New Ringcentral customer! I have a user/extension with a dedicated, real phone number. An outsider can currently directly dial that dedicated 888-XXX-XXXX number and reach the user.
However, our workflow never calls for an outsider to directly call that user. Instead, we want customers to call our main company number, work through the IVR menus, and (if appropriate) be transferred to that user by IVR. That number is currently receiving many irritating junk calls.
How can we block all external, incoming calls to that number, but still allow IVR transfers to it? I tried to remove the external phone number from the user entirely - but it appears ringcentral requires a user/extension to have a real phone number.
Thanks for your help!
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There are a couple of different approaches to accomplish this depending on call volumes and other requirements that you may have - I won't ask about all your requirements and let you try to match up the best approach:
- remove the phone number from the extension, forward all incoming calls to the extension to the phone number of the physical phone (this only works if you are using cell phones or other non-rc-voip phonesets - for example, our company only uses cell phones so we forward all calls to our staff)
- add a custom rule that transfers all calls coming in to that users phone number back to the IVR menu. The IVR transfers calls to the users via their extension not the number, so the IVR transfers will still be allowed through. This option is not obvious on how to set it up, the trick is to not answer any calls, then in the message options, you set the calls to go to group, then then IVR extension will be available to select.
- add a custom rule, like above, but send it to a custom msg the instructs the caller to only use the main number. Depends on if you want to train callers to use the proper number, or don't care what number they call and just want to ensure they are filtered through the IVR
There are a few other approaches I have read about, but the above ones are the only ones we have actually tried and are using.
Hope this helps
Per your suggestion I was able to add a custom rule that dumps direct calls to that number with an announcement ("Please call the main number instead..."). Brilliant. Thank you so much for taking the time to help!!!
There are a couple of different approaches to accomplish this depending on call volumes and other requirements that you may have - I won't ask about all your requirements and let you try to match up the best approach:
- remove the phone number from the extension, forward all incoming calls to the extension to the phone number of the physical phone (this only works if you are using cell phones or other non-rc-voip phonesets - for example, our company only uses cell phones so we forward all calls to our staff)
- add a custom rule that transfers all calls coming in to that users phone number back to the IVR menu. The IVR transfers calls to the users via their extension not the number, so the IVR transfers will still be allowed through. This option is not obvious on how to set it up, the trick is to not answer any calls, then in the message options, you set the calls to go to group, then then IVR extension will be available to select.
- add a custom rule, like above, but send it to a custom msg the instructs the caller to only use the main number. Depends on if you want to train callers to use the proper number, or don't care what number they call and just want to ensure they are filtered through the IVR
There are a few other approaches I have read about, but the above ones are the only ones we have actually tried and are using.
Hope this helps
I am attempting to do the second option you mentioned. I created a custom rule that forwards all incoming calls to the IVR when they come from one of the extension’s direct numbers, but it seems the rule is still being applied when the IVR transfers the call to the user with their extension, creating an IVR loop. Can you provide more detail on the steps to set this up?
@anthony-hinojo I am guessing you used the wrong condition on the custom rule.
Condition should be “called number” Call handling when the condition is met - forward to IVR.
This shouldn’t create a loop because somebody navigating the IVR will be redirected to the user ext. via the extension number and not via the direct number of the extension…
Haven’t tested this but am confident it should work … If any issues, let me know and I’ll play around with the system to try to recreate this setup on my end.
@Problem Solver Thanks for the response.
The condition on the custom rule is “Calling me at” which forwards the calls to IVR. I have removed the phone numbers in the attached image but when testing this field is populated.
In the IVR menu I have set up a branch which connects to this extension. Enabling this custom rule successfully transfers calls to the IVR, but selecting the menu branch which connects to the extension forwards the call back to the IVR. If you could point out my mistake or get this working and get back to me I would really appreciate it.
I also got an IVR loop when I tried it. - I am thinking it might have to do with the big change to the user call handling section RC did a year or so ago. But maybe it always behaved like that?
Anyways there might be a way to achieve this by creating an additional user extension (without a license, so it’s free) and an additional IVR menu… but that gets things complicated.
Instead an easy solution if you have spare phone numbers - just move the numbers around so that the user extension gets a new number, and the previous number is added as an additional number to the IVR menu.
