What is the Follow Me Module used for?

The Follow Me Module allows you to redirect a call that is placed to one of your extensions to another location.  The Module is very flexible and can allow you to program the system so that a call will ring the extension alone for a certain period of time, then ring some other destination (such as a mobile phone or a related extension), and then go to the original extension's voicemail.  Follow Me can also be used to divert calls to another extension.  Finally, Follow Me can be used in connection with the VMX Locator to allow a caller who reaches voicemail to Press 1 and then be diverted to the Follow Me settings.

Your users can also modify certain Follow Me settings using the User Control Panel (UCP 12+), and can disable and enable Follow Me using a Feature Code defined in the Feature Codes Module. 

Overview

The Follow Me module allows you the flexibility to have calls ring in multiple places at the same time. Follow Me is a setting that has to be enabled on an extension-by-extension basis from the Admin GUI. Once the extension has Follow Me enabled, it can be controlled from the user control panel with limited options. All existing extensions are listed on the right side of the screen. If the extension has a Follow Me, the word “edit” will display next to the name or if there is no Follow Me for this extension, you will see the word “add.” You can click on an extension in the list on the right side to edit or add a Follow Me.

Logging In

• On the top menu click Applications
• In the drop down click Follow Me

Enabling Follow Me for an extension

On the right side navigation menu click the appropriate extension. This will take you to the edit window.

Disable

Check this box if you want the Follow Me created but disabled. By disabling the Follow Me, the user will be able to edit the Follow Me settings in the user control panel and enable the Follow Me if desired. In our example, we will not check the “Disabled” option because we want the Follow Me we are creating to be enabled.

Initial Ring Time

How long you want to ring the primary extension before calling the phone numbers in the Follow Me list. In our example, we will set this to 5 seconds so our primary phone will ring for 5 seconds before calling the list of numbers in our Follow Me List. We will also include our primary extension in so it continues to ring

Ring Strategy

Which ring strategy should be used when calling the Follow Me list numbers. Your options are:

ringallV2

Ring primary extension for initial ring time followed by all additional numbers from the list below at the same time, then will fail over to the destination below if no answer. It will ring all of these numbers based on the ring time setting below.

ringall

Ring all numbers from the list below at the same time and then will fail over to the destination below if no answer. It will ring all of these numbers based on the ring time setting below. This will ignore the initial ring time settings.

hunt

It will ring one number at a time starting at the top of the list. It will ring this number for the ring time set below. If no answer, it will then go to the next number in the list and so forth until it gets to the end.

memoryhunt

Will start by ringing the first number in the list for the ring time set below. If no answer, it will then ring the 1st number in the list and the 2nd number in the list at the same time for the ring time set below and so forth until it gets to the end of the list.

firstavaialble

This will only ring the first extension in the list below for the ring time set and then fail over to the destination below if no answer.

firstnotonphone

This is the same as “first available,” but will make sure the extension it will be dialing is not on another call already.

Ring Time

How long to ring the list of phones in your Follow Me List below.

Follow-Me List

Here you can list the extensions or phone numbers of outside numbers that will be included in your Follow Me list to call. If you are defining an outside number, such as your home or cell phone, make sure you put a # at the end of the number or the system will not be able to dial that number. This way we know it is an external number that is not part of the system.

Announcement

Here you can pick a system recording that is played to the caller before you start calling all the numbers in the Follow Me list. For using and managing system recordings, please see the section on “System Recordings.”

Play Music on Hold

Here you can pick which music on hold category will be played to the caller while you are dialing all the numbers in your Follow Me list or pick "ring” to just play ringing to them.

CID Name Prefix

Here you can prefix the caller ID that will be displayed to all numbers in your Follow Me list that are internal extensions of the system. Prefix CID does not work when dialling external numbers since we can’t set the caller ID name in most parts of the world.

Alert Info

Here you can define an alert info that will be set for all numbers that are internal extensions in your Follow Me list. Alert info’s are mainly used to change the ring cadence of your internal phones. Please see the section titled "Alert Infos and How They Work" in the General Tips and Tricks section.

Confirm Calls- Check this option to enable confirm calls for all external numbers in your list

above. This will prompt the system anytime it calls a number with a # to ask the caller to press

1 to accept the call. This is used to keep things like your cell phone voicemail box from

answering the call. It will only prompt external numbers to press 1 to accept the call. Internal

extensions will not be prompted because we block the call from going to the extension

voicemail box already for you.

Remote Announce

This is the recording that is played when you answer a call on an external number from your Follow Me. By default it says, "You have an incoming call press 1 to accept it.” You can use the default option or pick from a list of available system recordings on your system. For using and managing system recordings, please see the System Recordings section.

To-Late Announce

This is the recording that is played when you answer a call on an external number from your Follow Me, but someone else in the Follow Me list has accepted the call before you got a chance to accept the call. Or the call has timed out and gone to your destination in no answer below. By default it says, "Someone else has already answered your incoming call.” You can use the default option or pick from a list of available system recordings on your system. For using and managing system recordings please see the section on System Recordings.

Change External CID Configuration

Here is where you can define how the outbound caller ID is handled for when you call external numbers in your Follow Me list. For a more indepth general understanding on external caller ID, please see the article under Tips and Tricks called "Outbound Caller ID Settings."

Mode

This is the a drop down with the following options:

Default

This mode will set the caller ID to be the number of the person that called the Follow Me. So, if someone called your Follow Me from 4444444444, then that will be set as the active caller ID. It will flow down the outbound route and trunk and honor the caller ID settings that you have defined.

Fixed CID Value

If you check this option, then it will hard set the active caller ID to whatever you have defined in the option below called "Fix CID Option.” So in this example, that will be 5555555555. This will be hard set regardless if the call came into your phone system from the outside world or if another extension that has a caller ID set for their outbound calling calls you.

Outside Fixed CID Value

This is the same as the “Fixed CID Value” option except if a internal user calls you from their extension, we will set the outbound caller ID to whatever they have set. The active caller ID basically sets the system to use default mode for when an internal user calls your Follow Me.

Use Dialled Number

This will set the active caller ID to be the same number as whatever phone number the outside person called you on. So, if they called your main line, which is DID 6666666666, then we will set the outbound caller ID to be 6666666666. If this is an internal user calling you, their active caller ID will be set the same as default mode. If you have a specific trunk set to block caller ID, then this caller ID will be blocked and the trunks caller ID will be used still.

Force Dialed Number

This is the same as "Use Dialed Number," but will ignore the “Block Foreign Caller ID” option on any trunk that has that option set. This will force the dialled number to be the active caller ID.

Fixed CID Value

You can set this to be any number you want and if you are using the option “Fixed CID Value,” it will set the active caller ID to be this number. In this example, we will use 5555555555.

Destination if no answer

Here is where you can pick the destination of where callers will go if nobody answers the Follow Me call. By default, it will send the call to the normal Follow Me extension destinations that are defined on the extension page, such as voicemail. You can choose any destination such as another extension, voicemail box or queue.