How to use Time Schedules on Digital Voice for Business
What are Time Schedules?
Time Schedules let you set specific times for certain features or actions to be active on your Digital Voice for Business service. This includes Call Forwarding, Auto Attendant settings, and other automated tasks. By using Time Schedules, you can ensure that your phone system operates according to your business hours and needs.
Key benefits of Time Schedules
- Automated efficiency: automatically activate or deactivate features based on predefined schedules, reducing the need for manual adjustments.
- Enhanced customer service: calls will be handled appropriately during business hours and provide clear instructions or alternative options outside of those hours.
- Customisable settings: tailor the schedules to fit your specific business hours, bank holidays and special events, providing a personalised experience for callers.
- Improved workflow: streamline operations by automating routine tasks, leaving your team to focus on more important activities.
Other benefits
Time Schedules can help you manage your organisation’s working hours, lunch breaks and time off on Digital Voice for Business. Administrators can add Time Schedules at a business-wide level or for individual employees.
Setting a Time Schedule for features like Auto Attendant can also help you easily choose when to accept calls or to divert them elsewhere.
Using Time Schedules
First, set up your Holiday or Time Schedule. Then, apply it to your Hunt Group, Call Centre, or Auto Attendant.
How to set up Holiday or Time Schedules on the Digital Voice for Business portal
First, plan your Time Schedule
- For your Auto Attendant: the schedule you set for this will reflect the hours your business is open. So, if you’re open Monday-Friday, 08:00-17:00, you would apply the schedule during these times, and when your business is closed, your calls will route to an after-hours menu.
- For your Hunt Group or Call Centre: the schedule you set for these will reflect the hours you want the calls to ignore the standard routing. So, if you’re open Monday-Friday, 09:00-17:00, you would set the schedule for any days or times outside of these hours. For example, 17:00 Monday to 09:00 Tuesday, or 17:00 Friday to 09:00 Monday.
After you’ve planned your Time Schedule, it’s time to configure it
- Log in to the Digital Voice for Business portal.
- From the Dashboard, select Features from the menu on the left.
- In the Schedules tile, tap the settings icon.
- Here, you should find any available schedules that you’ve already set up.
- Select Edit on an existing schedule to change it, or select Add schedule to create a new one.
For help, tap the Assist me button to open a help article in a new tab. This will guide you through each step of setting up either your holiday or time schedule if you’re still not sure how to do it.
When you’ve set up a new schedule, you’ll see it displayed in the main schedule screen.
Remember, once you’ve created or edited a Time Schedule, you must add it to the phone number you want it to be applied to.
How to apply a time schedule to a Hunt Group
- Log in to the Digital Voice for Business portal.
- From the dashboard, search for the number which you want to apply the schedule to in the Call routing groups (Enhanced) search field, and select the Hunt Group name.
- Within the Hunt Group menu, select the Features tab.
- In the Call forwarding selective tile, select the settings icon (a cog).
- Select Add number, then enter the phone number or extension you want the calls to be diverted to - if you want this to go straight to an extension's voicemail, put *55 before the extension number.
- Select Save.
- Select Add rule.
- Name your rule, for example 'Out of hours divert'.
- Now select the time or holiday schedule you want to apply, then select Continue.
- Next, choose whether this rule applies to all calls or just selected phone numbers.
- Finally, select Save.
How to apply a Time Schedule to a Call Centre
- Log in to the Digital Voice for Business portal.
- From the dashboard, search for the number which you need to apply the schedule to in the Call routing groups (Enhanced) search field, and select the Call Centre name.
- Within the Call Centre menu, select the Features tab.
- Select the settings icon (a cog) in the Call forwarding selective tile.
- Select Add number, then enter the phone number or extension you want the calls diverted to - if you want this to go straight to the voicemail of an extension add *55 before the extension number.
- Select Save.
- Select Add rule.
- Name your rule, for example 'Out of hours divert'.
- Choose the time or holiday schedule you want to apply, then select Continue.
- Next, choose whether you want this rule to apply to all calls, or just to selected phone numbers.
- Finally, select Save.
How to apply a Time Schedule to an Auto Attendant
- Log in to the Digital Voice for Business portal.
- From the dashboard, search for the phone number you want to apply the schedule to in the Call routing groups (Enhanced) search field and select the Auto Attendant name.
- In the Settings tab, you will find Time schedule and Holiday schedule - select Manage.
- From the drop-down, select either the time or holiday schedule you want to apply to the Auto Attendant.
- Finally, select Save.