Spotlight on Exchange 2010: Call Answering Rules

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Part I - Creating your first Call Answering Rule [/B]
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[SIZE=2]One of the core functionalities provided by Exchange UM is call answering, i.e., to answer phone calls and record voice mails on your behalf. With the introduction of Call Answering Rules in Exchange UM 2010, you can dictate how incoming phone calls should be handled, thus enriching the call answering experience of your callers. In this article, we walk through the steps of creating a simple "default" call answering rule - one that is applied to all inbound phone calls.[/SIZE]
[B][SIZE=2]I don't have any Call Answering Rule. So what?[/SIZE][/B]

[SIZE=2]Out-of-the-box, there are no Call Answering Rules created for you. All your callers will get the same default, call answering experience provided by UM 2007, i.e., callers will be prompted to leave you a voice message. Users who are satisfied with the default experience can continue to retain the same experience without the need to create any rule.[/SIZE]
[B][SIZE=2]Creating a Default Call Answering Rule[/SIZE][/B]

[SIZE=2]As illustrated in Figure 1, the control for managing Call Answering Rules is located under ECP > Phone > Voice Mail tab. To create a new call answering rule, click on "New Rule".[/SIZE]
[IMG]http://msexchangeteam.com/photos/postpictures2/images/451661/original.aspx[/IMG]
[SIZE=2][B]Figure [/B][/SIZE][SIZE=2][B]1:[/B] Call Answering Rule Control[/SIZE]
[B][SIZE=2]Anatomy of a Call Answering Rule[/SIZE][/B]

[SIZE=2]Each Call Answering Rule comprises two key aspects:[/SIZE]

[LIST][*][SIZE=2][B]Conditions[/B] - what criteria must be met before the rule can be applied to an inbound call.[/SIZE][*][SIZE=2][B]Actions[/B] - what options should be presented to the caller when all the conditions are met. These actions will be read to the caller over the phone and users can then pick an action using the phone keypad.[/SIZE][/LIST]
[SIZE=2]Figure 2 shows the form for creating a Call Answering Rule, which is divided into two columns. The right column displays the list of available conditions and actions you can use to build the rule. The left column displays the list of conditions and actions which have been added to the rule.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=2][B]Figure [/B][/SIZE][SIZE=2][B]2:[/B] Call Answering Rule Form[/SIZE]


[B][SIZE=2]Conditions[/SIZE][/B]

[SIZE=2]There are 4 classes of conditions supported by Call Answering Rules, including:[/SIZE]

[LIST][*][SIZE=2]Caller ID[/SIZE][*][SIZE=2]Time-of-the-day[/SIZE][*][SIZE=2]Free/busy status[/SIZE][*][SIZE=2]Automatic email reply is enabled/disabled[/SIZE][/LIST]
[SIZE=2]By using a combination of these conditions, you can create multiple Call Answering Rules and have them triggered for different phone calls. To create a default rule that will be applied to every call, you [I]create a rule does not contain any condition[/I]. Since we are not adding any condition, I will not delve further into these conditions but leave them to my follow-up article.[/SIZE]
[B][SIZE=2]Actions[/SIZE][/B]

[SIZE=2]There are 3 kinds of actions supported by Call Answering Rules, including:[/SIZE]

[LIST][*][SIZE=2]Find-Me[/SIZE][*][SIZE=2]Call Transfer[/SIZE][*][SIZE=2]Leave a voice mail[/SIZE][/LIST]
[B][SIZE=2]Adding a Find-Me action[/SIZE][/B]

[SIZE=2]When a caller selects Find-Me action, UM will attempt to locate you on up to 2 different phone numbers, and then connect you to the caller. To add a Find-Me option, click on "Find me at the following numbers"[/SIZE][SIZE=2]. In the Find-Me dialog and with reference to my example in Figure 3 :[/SIZE]

[LIST][*][SIZE=2]You can optionally specify a [I]context[/I] that will be read to the user. In my example, I have entered "[I]important matters"[/I] to inform my callers that they should only select this action if they have important things to discuss.[/SIZE][*][SIZE=2]You need to associate the Find-Me action with a number on the keypad. This is the key which the caller has to press to select this action. In my example, I have also specified "1" as the DTMF key to be used.[/SIZE][*][SIZE=2]You also need to specify 1 to 2 phone numbers to be dialed. If 2 numbers are specified, they will be dialed in a sequential fashion, i.e., one after the other. Each phone number has an associated duration. This indicates how long UM should try dialing the phone number before moving on to the next number or revert back to the options menu.[/SIZE][*][SIZE=2]Click on Apply to add the Find-Me option and close the dialog.[/SIZE][/LIST]
[IMG]http://msexchangeteam.com/photos/postpictures2/images/451663/original.aspx[/IMG]
[SIZE=2][B]Figure [/B][/SIZE][SIZE=2][B]3:[/B] Find-Me Dialog[/SIZE]
[B][SIZE=2]Adding a Call Transfer option[/SIZE][/B]

[SIZE=2]By configuring a Call Transfer action, you provide callers with the option to be transferred to someone else. To add a Call Transfer option, click on "Transfer the caller to..."[/SIZE][SIZE=2] link. In the Call Transfer dialog and with reference to my example in Figure 4.[/SIZE]

[LIST][*][SIZE=2]You can optionally specify a [I]context[/I] that will be read to the caller as part of this option. In my example, I have entered "[I]Unified Messaging" [/I]to inform my callers that they can choose this option if they have questions around "Unified Messaging."[/SIZE][*][SIZE=2]You need to associate the Find-Me action with a number on the keypad. I have specified "2" as the DTMF key to be used for this option.[/SIZE][*][SIZE=2]You need to specify a transfer target for this option. This can be in the form of a phone number, or you can select an AD contact for the call transfer. When specifying the AD contact, UM will attempt to transfer the call to the UM extension of the AD contact. If the AD contact is not UM-enabled, the AD business phone number field will be used. In my example, I have selected my manager "Michael Wilson" as the transfer target.[/SIZE][*][SIZE=2]Click on Apply to add the Call Transfer option and close the dialog.[/SIZE][/LIST]
[IMG]http://msexchangeteam.com/photos/postpictures2/images/451664/original.aspx[/IMG]
[SIZE=2][B]Figure [/B][/SIZE][SIZE=2][B]4:[/B] Call Transfer Dialog[/SIZE]
[B][SIZE=2]Adding Voice Mail action[/SIZE][/B]

[SIZE=2]By default, the Voice Mail option is automatically added to each Call Answering Rule. If you do not wish to offer this option, you can remove it by clicking:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2] [IMG]http://msexchangeteam.com/photos/postpictures2/images/451666/original.aspx[/IMG] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]To add the option back, simply click "Leave a Voice Message[/SIZE][SIZE=2]."[/SIZE]
[B][SIZE=2]Saving the rule and trying it out[/SIZE][/B]

[SIZE=2]Prior to saying the rule, you need to give a meaningful name to the rule you've created. After which, you click on the SAVE button to create the rule. Next, you should test to see if the call answering rule is working as desired by trying to call your UM-enabled phone extension and wait for the call to be answered by UM.[/SIZE]
[B][SIZE=2]Optional: Record a customized greeting[/SIZE][/B]

[SIZE=2]You can record a custom greeting for each rule. By default, UM will generate a default greeting based on the actions you have configured. To record a custom greeting, you can click on:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2] [IMG]http://msexchangeteam.com/photos/postpictures2/images/451665/original.aspx[/IMG][/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]in the Call Answering Rule form and UM will call you up to record a greeting. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][B]Note:[/B] In your recording, you should include any actions you have configured on the rule itself. UM will not list the actions if a custom greeting is present[/SIZE]
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[LEFT][CODE]http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2010/02/16/454020.aspx[/CODE]

[B][B][SIZE=3]Part 2 : Call Answering Conditions [/SIZE][/B][/B]


In Exchange 2010, users can easily create call answering rules to have a call answered based on the specified conditions. Users can create rules to answer calls from specified callers or Contacts in a certain way, handle calls differently based on their availability (Free/Busy status) or time of day. The call answering rule will only be triggered when all the associated conditions are met. In this post, I will cover:

[LIST][*]The different classes of conditions supported in UM 2010[*]How does UM go about evaluating a given set of call answering rules[/LIST]
This article assumes that you have read my previous post [B]Call Answering Rules (Part I) - Creating your first Call Answering Rule[/B].
[B]The Call Answering Rule form[/B]

The diagram below shows you the Call Answering Rule form. In particular:

[LIST][*]Condition(s) which have already been added to the rule is located on the left (in green). You can remove them by clicking on the symbol beside the condition.[*]Condition(s) which you can further add to this rule is located on the right (in red). To start adding new condition, simplify click on the condition desired.[/LIST]
[IMG]http://msexchangeteam.com/photos/postpictures3/images/454014/original.aspx[/IMG]
[B]Figure 1:[/B] The call answering rule form [B]Different classes of conditions[/B]

There are 4 different classes of conditions supported by UM 2010, namely:

[LIST][*]Caller identity[*]Time-of-the-day[*]Calendar free/busy status[*]When my automated email reply is turned on[/LIST]

[LIST=1][*] [B]Caller Identity[/B]

Users can use different call answering rules for different callers. For example, if you receive a call from an important customer's phone number, you can answer it differently. To answer calls based on caller identity, users can add a caller-ID condition to a call answering rule such that the rule will only be triggered if the calling party matches one of those specified. To configure this condition:
[LIST=1][*]Click on "If the caller is." condition to bring up the following UI control.
[IMG]http://msexchangeteam.com/photos/postpictures3/images/454015/original.aspx[/IMG]
[B]Figure 2:[/B] Call answering rule based on caller[*]Specify 1 or more phone numbers, pick Contacts from the GAL or your Contacts folder, or specify the entire Contacts folder.[*]Click on "Apply" to close the UI control.[/LIST]
[*] [B]Time of Day[/B]

Users can add a time-of-the-day condition to a call answering rule such that the rule will only be triggered if the time of the call matches the time period specified. For example, during working hours, calls can be answered using the "Follow-Me" action, or routed straight to voicemail during after-hours. To configure this condition:
[LIST=1][*]Click on [B][FONT=consolas]If it is during this period.[/FONT][/B] condition to bring up the following UI control:
[IMG]http://msexchangeteam.com/photos/postpictures3/images/454016/original.aspx[/IMG]
[B]Figure 3:[/B] Call answering rule based on time of day[*]Specify a period, either working hours, non-working hours or custom hours.[*]Click on [B][FONT=consolas]Apply[/FONT][/B] to close the UI control.[/LIST]
[*] [B]Calendar Free/Busy status[/B]

Users can specify a condition for a call answering rule based on their availability (calendar Free/Busy status). To do so:

[LIST=1][*]Click on [B][FONT=consolas]If my schedule shows that my status is.[/FONT][/B] condition to bring up the following UI control:
[IMG]http://msexchangeteam.com/photos/postpictures3/images/454017/original.aspx[/IMG]
[B]Figure 4:[/B] Call answering rule based on Free/Busy Status[*]Pick one or more Free/Busy status which you want this rule to fire. In the example provided, I have specified that the call answering rule to be triggered if my calendar shows that I am either Busy or Away.[*]Click on [B][FONT=consolas]Apply[/FONT][/B] to close the UI control.[/LIST]
[*] [B]When my automated email reply is turned on[/B]

Users can specify that a call answering rule only be fired when their automatic email reply is turned on. To do so, simply click on "[FONT=Consolas][B]If Automatic Replies are turned on[/B][/FONT]" condition.
[B]Call Answering Rules and conditions[/B]

It is possible to associate the same call answering rule with multiple conditions. All the conditions must be met in order for the call answering rule to be trigger. You can also create call answering rules without specifying any condition. When such a rule is encountered, it will be triggered as though all its conditions are met.
[B]Multiple Call Answering Rules [/B]

You can create one or more call answering rules. You can also associate each call answering rule with one or more conditions. The diagram below illustrates an example with 3 call answering rules configured. You can enable/disable or reorder the rules.
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[B]Figure 5:[/B] Multiple call answering rules
As illustrated in the flow diagram below, for each call answering call received:

[LIST][*][B]No call answering rules configured:[/B] If you do not have any call answering rules configured, UM will offer the caller to leave a voice message.[*][B]One or more call answering rules configured:[/B] If there are one or more call answering rules configured, UM will evaluate these rules in a top-down fashion. The first rule, whose conditions are met, will be fired.[*]After evaluating all the rules, if UM is unable to find a rule whose conditions are met, UM will offer the caller to leave a voice message.[/LIST]
[IMG]http://msexchangeteam.com/photos/postpictures3/images/454019/original.aspx[/IMG]
[B]Figure 6:[/B] How UM call answering rules are evaluated
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Call answering rules are an Exchange 2010 feature, and only available to UM-enabled users with a mailbox on an Exchange 2010 Mailbox server

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