Route Calls to Places that can Answer Them
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Disasters come When you Least Expect Them
It's clear and sunny. You're thinking, "Too bad. I wish I were sitting on Kailua beach catching some rays." After all, what could go wrong?
What could go wrong?
Disasters don't only come on bad weather days. They are a threat any day of the week . . . especially when it comes to your Hawaii business. Just because it's not raining doesn't mean that business won't be impacted by a flu-generated staff shortage, a bomb threat, or a damaged air conditioning unit. Or there could be a fiber cut. These lines-cables that carry 10,000 more calls than the copper wires they replaced-can cause astonishing business losses in short time frames.
With today's reliance on high tech telephone, Internet, and data services, companies are vulnerable to a single well-placed service disruption. If the unthinkable occurs and your telecommunications services are down how will you answer your phones? Look below for some ideas.
What could go wrong?
Disasters don't only come on bad weather days. They are a threat any day of the week . . . especially when it comes to your Hawaii business. Just because it's not raining doesn't mean that business won't be impacted by a flu-generated staff shortage, a bomb threat, or a damaged air conditioning unit. Or there could be a fiber cut. These lines-cables that carry 10,000 more calls than the copper wires they replaced-can cause astonishing business losses in short time frames.
With today's reliance on high tech telephone, Internet, and data services, companies are vulnerable to a single well-placed service disruption. If the unthinkable occurs and your telecommunications services are down how will you answer your phones? Look below for some ideas.
Information that You Will Find in this Lens
- #1: Forward critical local numbers to another office, a cellular phone, or an employee's home.
- #2: Terminate or Reroute Toll-free Numbers
- #3: Use a voice mailbox to notify callers that your office is closed and to let them know when you will reopen.
- #4: Forward fax numbers to a nearby fax or Internet fax service.
- #5: If all else fails, route calls to a network announcement.
- A Final Thought
- Links to Call Routing Information
- New YouTube vids
- Great Stuff on Amazon
- Instead of giving me a ring why don't you drop me a line?
#1: Forward critical local numbers to another office, a cellular phone, or an employee's home.
Hosted PBX service offers a solution to this challenge. The service is Internet-based, Internet-managed. Changes are affected through a dial-up or web-based interface whose simplicity makes the service a natural for disaster situations.
Accessing the interface provides users with four call forwarding options:
1) selective ringing where calls from designated numbers receive selective forwarding,
2) unconditional forwarding where all calls are forwarded to a secondary number,
3) busy forwarding where calls are forwarded to a secondary number when the first number is busy, and
4) ring no answer forwarding where calls are forwarded to a secondary number when the first number is not answered.
Via the web interface, users can quickly reprogram how calls to their telephone number are managed. For applications where many numbers need to be reprogrammed, auto attendant trees can be established with multiple branches.
THE LESSON HERE?
Investigate your options regarding the forwarding of your local numbers.
#2: Terminate or Reroute Toll-free Numbers
Toll-free numbers act differently than do other numbers. Calls placed to them are forwarded to and terminated at another number. For example, calls placed to 800-555-2345 could be answered at 808-555-2345 or any other number of your choosing.
The ability to designate where the number rings makes toll-free service inherently flexible. A small businessman, for example, could have these calls ring to his home or cell phone then, as business grows, the calls could later ring to an office telephone and ultimately to a fully staffed call center. Where the calls are answered can be changed by the telephone company. Physical services or equipment do not have to be changed.
It is the flexibility of where the call rings that makes toll-free service a natural for the disaster prep toolbox. Say an approaching hurricane means that a call center cannot be staffed in Hawaii. To keep answering the calls, calls can be terminated at a California call center or to any other location outside of the hurricane zone, even to a cell phone. This change can be made as quickly as it takes to call your telephone company or can be changed via web interfaces that some companies now offer.
THE LESSON HERE?
Plan ahead for your toll-free service by having secondary numbers available to which service may be terminated.
#3: Use a voice mailbox to notify callers that your office is closed and to let them know when you will reopen.
Don't forget to check your messages and return them. There is nothing more frustrating to callers than being told that the mailbox is full and they cannot leave a message.
Caution! If your voice mailbox is an answering machine in your office, this may not be the best solution. Better to invest in a mailbox that is remote, preferably located in secure facilities at your telephone company. Typically, these reinforced buildings have generator and battery back-up. As utilities, the companies also enjoy priority status should extended emergencies require the diesel fuel deliveries. If your voice mailbox is housed in such a facility, the odds are better that it will be available when you need it.
THE LESSON HERE?
Use your voice mailbox to deliver your message to callers.
#4: Forward fax numbers to a nearby fax or Internet fax service.
Better yet, install a fax machine "in the sky": hosted service that receives faxes on a server that is typically located in secure facilities with battery and generator back up. Accessible via email, your information is accessible anywhere 24/7.
Pacific LightNet Hosted PBX includes this this service. The feature is called "Inbound Fax" service and helps keep our customers' Hawaii telecommunications service up and running. Your telephone company may do the same.
THE LESSON HERE?
Make sure that faxes can be forwarded to servers that are accessible remotely and available 24/7.
#5: If all else fails, route calls to a network announcement.
Telephone companies offer the ability to store announcements in their networks. You've probably heard some of them: "The number you've dialed is not in service."
You can arrange to have a similar or custom announcement recorded for your business. This announcement can be played only when you activate it. Typically, there is a charge each time the announcement is played.
Alternatively, announcements can be set up as part of a telephone tree servicing your telephone system. During disaster situations, calls can be quickly rerouted to a branch of the tree terminating in an announcement. But remember, housing the equipment in a secure location increases the odds that your tree will be there when you need it. For those in need of Hawaii telecommunications services, consider Pacific LightNet collocation or Hosted PBX services to build this protection into your telephone service.
THE LESSON HERE?
Make sure that your callers receive a message letting them know why you can't answer their call.
A Final Thought
Contingency planning reduces your exposure to interruptions and major losses. A little planning now will ensure that your business' recovery from disaster will be smooth and as uneventful as possible.
Links to Call Routing Information
What exactly is call forwarding? How does a toll-free number work? Need answers to these and more questions regarding call routing? Click on the links below to learn more.
- What is Call Forwarding?
- A definition of call forwarding and links for relevant related terms.
- Voicemail through the Years
- Excellent review of voicemail. Its history, how it works, and how it can be integrated into the business environment.
- What is a Toll-Free Number and How Does it Work?
- FCC consumer facts regarding toll free numbers. Information regarding number availability, how they are administered, and vanity numbers.
- Toll-Free Number Look-up Tool
- Easy to use site where you can check to see if the toll-free number that you are looking for is available. Great for vanity numbers! Find what you want and ask your carrier to install the number for you.
- Hosted Definition-PBX Basics
- A review of Hosted PBX service with discussion of strengths, weakness, and cost. Linking within this site will take you to a comparison of the service with traditional PBX service.
- Pacific LightNet Hosted PBX Service
- The only Hosted PBX service offered by a Hawaii telecommunications carrier. This phone system offers the power of a full featured business PBX system with the advantages of state-of-the-art VOIP technology.
- Keeping the Lines of Business Communications Open During Disaster Situations
- Much of disaster preparation focuses upon maintaing valuable data resources. Important, yes. But what about being able to talk to, to direct co-workers and being able to speak with customers? Often it is the human voice that keeps a business in business following a disaster situation. Read the sister to this lens to discover eight ways that you can keep the lines of business open during a disaster situation.
- Pacific LightNet Home Page
- Pacific LightNet manages the Hawaii's most expansive telephone network. Exploring the options that this network offers for disaster resiliency should be a part of any Hawaii telecom manager's due diligence when preparing a disaster response plan.
- del.icio.us Call Routing Information Page
- Click on this link to access a purpose-built del.icio.us page containing the above and additional links to call routing telecommunications information.
- Pacific LightNet Blog
- Click here for the latest from Pacific LightNet person. An ever-changing look at the Hawaii telecom marketplace.
New YouTube vids
How people are using telephones today.
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Check out some telephone service options on Amazon!
by PacificLightNetPerson
PacificLightNetPerson
Having worked to integrate telecommunications equipment, local and long distance services into the daily operations of a variety of industries, I've g... more »
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