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:

Updating the Main IVR Greeting
Creating and Adding an Employee Extension

Updating the Main IVR Greeting

All IVRs must start with a Greeting. This will be considered your "main menu" and will provide callers with subsequent options. In this example, we'll update our main IVR greeting to include options for an Employee Extension.

Within SAS Flex, go to the Builder icon on the left navigation panel and select IVRs. Then, click on the IVR you wish to update.

On the next page, click on your Greeting block, as shown below.

In the panel that appears on the right-hand side of your screen, you'll need to update the prompt language. If you are using a Recorded audio file, you will need to re-record and re-upload the file with the new prompt language. If you are using the Text to Speech option, you can just update the text as shown below.

In our example, we'll add 3 employee extensions that callers can dial.

If you want a different message to play when you are closed for after hours or holidays, use the Away audio message toggle, then choose Play when we are closed from the Frequency dropdown and add your respective greeting.

In order for the IVR to be able to change based off your business hours or after hours, you'll want to make sure you have already created a business hours set and a holiday set. Additionally, you'll want to make sure your business hours set is selected under the Options gear within the IVR workflow.

Next, under the Employees section, we'll need to add our different extensions. Click Add Extension and then begin adding your employees and their respective extensions. Remember, the extensions need to be between 800-899.

When you are finished, click Save. Your new workflow should look something like the image below.

Creating Employee Extension Blocks

From the main IVR workflow, click the + node beneath the section you want to result in an Employee Extension transfer. Then, select Transfer > Employee.

On the panel that appears on the right-hand side of your screen, you can choose your Recorded greeting from the Recording dropdown, or type in your greeting to use our Text to Speech option.

Under the Options section, select either the Send 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 to. When you are done, move on to step 5.

Voicemail messages will come from notifications@sasdesk.com

If you choose the Transfer caller option, you'll need 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. Next choose your Transfer audio message.

If you want to configure additional transfer settings, expand the Additional transfer settings menu. 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.
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.
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.

If you chose either of the first two options, you'll need to configure an additional option 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

Click Save. You'll be taken back to your IVR Workflow, which should look something like the image below. When you are satisfied with your IVR, click the Publish button in the top right-hand corner to publish your changes.