Understanding SAS Flex On-Call Types

On-call schedules are commonly used in industries such as HVAC, Plumbing, Medical, Dental and Psychology practices, Property Management companies, and more. There are four types of on-call schedules that you can create using the SAS On-Call app. All on-call schedules can be created in either a Static or Rotating format, as well as a Standard or Custom format.

To view your on-call schedules in the SAS Flex mobile app, check out this article.

Reach On-Call

Within the Reach On-Call Type, there are four Reach Message options, which will determine how you receive your message. With our Recording or Text to Speech options, the operator will hang up with the caller, which will prompt our system to start dialing out to your staff members.

With our SMS option, everyone in your schedule for the day will receive a text at the same time. With our Serial SMS option (SSMS), everyone in your schedule will receive a text in the order in which they're scheduled. Note that you must create a Reach Message prior to creating a schedule.

In addition to adding staff members to your Reach list, you'll need to set a few parameters.

Type

This denotes the number of times that our system will reach out to your staff. There are several options to select from, and the outcomes may differ depending on which Reach Message you've configured.

Recording and Text to Speech

1x + End - our system will dial through your on-call list once.
2x + End - our system will dial through your on-call list twice.
3x + End - our system will dial through your on-call list three times.
4x + End - our system will dial through your on-call list four times.
5x + End - our system will dial through your on-call list five times.

SMS and SSMS

1x + End - our system will text your on-call list once saying “A new urgent message has been created. Reply with ‘OK’ to accept.”
2x + End - our system will text your on-call list twice saying “A new urgent message has been created. Reply with ‘OK’ to accept.”
3x + End - our system will text your on-call list three times saying “A new urgent message has been created. Reply with ‘OK’ to accept.”
4x + End - our system will text your on-call list four times saying “A new urgent message has been created. Reply with ‘OK’ to accept.”
5x + End - our system will text your on-call list five times saying “A new urgent message has been created. Reply with ‘OK’ to accept.”

NOTE: If the text(s) go unanswered, each contact will receive one more message that says, "You have an unclaimed urgent message. Please reply with 'OK' to receive the message." If the text still goes unanswered, the message will time out after 5 minutes and will no longer be retrievable. Users must log in to their portal for details.

Queue

This denotes the number of minutes that the system will wait in between each outbound call or text. Queue time is required for every schedule Type with the exception of 1x + End. Queue also indicates how long users have to respond in order to retrieve the details of the reach. For example, if your Queue is set to 15 minutes, you will have 15 minutes in which you can respond.

1 minute
5 minutes
10 minutes
15 minutes
20 minutes
60 minutes

NOTE: If you have the SMS Reach Message option selected, all staff members will receive a text at the same time. With SSMS, scheduled staff members will receive a message in the order that they are scheduled. In either SMS or SSMS, if there is no response, the system will follow the Type and Queue that has been set when sending any additional messages.

Maximum Number of Outbound Calls

With a Reach schedule, our system can make a maximum of 10 outbound calls. For example, if you have 5 people in your on-call list, you could set a maximum Type of 2x + End. If you have 10 people in your on-call list, the maximum Type would be 1x + End.

Warm Patch On-Call

With a warm patch, the operator will remain on the line while attempting to connect the call to you. You have the option to accept or decline the call. If the call is declined or voicemail is reached, the operator will return to the caller and let them know that no one was available.

If we do not connect with your staff using the warm patch, you have the option to include a Reach or Cold Patch schedule following the warm patch.

With a Reach, the operator would hang up with the caller, and the on-call system would begin to dial out to your staff members.
With a Cold Patch, the operator would transfer the caller directly to the number you provide following any warm patch attempts.

When adding staff members to a warm patch schedule, keep in mind you can have a maximum of two outbound calls.

Cold Patch On-Call

With a cold patch, the operator will transfer the caller directly to the number you provide and immediately drop off the line.

On-Call Formats

There are four types of on-call formats.

In a Static schedule, the same person or group of people are always on-call.

In a Rotating schedule, your schedule can rotate between different people or groups, and can be edited via an on-call calendar.

In a Standard schedule, the same person or group of people is on-call for the full 24-hour period from the Start time to the Stop time.

In a Custom schedule, there are different people on-call during separate blocks of time within the 24-hour period.