses are with queues, hunt groups, mailboxes, phone numbers, or any other feature that depends on staff's availability.

Schedules Types and Priorities

There are three types of schedules you can create:

• Weekly Schedule: You set hours for each day of the week or weekend when the schedule is active. The schedule repeats automatically every week.
  
  
• Holiday Schedule: You build the schedule by adding (holiday) events when the schedule is active using the Holiday Schedule Wizard. Holiday events do not repeat.
  
  
• Custom Schedule: You also set events when the schedule is active but custom schedules may repeat across multiple weeks, months, and years.
  
  Custom schedules also have a priority setting. If two or more schedules take place in the same time period, the system will use the one with the higher priority. Holiday Schedules have the highest priority (10) and Weekly Schedules have the lowest (1).

Existing Schedules and Schedule Status

Access your list of existing schedules from the side navigation menu under Voice Features>Schedules. Existing schedules are listed by Name, Type, Description, Status, and Numbers Affected (see adding affected numbers below). Clicking  on the Starred column will add a schedule to the home page Starred Features panel for fast access.

You can delete schedules by checking them and clicking   , but be aware that this cannot be undone.

Click    on  to download a CSV file of existing schedules showing a schedule ID, name, description, priority, and schedule type. Use   to search for schedules by name, type, description, or the ID from the CSV file.

Schedule Status

An active schedule status appears as SCHEDULED, meaning it includes valid future scheduling events and days that will effectively trigger it. An EXPIRED status indicates one or more events in the schedule are set in the past and are no longer relevant. 

If a schedule has expired and non-expired events, its status will be listed as expired! Also, a custom or holiday schedule is listed as expired if it has no scheduling events. A weekly schedule is listed as expired if it has no toggled-on days.

Creating a New Schedule

You can create a new schedule in two ways:

• Click the ADD SCHEDULE menu on the Schedules page to select the type of schedule to create.
  
  You can then Name the schedule. For a Custom Schedule, you also need to provide a Priority.
  
  
• If you create a schedule from the Voice Features Quick Add Menu, the schedule type is selected from a drop-down menu in the New Schedule window. 

For a weekly or custom schedule, you will be directed to the schedule settings screen (see below) so you can finish setting the periods for when it is active and the numbers that it affects. Creating a holiday schedule will open the Holiday Schedule Wizard. 

Holiday Schedule Wizard

The Holiday Schedule Wizard walks you through five screens where you can use date and greeting templates and set up call routing to an alternative holiday IVR menu.

1. Template & IVR

From the Select Template menu, you can select an upcoming Jewish, American, or Christian holiday for the current year. This will automatically insert the relevant dates on the Holiday Dates screen. For all other holidays or events, skip making a selection (or select "Blank Template") and enter the dates manually.

You need to create and name a new IVR routing for the schedule or use an existing one. IVR menus are explained in this article. 

2. IVR Routes

Here you can assign or modify the key press options (including the 0-9,#,* buttons and a Time Out option) for the new or existing IVR menu to allow callers to navigate the phone system.

For any unused keys, select the Ignore key press option. You can read more about key press options here.

You should inform callers about the key functions in the IVR greeting.

3. Greeting

This is the greeting callers hear when routed to the IVR by the holiday schedule. If you assigned any key press options, you should describe their function in the greeting. 

By default, the greeting will be generated by Text To Speech technology, prompting you to select from three greeting templates. Closed (No Option) just informs callers that the company office is closed. The two other choices also let callers leave a voicemail or dial 0 for an emergency line. Each termple already includes the organization name (as defined in the Account Profile settings).

The   button lets you insert or manage additional system or user templates (click outside the text box if you don't see it). You will be prompted to replace any existing text or append the template to it. For these templates, you need to fill in any placeholders, including the company name. Text-to-Speech is covered in more detail here. 

You can also Upload, Record, or use existing greetings from the audio file Library. Audio file management is covered in this article.

4. Holiday Dates

Here you will see the active dates and hours for the schedule based on the template you selected on the first page. If you didn't select a template, you can manually set the holiday's dates and times.

Select Add Holiday to add more date and time events if the schedule has nonconsecutive active days (like a holiday week where your office are only closed on its first and last days).

5. Affected Numbers

By default, during the time the schedule is active, calls to phone numbers and extensions selected here will be routed to the IVR you created or selected on the first page.

You can modify the routing to any Admin Center destination with the Affected Numbers settings. 

Schedules Settings and Affected Numbers

Selecting any existing schedule or creating a custom or weekly schedule shows the schedule's settings and affected numbers screen, with two expandable categories. When making changes SAVE each category separately.

Use the arrow buttons to open the next or previous schedule without going back to the main page.

General Settings

• Name/Description: Add or change the name and description (optional) of the schedule.
  
  
• Priority (only applies to custom schedules): You can select a priority from 2 to 9. Priority 10 is reserved for Holiday Schedules. Priority 1 is reserved for Weekly Schedules.

Set Schedule

Here you build or modify the schedule. The available choices depend on the schedule type.

Custom Schedule

Custom schedules are defined by events  – date and time ranges.

You can edit existing events or click ADD EVENT to create new ones and combine several events for a flexible schedule. Setting the times, days, months, and years for the event when it is active. By default,, all possible values are selected and you can uncheck or check the actual values you need.

 Note that at least one selection in each date field is required. If you don't have a specific selection in mind, you would Select All of its items. For example, if you want to create an event that happens every 10th of the month, you would select 10 in "Days of the month" and select Select All for the other three date fields.

Holiday Schedule

You can edit or add (multiple) holiday events when the schedule is active. Since holiday events do not repeat, you just need to edit or specify the start and end date/time.

You can click to quickly add events from holiday templates.

Weekly Schedule

Weekly schedules do not have events. Instead, you toggle the days of the week you want the schedule to apply to. Set the Start time and End time with a clock's dial interface or click  to switch to keyboard entry.

You can Copy the same start and end time to other days by selecting Copy to weekdays (Monday-Friday) or Copy to all days.

Affected Numbers

Here you activate the schedule by assigning it to ten-digit phone numbers or extensions. You can also assign schedules directly from the Phone Numbers or Extensions pages (see below). Schedules cannot be assigned directly to a user's line, but instead, you can assign them to the user's extension.

If you edit ()  an existing affected number, you can only change where it routes calls to. To change the phone number or extension, delete and add a new affected number.

Schedules can be assigned to multiple numbers using either the ADD or BULK ADD options.

If you select ADD:

• For the System feature, select if the schedule will affect a Phone Number or an Extension.
  
  
• Select the extension or phone number from the Affected number drop-down list.
  
  
• In the Route To field, select the type of routing option or feature to direct calls to during the active time period(s) of the schedule. Common routing choices include IVRs, mailboxes, queues, or hunt groups, but there are over 60 routing and system features available.
  
  You need to select or enter the actual Destination for most features, except for some features (like "Music", "Hang up call", "Busy tone", etc.) that function as the destination.
  
  
• If you want to apply the schedule to another number or extension, check the Continue adding destinations box. 
  
  
• Select SAVE. 
  
  If you selected to continue adding destinations, the window will remain open with the routing option you selected, letting you choose another phone or extension and save it.

If you select BULK ADD:

• In their drop-down lists, check any Phone Numbers or Extensions to add the schedule to.
  
  
• Set up the Route To and Destination fields, just as explained for the ADD option.
  
  
• Select Save to add the schedule to all selected numbers and extensions.

Assigning Schedules with Schedule Route Settings

Schedules are applied and activated by assigning them to phone numbers or extensions. 

You can do so from the Schedules Affected Numbers tab as described above, or the Call Routing Schedule setting on the Phone Numbers or Extensions pages.

To apply a schedule from the Phone Numbers or Extensions page:

• Go to the Phone Numbers page or the Voice Features>Extensions page, and select the relevant phone number or extension.
  
  
• Expand the Routing and Forwarding category.
  
  
• Select Add Schedule Route under the Call Routing Schedule options.
  
  
• For the Schedule field, select the schedule to assign to the number or extension.
  
  
• In the Route To field, select the type of routing option or feature to direct calls to during the active time period(s) of the schedule. Common choices include IVRs, mailboxes, queues, or hunt groups, but there are over 60 routing and system features available.
  
  You need to select or enter the actual Destination for most features, except for some features (like "Music", "Hang up call", "Busy tone", etc.) that function as the destination.
  
  
• Select SAVE.
  
  
• Repeat the last four steps to assign more schedules.