Setting up an Employee Extension with an Advanced IVR

For clients who want callers to be able to dial an extension to reach a specific employee, Employee Extension options can be added within an advanced IVR. There are two types of employee extensions that can be created:

To use the Employees option within the Greeting block, you must use the available employee extension options (800-899) and configure individual Employee Extension blocks. If you want callers to be able to dial numbers 1-9, you'll need to use the Logic option within the Greeting block instead and configure either individual Employee Extension blocks OR individual Transfer to Number blocks. In this tutorial, we will be utilizing the Employees option and configuring individual Employee Extension blocks.

In this article we'll discuss:

Creating Employee Extension Blocks
Adding Employee Extension Blocks to an IVR Workflow

Creating Employee Extension Blocks

Within SAS Flex, go to the Builder icon on the left navigation panel. Then select IVR Blocks.

From the Builder drop down, drag and drop the Employee Extension block to the center of your screen.

Under the Greeting tab, we'll need to tell the system how to greet callers. Employee Extension blocks can be used to either transfer callers or send callers to voicemail (which will be selected within the Options tab in the next step).

If you want to send callers to voicemail, navigate to the Main greeting section. Here you can choose to use one of two options:

Recording: This option will allow you to select your own recording file from the drop down.
Text to speech: This option will allow you to type in your own message which our system will read to your callers.

You must upload your greeting(s) to the Greeting Library before you can use them in your IVR.

If you want to transfer callers, scroll down to the Transfer greeting section. Here you can choose to use one of three options:

Default greeting: This option will relay a standard "one moment while we transfer you" message.
Recording: This option will allow you to select your own recording file from the drop down.
Text to speech: This option will allow you to type in your own message which our system will read to your callers.

If you want a different message to play when you are closed for after hours or holidays, check the Activate away greeting box, choose Play when we are closed from the Frequency drop down and choose your respective recorded greeting.

Under the Options tab, select either the Send call to voicemail option, or the Transfer caller option.

If you choose the voicemail option, you'll need to choose an Outcome and select the Profile(s) you would like voicemail messages to be emailed. When you are done, move on to step 5.

Voicemail messages will come from notifications@sasdesk.com

If you choose the transfer caller option, we'll need to configure the Transfer Settings. First, choose which number you'd like to display when a call is being transferred from the IVR.

Callers Number: This option will display the caller ID of the caller when we transfer.
SAS Number: This option will display the SAS number attached to your IVR when we transfer.

Next, choose what happens when the call is being transferred.

Calls announced when you pick up: Choosing this option will play an announcement for you prior to the transfer. You can choose to either accept or reject the transfer. If you choose this option, you'll also need to choose a Ring Time, which will tell the system how long to wait before moving on.
Callers asked for name, then announced: Choosing this option will ask the caller to say their name which will play for you prior to the transfer. You can choose to either accept or reject the transfer. If you choose this option, you'll also need to choose a Ring Time, which will tell the system how long to wait before moving on.
Calls connected when transferred: Choosing this option will transfer the caller without any prior announcement, and will not give you the option to accept or reject the call. Choosing this option will not give you the ability to set a Ring time.

If you chose either of the first two options, you'll need to configure an additional block to tell the system what to do if there is no answer or if you reject the call. For example, if there is no answer you may want the call to transfer to an SAS agent instead, or play a recording and disconnect the call.

Next, choose a Transfer time.

24/7: This option will allow us to transfer calls 24/7
Business hours only: This option will only transfer during business hours. If you choose this option, you will need to have already created a business hours set and select your business hours from the Options menu within your IVR workflow

Now it's time to select a Profile and number where transfers should go. Then choose an Outcome which will help you easily identify these types of calls within your IVR log.

Under the Field tab, you'll need to name your block. We named ours Employee Extension - John.

When you are finished, click Save. Repeat the steps above for each employee you want included in your employee extension list.

Adding Employee Extension Blocks to an IVR Workflow

Once your Employee Extension blocks have been created, it's time to add them to your IVR workflow.

Within SAS Flex, go to the Builder icon on the left navigation panel. Then select IVRs.

If you already have an IVR created, go ahead and select it. If not, you'll want to follow the instructions in this article.

On the next page, you should see your IVR workflow. In our example, we want callers to have the option to dial extensions to be connected to a specific staff member. So, we'll need to update our Greeting block to include those options. To update your Greeting block, click on the hyperlinked Greeting field as shown below.

In the Greeting block, we'll need to update our main greeting to add the employee extension options. Since there isn't a separate greeting option for employee extensions, this will need to be added to your regular prompt. For example, "Thank you for calling ABC Plumbing. For emergencies, press 1. For appointments, press 2. For John Smith, dial extension 800, For Peter Rogers, dial extension 801. For Karen Donald, dial extension 802".

You must upload your greeting(s) to the Greeting Library before you can use them in your IVR.

Next, move over to the Employees tab to begin adding your employees. Note that the available extension options range from 800 - 899.

When you are finished editing your Greeting block, click Save.

Back on the IVR Workflow page, you should see your newly added employee options within your Greeting block. Now we'll need to connect those option to your individual Employee Extension blocks.

On the left-hand side of your screen, locate your Employee Extensions blocks under the Unassigned Blocks section. Then drag them out to your workflow.

Next, connect the individual Employee Extension blocks to the Greeting block by clicking the empty circles in the Greeting block and dragging them to the empty circles in the Employee Extension blocks as shown below.

When you are finished, click Save.

Congratulations! You've just built an advanced IVR. Now you'll need to assign your SAS numbers to the IVR and Script accordingly, or you can contact support for help!