Overview

Sequential Ring is a user level feature that allows a user to create a list of up to 5 additional numbers (six total) to ring in a specific order when they receive an incoming call. Specific criteria must be assigned to activate the feature. The criteria for each Sequential Ring entry can be calls from any number or be a list of up to 12 phone numbers or digit patterns, a specified time schedule, and a specified holiday schedule. All criteria for an entry must be true form the Sequential Ring service to be used. 

Feature Prerequisites

• Each destination number should be entered as a 10-digit number.
• The timing for how long a destination will ring is controlled by a number of rings settings for each destination. The valid range is 2 to 20 rings.
• At least one criterion must be entered to activate the feature. The default recommended criterion is From Any Phone Number with an Every Day All Day schedule.

Sequential Ring has the following interaction/precedence with other features:

• Alternate Numbers – Sequential Ring can be used with Alternate Numbers and applies to all alternate numbers for a user.
• BroadWorks Anywhere – If the Sequential Ring feature is configured with the same number as BroadWorks Anywhere, Sequential Ring takes precedence over BroadWorks Anywhere. The typical scenario involves ringing the base location first (and all the other BroadWorks Anywhere locations at the same time). As soon as Sequential Ringing is alerting the next location, all the BroadWorks Anywhere functionality is turned off.
• Call Center – When a call to a Call Center is presented to a user in the Call Center, the user’s Sequential Ring service is inhibited. This means that any Sequential Ring settings for the user are not applied to an incoming call from a Call Center.
• Call Forwarding Always – If Call Forwarding Always is active on the main location, it takes precedence over Sequential Ring. If Call Forwarding Always is active on any other destination numbers for Sequential Ring, the Sequential Ring location rings as usual and will hunt to the next location if the call is unanswered (Diversion Inhibitor enabled)
• Call Forward Busy – Sequential Ring has precedence over Call Forwarding Busy. Only if all locations are busy (or if the base location is busy with the Sequential Ring set up not to continue) does Call Forwarding Busy have a chance to execute (otherwise, no-answer processing is always applied). Note however that the Sequential Ring locations can have Call Forwarding Busy themselves, in which case the call is forwarded if the location is busy.
• Call Forwarding No Answer – Sequential Ring has precedence over Call Forwarding No Answer. Even if the base location is configured as a Sequential Ring location to be attempted, a timeout causes Sequential Ring to attempt the next location. Once Sequential Ring has finished going over all its locations, normal no-answer processing occurs and Call Forwarding No Answer can then forward the call (a no-answer timer is not restarted prior to that).
• Call Forwarding Not Reachable – If active, Sequential Ring runs before the Call Forwarding Not Reachable service is invoked. If all of the destinations, including the base locations, are not reachable, the Call Forwarding Not Reachable feature will forward the call to the destination number after the Sequential Ring feature hunts through the list.
• Call Forwarding Selective – Call Forwarding Selective on the base location takes precedence over Sequential Ring. If Call Forwarding Selective is assigned to other locations visited by Sequential Ring, the Sequential Ring timer applies as usual and hunts to the next location if the call is not answered before the timer expires.
• Calling Plans – Sequential Ring calls are screened by the Transferred/Forwarded Calling Plan that applies to the user. If the user is not allowed to transfer specific types of calls, the Sequential Ring service may be inhibited.
• Directed Call Pick-up/Directed Call Pick-up with Barge-in – Another user using Call Pickup, no matter which location is being alerted, can still pick up a call to a user being alerted by Sequential Ring.
• Do Not Disturb – Do Not Disturb has precedence over Sequential Ring.
• Hunt Group – When a call to a Hunt Group is presented to a user in the Hunt Group, the user’s Sequential Ring service is inhibited.
• Remote Office – Sequential Ring takes precedence over Remote Office.
• Selective Call Acceptance/Selective Call Rejection – These services take precedence over Sequential Ring.
• Shared Call Appearance – The Shared Call Appearance locations are alerted in addition to the base location when Sequential Ring handles an incoming call.
• Simultaneous Ring – Sequential Ringing has priority over Sim Ring. However, if the base location is alerted, then Sim Ring triggers and rings any simultaneous locations.
• Voice Messaging – If a Sequential Ring location rolls over to voice mail, the service ends and the caller is connected to voice mail. There is an option to enforce answer confirmation on Sequential Ring destinations to prevent calls from immediately going to voicemail.

Feature Operation

• When a caller dials a user that has Sequential Ring enabled, the caller will hear an announcement asking them to stay on the line.  If the interrupt setting is enabled, the caller will also hear a message to hit the pound button to interrupt the search if they desire.
• After the initial announcement the caller will hear ringing.
• If a call is answer by any of the numbers in the search list, the search is stopped.
• Every 20 seconds a comfort message will be played asking the caller to stay on the line.
• If the interrupt button “#” is hit, the caller will be provided with the user’s no answer processing.
• After all numbers have been tried but are not answered, the ringback or announcement is interrupted and the caller is provided with the user’s no answer processing (e.g. voicemail in most cases)

Feature Setup

1. Go to the group admin dashboard.
   
2. Select the user or service on which you want to set up Sequential Ring.
   
3. Click Service Settings in the left column navigation.
4. Select Sequential Ring from the services list.
5. Click the gear icon in the Sequential Ring Settings heading to configure the service.
   
6. Configure the Sequential Ring Settings
   • Ring Base Location First – This determines if the base location will be rang prior to ringing through the locations list.
   • Base Location Number of Rings – Sets how many times the base location will ring before proceeding to the next location.
   • Continue if Base Location is Busy – If disabled the sequential ring service will not take effect when the base location is busy.
   • Caller May Stop Search – Allows the caller to end the search and proceed directly to the no answer processing.
   • Location Number – The order locations are rang in.
   • Phone Number – The Number to be rang.
   • Number of Rings – How many time the location will be range before moving to the next location
   • Answer Confirmation Required – If enabled the answering location will require a digit to be dialed when picking up the call.  This protects against a location’s voicemail box mistakenly answering the call.
7. Click Save to retain changes.
8. Click the plus button in the Sequential Ring Criteria section, and create a criterion for selecting calls where the sequential ring processing is applied.
   
   • Is Active – Must be selected for the criteria to take effect
   • Blacklisted – If selected, Sequential Ring will NOT be activated when the criterion is met.
   • Description – The name of the criterion
   • Time Schedule – The times during which you want calls to forward.  (The desired schedule must be created prior to completing this step unless the Every Day All Day option is used.)
   • Holiday Schedule – If a schedule is selected in the Holiday Schedule field, Sequential ring will only process during the time that overlaps between the Time Schedule and Holiday Schedule.
   • Calls From – This defines what calling phone numbers will be forwarded.
     (Specific numbers or area codes can be defined using variables.)
     • For example, to forward all calls from the 812 area code, 812XXXXXXX could be entered as one of the numbers in this section.
     • Only 12 numbers / area codes can be defined per criterion so multiple matching criteria should be made if more than 12 are needed.
   • If multiple criteria are created, they will execute in listed order.  In the case of conflicting rules, the criterion higher in the list will take precedent.
9. Click Save to retain changes.