I have just finished installing a FreePBX server for one of my clients. All seems to be working fine and now they are discovering the possibilities I’m running into some questions I can’t answer. Hope I can find the answers here like so many times before! Here goes…
When a call comes in and is not answered they would like the call to be forwarded a cell phone. I can do this using Misc Destinations, but the CID shown on the cell phone is that of the office, where they would like this to be the original caller id. Is this possible?
If not possible: my client uses multiple numbers and based on the number they pick up the phone on behalf of a different company. I have currently set up 1 ring group and thus 1 Misc Destination. If I would like multiple numbers to be shown when forwarding, is the only way to do this to set up multiple ring groups?
When all else fails: is it possible to forward calls with the push of 1 button on their (Yealink desktop) phone? so 1 button to enable and disable the forwarding?
Then they have one extension of which they would like to force a certain CID. I have found the “Outbound CID” option in the extension module, but no matter what I enter, the CID is always set through the outbound routes.
Use FollowMe instead of Misc Destination. With this you can enable confirm calls.
When using FollowMe it should display the callers caller ID, unless your provider isn’t allowing it or is being forced on the Outbound Route or Trunk.
You can assign a CID Prefix to each inbound route and point them all to one ring group.
You’ll be able to identify the call based on the Prefix.
You can also do this with Set CID to manipulate the number as well.
However, if these calls will be forwarded to cellphones, you’ll need to use Set CID to manipulate the phone number, since cellphones do not have CID Name.
Yes, you can enable/disable follow me with a BLF key.
Also, if you use Call Flow Control or Time Conditions, you can do the same.
Is your outbound route or trunk forcing the CID? If not, you’ll have to ask your provider if they are blocking it.
Can you explain to me how follow me works with a ring group? When enabling this currently the caller is sent to voicemail instead of the number set under follow me.
I have set up Set Caller ID so my client can automatically reply from the correct CID. When the call is forwarded the best option would be if the entire CID (including prefix set under Set Caller ID) is shown.
First let me get follow me working, I’ll worry about the BLF key later. If follow me works, I guess this won’t be needed.
The CID is set in the connection to the trunk (fromuser=XXXXXXXXXX) and in the outbound route (Route CID). Maybe this is set up the wrong way? Maybe Override Extension should be used?
First of all, I don’t understand exactly what you are trying to accomplish, if you can be more specific about the call flow, i’d appreciate it.
Now, a ring group can call multiple extensions, if you want to call extensions with their followme you have to plage a # after the extension (see attached picture)
If you want the ring group should also call a external number, you can add the number with a # (see picture)
If you have external numbers, make sure to have call confirmation enabled.
FollowMe, if it’s enabled you can set the initial ring time to ring at the extension, then the ring time to ring the follow me list. (You can also have extensions in the follow me list, only external numbers need a # after)
Make sure you set the ring strategy right. (see picture)
Now, if user 201 which is receiving calls from the ring group wants to get the calls forwarded to his cellphone, all he needs to do is enable follow me.
Hope you understand.
Can you post a picture of your outbound route and trunk?
Aha, I have going been going about follow me the wrong way probably and have now added the external number to the ring group.
My call flow:
3 numbers: company 1, company 2, private
Client wants to see which company is called, this is now done using inbound route (per phone number), “CID name prefix”. This results in the CID being “C1: XXXXXXXXXX” or “C2: 1XXXXXXXXXX” where CX is an abbreviation of the company name and 1 is added so when the call is missed and return the correct outbound route is automatically used.
When forwarding the call my client want to see the same information, but I guess this is now handled by adding the number to the ring group?
I have set up 3 inbound routes, one for each number, 2 of which are routed through “Set Caller ID” for adding a 1 or 2, this is for returning missed calls and automatically using the correct outgoing CID. Set Caller ID routes to the ring groups (2 numbers use a business group, 1 number uses just one extension).
The private number (extension 203) is basically a loner within the system. This is the extension which my client would always like to force the private CID.
I have added the cell phone number to the ring group and asked my client to test. His phone rings together with the internal phones but the CID on the cell phone is the main number on the freepbx and not the CID from the calling party.
What exactly should I ask them? They allow multiple CID, I’m already using that in my outbound routes. When adding a 1, 2 or 3 to the outbound number, the CID changes.
OK, i think we have a little misunderstanding here.
You have 3 companies.
1 = 1888-111-1111
2 = 1888-222-2222
3 = 1888-333-3333
When someone calls 1 and it’s being forwarded to a cellphone you want the CID to show on the cellphone as 1888-111-1111, and so on with the rest of the companies.
Not entirely, but very close. I would like the CID on the cellphone to be that of the caller but with the prefix added by “Set Caller ID” so my client knows which company was called. Example:
1 = 1888-111-1111 => CID “void”+CID of caller
2 = 1888-222-2222 => CID 1+CID of caller
3 = 1888-333-3333 => CID 2+CID of caller
When you call from internal with the prefix, do you see that prefix on your cellphone?
Back in the days we used to add 9 as a prefix so users would see on their cellphone 9888-111-2222
What happened is that most US providers stopped allowing random digits instead of the 1, so what happened was that we had a ring group with few cellphones, some users got the 9 and some not.
I’m afraid that this is what’s happening here.
So you are going to ask why the 1 does work?.. Very simple, they don’t strip 1 since it’s a legit number.
