Holidays and closing calendar management

[swdev]

Which is the best way to handle special messages for incoming calls when there is an Holiday or a closing time?

Is it possible to keep this dates in a database so that the customer can change them via a web interface?

Many thanks.

Best regards,
John

[tchancev]

We had a request from one of our clients to provide special call handling during inventory days where no phones were to ring and instead a special "closed for inventory" message is played to the caller.

We have two call routes defined almost identical to each other. They have the same source types, digit patterns, same date/time period, etc., and the same enabler/disabler key.
1) One says "during this time period, route the call to this ring group where all these phones can answer the call," and
2) The other says "during this time period, route the call to this PBX-Voicemail" box.

#1 is enabled by default, #2 is disabled by default.
When the client picks up a phone and sends the enabler/disabler key sequence to the IP PBX, the rules are toggled such that #1 is now disabled, and #2 is enabled.
When they are ready to go back to normal operations, they repeat the enabler/disabler key sequence to toggle back.

Unfortunately, Epygi's products do not allow custom Holiday scheduling as do some of the other VoIP platforms and there is no web GUI interface you could entrust to your client to go toggle these rules themselves without asking for trouble.

However, you could duplicate the above routing scenario to implement what you need.
Unlike us, you would obviously program your dates and times as needed and you would have to create a multitude of routes for all the various holidays you want to account for.
Overkill for sure though.

Maybe one day Epygi will offer custom Holiday scheduling with more robust ways of implementing custom Holiday-based call handling scenarios.

[hrant]

Epygi will offer soon the Holiday and other special day scheduling, we are working on that currently.

[Dataworks]

I have achieved this by creating three route rules and two auto attendants. AA-1 at Extension 956, AA-2 at Extension 957. AA-1 is for holidays and weekends, AA-2 is for business hours. Incoming calls are set to unconditionally forward to 555 (which only exists in routes).
Route 1: (for holidays)
Destination Number Pattern 555
Discarded Symbols
Prefix 956
Destination Type PBX
Description Holidays
Filter on Source and Set Date/Time Periods are selected
On Date/Time Rules page, custom is selected and in available periods I have [Nov][26,27];[Dec][24,25]
(realized that this period will have to maintained annually, at least until Epygi comes up with their solution)
Route 2(working hours)
Destination Number Pattern 555
Discarded Symbols
Prefix 957
Destination Type PBX
Description Working Hours
Filter on Source and Set Date/Time Periods are selected
On Date/Time Rules page, custom is selected and in available periods I have [Mon-Fri][08:00-17:00]
Route 3 ("off" hours)
Destination Number Pattern 555
Discarded Symbols
Prefix 956
Destination Type PBX
Description Off Hours
No other settings in the route.

If routes are in the above order in your routing table then the Epygi will first look to see if the day is a holiday (if yes then extension 956 will be dialed) if no then it will see if it is a weekday between 8:00 and 5:00 (if yes then extension 957 will be dialed) if no then extension 956 will be dialed

[swdev]

Even if not very flexible we found a way using the voice xml ivr of the Epygi. This is the code we used for summer holidays:

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<vxml version="2.0" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/vxml">
<form id="Welcome">
<var name="Standard_Working" expr="'0'" />
<var name="Standard_Holiday" expr="'0'" />
<object name="field1" classid="datetime">
<filled>
<!-- Month = August -->
<if cond="datetime_month == '8'">
<if cond="datetime_mday &gt; '14'">
<if cond="datetime_mday &lt; '23'">
<assign name="Standard_Holiday" expr="'1'" />
</if>
</if>
</if>
<!-- during holiday time, play office close message -->
<if cond="Standard_Holiday == '1'">
<goto next="#holidayform" />
<else />
<!-- during working time, play standard Welcome message -->
<goto next="#businessform" />
</if>
</filled>
</object>
</form>
<!-- business hours attendant -->
<form id="businessform">
<block>
<prompt><audio src="Company_ring.wav" /></prompt><goto nextitem="businesshoursform" />
</block>
<object name="businesshoursform" classid="connect"><param name="extension" expr="'7301'" /></object><exit /></form>
<!-- Holiday attendant -->
<form id="holidayform">
<block>
<prompt><audio src="Company_Holiday_2015_Epygi.wav" /></prompt></block><goto nextitem="afterhoursform" />
<object name="afterhoursform" classid="connect"><param name="extension" expr="'7301'" /></object><exit /></form>
</vxml>