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Understanding operator features

The operator is a person who can put calls through on the IP gateway. You can use the dial plan to automatically connect calls to the operator, you can have the operator as an option on the auto attendant, and connection to the operator is an option for failed calls. The operator connects the calls one by one as calls reach the top of the operator's call queue.

The operator can put calls through to configured endpoints and call groups that have been given names in the system, or to any other endpoint by manually entering the IP address, hostname, URI, H.323 ID, or E.164 number of the endpoint. An operator can choose to speak to the proposed receiver of a call before connecting the caller.

You can configure one or more operators.

Setting up an operator

To set up an operator:

1. Go to Users and add a user with privilege level: Operator. Choose the operator's endpoint from the drop-down list of endpoints (or choose Create new to configure an endpoint for the operator). If the operator is currently available to answer calls, set the Operator as Present. For more information, refer to Adding and updating users.
2. Go to Settings > Operator and configure the global operator settings. For more information, refer to Configuring operator settings.
3. Create a dial plan appropriate to your requirements. Note that you can use the dial plan to automatically connect certain callers to the operator. For more information, refer to Understanding the dial plan.
4. If you want the operator to appear as an option on an auto attendant, go to Menu builder and create an entry for that auto attendant that has the Action as Call operator. For more information, refer to Creating auto attendant menus.
5. Go to Dial plan > Failed calls and configure actions for the what happens when connections to the operator fail and calls forwarded by the operator fail. Note that the actions for failed calls are configured separately for each port on the IP gateway. To toggle between the failed call settings for each port, use the Port A B links on the top right of the Failed calls tab. For more information, refer to Configuring failed call settings.

Operator status

If you are using an operator, the IP gateway must be told when the operator is present and when he/she is not present. Operators are able to do this for themselves as this functionality is available for users who are logged in with privilege level: Operator.

To update the status of the operator, go to Users and click the name of the operator whose status you want to update. Use the Present option to tell the IP gateway whether the operator is available to answer calls or not.

Note that if all operators are absent, for calls that are forwarded to the operator, the IP gateway will either transfer to the auto attendant or disconnect, depending on the configured action on the Dial plan > Failed calls page. This is also true for callers who are waiting in the operator queue and all operators become 'absent'. These calls will also be treated with the action for Connections to the operator fail that you configure on the Dial plan > Failed calls page. For more information about failed calls, refer to Configuring failed call settings.

What does the operator do?

When a call is received by the operator it appears in the operator's queue at the top of the Calls list page. The operator then has the ability to put that call through to any configured endpoint or call group (they all appear in a drop-down menu), or the operator can type the forwarding address of the endpoint to which to connect the call.

The Calls list page is the primary interface that the operator will use to connect calls; when viewed by an operator (that is, someone who has logged in with with a user account with privilege level: operator), the Calls list page is known as the Operator home page. It is possible for the operator to connect calls using the interface on the operator's endpoint and this is described in Using the Codian IP gateway — for operators.

The operator can choose whether to put a call through to the receiver directly or whether to put the caller on hold and speak to the call receiver before connecting the call.

When a operator logs in to the unit, only the Operator home page and a log in page are accessible. An operator must update the Operator's status at the bottom of their Operator's home page when they arrive at work and when they leave.

Note that when using the Operator home page, an operator cannot connect calls to endpoints in the TMS addres book. An operator can access the TMS address book from their endpoint. For more information about the TMS address book, refer to Configuring the TMS address book.

Related topics

• Configuring operator settings