Feature changes for Business Voice Services

We are updating our Business Voice Services platform as part of our commitment to providing modern, reliable, and efficient communication services.  This update will impact some features, and processes will change for current services.  Below, we will discuss the new processes involved in Call Park and Timed Recall Services.

PLEASE NOTE: 

Using the current network service device, the Call Park service is assigned to individual directory numbers (DNs). As part of the migration process, services will be moved from the current network device to the new network service device to better support your service needs. Once the migration is complete, a Business Group will be assigned the Call Park service through the new network device. Multiple network device elements are used to provide redundancy for service reliability. The migration will occur one network device element at a time to ensure a smooth transition. After migrating, the DNs associated with the new network device will have the updated Call Park service. During the migration, there will be a temporary separation of Call Park services between DNs on the current network device and those on the new network service device. This separation will be fully resolved once all customer lines have been migrated to the new network device.

Current Call Park Service – Before Migration

The Call Park service includes Basic Call Park, Directed Call Park, Answer Back, Retrieve, and Ring Back. The feature capabilities are defined as follows:

• Basic Call Park allows a station user active on a call to park the call against the user’s own DN so that it may be retrieved and answered by any station within the same terminal (CENTREX) group.
• Directed Call Park allows station users to park a call against their own DN or direct the call to be parked against another directory number in the terminal (CENTREX) group.
• Answer Back of a parked call allows a call to be answered back from any station set (DN) within the terminal group by the user going off-hook, receiving a dial tone, and entering an answer-back access code or pressing an answer back feature button, receiving confirmation tone followed by recall dial tone, and then dialing the DN the call is parked against.
• Retrieve is the process of answering a call parked against your own DN (similar to retrieval of a call on analog Hard Hold).
• If Ring Back applies, a call will be parked for only a specified period before being rung back at the parking station.

New Call Park Process – After Migration

Analog phones and SIP devices using Flash-Hook:

To park a call, the subscriber first flash-hooks. Then, they are provided with a stuttering dial tone. Finally, they should dial the access code for parking calls.

• If a Call Park Orbit is available, the subscriber will hear a recorded announcement informing them of the selected Call Park Orbit number. (The caller will not hear this announcement.) The subscriber should then hang up to park the call in that orbit.

• If there are no available Call Park Orbits, the subscriber will hear a recorded announcement informing them of this. (The caller will not hear this announcement.) After that announcement, they will be reconnected to the caller.

To retrieve a call, the subscriber dials the access code for retrieving calls. They are then provided with a stuttering dial tone. At this tone, the subscriber dials the park orbit number from which they wish to retrieve a call. If no call is available on that orbit (for example, it has already been retrieved), they are played an announcement informing them of this.

You will automatically start with 10 orbits on the new platform. If your business needs more, please contact your business account manager.

Timed Recall

If Timed Recall is in use and the parked call is not picked up within the Timed Recall timeout, it is presented to the Business Group Line from which it was initially parked, as though the parked caller had initiated a call to this line. The light indicating the parked call is turned off on all subscribers’ phones.

• This call uses a distinctive ringtone if the phone supports this.

• If available, the parked caller’s Caller ID information is provided.

• Any call services that apply to incoming calls on this line are applied to the call. 

• If the subscriber picks up the phone, they are connected to the parked caller.

The timed recall will automatically be set at 2 minutes. If you want this adjusted, please contact your business account manager.

Our team is here to provide any support you may need. If you have any questions about these changes or the new processes, please do not hesitate to contact us at 336-791-4772. We’re committed to ensuring a smooth transition and continued high-quality service.