Digital receptionist
Lets the caller dial an extension number directly, without going through a menu. If they dial nothing within the delay, the call goes out through the Timeout output.
At a glance
| Outputs | one only, Timeout |
| Fields | Timeout, in seconds |
| Timeout | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 seconds, then from 10 to 60 in steps of 5. 30 seconds by default |
| Digits collected | 5 at most |
| Announcement | none: the module waits silently |
How it works
The module picks up the call then listens silently for the set delay. It plays nothing. It's up to a Play a file module placed right before it to tell the caller they can dial their contact's number.
As soon as the caller dials an extension, the call goes to the internal extensions and the plan stops there, without hanging up. Nothing after the module is played, and the Timeout output is not taken. The module collects at most five digits.
If they dial nothing within the delay, the call goes out through the Timeout output. This is where you connect the rest of the journey: your welcome menu, a queue, a voicemail box.
If the Timeout output isn't connected to anything, the call is hung up after the waiting delay, in silence. As everywhere in the plan, a triggered output leading nowhere ends the call. On this module, that affects everyone who doesn't know their contact's number, which is most callers.
What to fill in
| Field | What's expected | If you leave it blank |
|---|---|---|
| Timeout | the time given to the caller to dial their extension, from 1 to 60 seconds | until you have opened the module and saved, no delay is written: the delay actually applied is then not the one the module shows |
Step by step
- Prepare in Modules, Audio messages the announcement inviting callers to dial, along the lines of "if you know your contact's extension, dial it now."
- In the plan's Visual editor, place a Play a file module with this announcement.
- Place the Digital receptionist module after it and connect them.
- Open it with a double click and set Timeout to the time given to the caller. Close with Save.
- Connect the Timeout output to the rest of the journey, your welcome menu for example.
- Click Save in the editor's toolbar, then Apply changes.
- Make a real call and dial an existing extension: it should ring. Call back without dialing anything: you should land on the Timeout branch.
If it doesn't work
The caller hears silence and doesn't know they can dial. The module announces nothing. Place a Play a file module right before it, with the invitation to dial.
The call is cut off when the caller dials nothing. The Timeout output isn't connected to anything. Connect it to your welcome menu, a queue, or a voicemail box.
The dialed extension doesn't ring, and the Timeout branch isn't taken either. As soon as digits are dialed, the plan hands off to the internal extensions and doesn't resume afterward. Check in Users and phones, Users, that the dialed number actually matches an existing extension.
The end of the dialed number is lost. The module only collects five digits. Beyond that, further key presses are not taken into account.
Callers don't have time to dial. The delay runs from the moment the module takes over, once the previous announcement has finished. Increase the Timeout, or shorten the announcement.
How the call flow is built, explained in pictures
See the Dial plans page