Call Flow Control

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What is the Call Flow Control Module used for?

The Call Flow Control Module is used to create a single destination that can act as a switch that can be changed by anyone who has access to a local phone.  It is commonly used to allow phone system users to switch between "Daytime Mode" and "Nightime Mode."

For example, you might create a Call Flow Control that is activated by dialling *280.  When a system phone dials *280, the switch will flip back and forth between Green/Off Mode and Red/On Mode.  In Green/Off Mode, calls might route to all phones in the office for 30 seconds before going to voicemail.  In Red/On Mode, the calls might ring to only the front desk, and only for ten seconds, before going to Voicemail.

The code that is used to configure the Call Flow Control (usually *280 through *289) can also be programmed to act as a Busy Lamp Field on your system phones.  When configured this way, your phones will show your users whether the switch is On or Off.

How is the Call Flow Control Module related to the other Modules?

The Call Flow Control Module is related to any Module that has a field to set a destination for a call to be routed.  There are a number of FreePBX Modules that are used to route calls to a destination.  For example, the Inbound Routes Module allows you to indicate what FreePBX should do with an incoming call to one of your system's phone numbers.  You could choose to route those incoming calls to a Call Flow Control so that your local users could change the destination simply by dialing a special code on their phones.

The Call Flow Control Module is also related to any Module that can act as a destination for a call to be routed, including the Rings Groups Module, Queues Module, Extensions Module, etc.

The Call Flow Control Module is also related to the System Recordings Module.  The System Recordings Module allows you to use your phones to record an audio file that can played when a user keys in the Call Flow Control code.

The Call Flow Control Module is also related to the Feature Codes Module.  The Call Flow Control section of the Feature Codes Module is used to configure the code that users will dial in order to flip each Call Flow Control switch.  This section may not appear in the Feature Codes Module until at least one Call Flow Control has been configured.

The Call Flow Control Module is also related to the Advanced Settings Module.  The Advanced Settings Module contains an option entitled "Enable Custom Device States."  If that option is set to false, then the CFC Code (*280, etc.) will not work as a Busy Lamp Field on system phones and will not allows system phones to display the status of the  CFC switch.

 

Overview

Call Flow Control lets you toggle where calls are sent based on if the toggle is set for Normal or Override mode. There are a total of 10 Feature code objects: 0-9. Each can control a call flow and be toggled using the Normal/Override feature code plus the index of 28, so if using 0, the feature code would be *280. Think of this feature as an on and off switch. When on, send a caller to one destination and when off, send them to a different destination. A good example of using a Call Flow Control would be, you want to send callers to a ring group while you are open and to an IVR when you leave for the day. Your business does not keep regular hours, so using the Time Condition module, which lets you setup automated toggles, would not work since you come and go as your please.

Creating a Call Flow

Call Flow Toggle Feature Code Index

Each Call Flow control toggle feature code starts with *28. The index is the last digit of the toggle which can be 0-9. Forr example if you pick 1. To toggle between on and off, you would dial *281.

Description

Here we define a name for this toggle so we can easily identify it in the list. We will use Main Toggle.

Current Mode

This is which mode we want the toggle to be in upon creating it. You can also toggle the mode by editing any Call Flow Control at anytime versus dialing *281. The 2 modes are:

  • Normal - This is the normal destination that calls go to. If you have a BLF button on your phone programmed to this feature code in normal mode, the light on the phone will not be on.
  • Override - Override mode means you are not going to the normal destination. If you have a BLF button on your phone programmed to this feature code in override mode, the light on the phone will be lit.

Recording for Normal Mode

The default recording played when toggling into normal mode is to beep and say override deactivated. You can record your own announcement in the System Recording module and pick that recording from here to override the default recording.

Recording for Override Mode

The default recording played when toggling into override mode is to beep and say override activated. You can record your own announcement in the System Recording module and pick that recording from here to override the default recording.

Optional Password

You can optionally set a password that the user who is toggling the call flow will have to enter on their phone before they can toggle this call flow.

Normal Flow Destination

This is the destination to route the call to when in Normal mode of the toggle. This destination can be any other module on your PBX such as an extension, announcement, or queue.

Override Flow

This is the destination to route the call to when in Override mode of the toggle. This destination can be any other module on your PBX such as an extension, announcement, or queue.

Save

Save the setting by clicking the Save Button and click the red Apply Config button