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Marilyn asked mike commented

IVR Menu vs Shared Line Question: Which one should I use to accomplish what I want?

I'm not sure if I want to set up the Polycom phones to be able to pick up an incoming call on our company's general phone line by utilizing the IVR menu or the Shared Line option.  Would either option still allow each the caller to gain access to a specific employee using the "dial-by-name" feature if the caller was trying to find a specific employee by name or if the employee wanted to search for the connection to a specific department, like "Billing"?  What I want is for anyone to be able to use the Polycom phone on their desk to answer an incoming call that is not directly connecting to a specific extension number because the caller is using directory-by-name or directory-by-department.
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mike answered
Hi Polly,   Can you tell us a little more about your business and how you want/need this to work?  How many reps will be answering etc.  If you can provide a few more details we can better advise you on the best setup.  Based on what you mentioned above, I am thinking that instead of using shared lines, it might make more sense to set up a RingGroup. 

Mike 
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Marilyn answered
Thank you Mike!  The Polycom phone I use is designated to be the phone that rings when a call comes through on our general phone number, so, I am the person who typically answers the phone.  I am not always available to answer the phone.  Maybe the solution is to set up the phone system so that everyone's phone rings when a "general" call is coming in, and my co-workers simply wait for me to answer the phone, and if they notice I'm not taking the call, then one of them will pick up the call using the Polycom phone on their desk.

There are 4 other employees who have a Polycom phone on their desk.  We would like to make it possible for any one of the other 4 employees to be able to answer the phone when a call is coming through but I am either away from my desk or I am on the phone.  At the same time, I was hoping to maintain the ability for a caller to be able to access a specific person by either dialing the directory-by-name or dialing a department or entering an extension number, etc.  Is there a way to have the other Polycom phones intercept a "general" call coming in but still maintain the individual characteristics (extension number, department, or person's name) in case the caller wishes to bypass the "operator" or "receptionist" and go directly to a specific person?

:)Polly
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mike answered
Hi Polly,  

There are several ways you could go about this, so if this doesn't  make sense, or it's easier to explain over the phone, feel free to give us a call.   Here are a couple suggestions. 

To keep all the functionality of the phone system, in most cases you want to avoid using shared lines.  I suggest keeping the "dial-by-name directory" turned on.  Then I see you have the auto-receptionist forwarding to ext 12.  You can leave it this way, but then in addition, create a custom user greeting and create a RingGroup. This way if you don't answer, it will ring the group. 

Take a look at this page for more info. 
Customizing the Call Handling & Forwarding Feature Under User Hours
About 1/2 way down the page, you'll see a section showing you how to add a RingGroup. 



Mike 

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Marilyn answered mike commented
Thank you very much for your assistance, Mike.  I appreciate your efforts to provide me with the details I need to change things.  It seems that your suggestion has resolved the matter. Onward and upward! -Polly
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mike avatar image mike commented ·
Happy to help!  Thanks for visiting us here on the Community!
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