Check trunk in vector?

[Stinney]

Is there a way to determine what trunk a call has come in on in a vector?

We use transfer connect in a vector to route a call, but this doesn't work if we have to re-route the calls to our disaster recovery trunk that doesn't have transfer connect provisioned on it. So I need to determine if the call is coming in on trunk X or trunk Y to handle the call properly and use transfer connect tones or a direct route-to step.

- Stinney

Favorite all too common vendor responses: "We've never seen this issue before." AND "No one's ever wanted to use it like that before.

 

[aarodriguez]

You can use diferent VDNs for each Trunk Group
im sure its the easiest and reliable way to do what you want

 

[Stinney]

I can't use different VDNs for each trunk group, would mean duplicating 1,000+ VDNs.

I'm still looking to find a solution to this.

My challenge is to write the vector so if the transfer connect fails that it will then use a route-to command to connect the caller.

If I write the vector to play the *8 Toll Free Number touch tones, then wait x seconds then a route-to step, it fails to transfer at all:

24 announcement 297403 (*8 & toll free number touch tones)
25 wait-time 30 secs hearing silence
26 route-to number 91866xxxxxxx with cov n if unconditionally
27 stop



- Stinney

Favorite all too common vendor responses: "We've never seen this issue before." AND "No one's ever wanted to use it like that before.

 

[wildcard100001]

Stinney,

Once AT&T hears the transfer connect *8 tones, then digits it pulls the call out of the trunk and thus out of the vector and tries to route. So there is no call to continue in the vector. If it doesn't work sometimes, the timing is off on the announcement, it's not sounding clear enough etc.. Re-record, try different timing etc... The caller doesn't hear anything after the *8 tones.

Ask if they can setup an abbreviated dial sequence for you. Such as *8 22 when they hear it it transfers to the TF in question. That way they don't have to listen for so many digits. This method has worked for me in the past...same situation.

Thanks,

Wildcard

 

[Stinney]

I'm not having any issue with the transfer connect announcement working if I program the vector like this:

24 announcement 297403 (*8 & toll free number touch tones)
25 stop

It's when I try to add a route-to that would hopefully transfer the call if the transfer connect fails it won't transfer the call even though the transfer connect is working:

24 announcement 297403 (*8 & toll free number touch tones)
25 wait-time 30 secs hearing silence
26 route-to number 91866xxxxxxx with cov n if unconditionally
27 stop


- Stinney

Favorite all too common vendor responses: "We've never seen this issue before." AND "No one's ever wanted to use it like that before.

 

[wildcard100001]

The thing is, transfer connect should never fail, if it does try re-recording the tones slower or faster, longer tones. I had to do this 10 - 15 or so times before I got it exactly to where it would work 100% of the time. Then testing it 50 - 100 times (with other people as well). If it failed, I'd re-record and try again.

A stop step is required as the call has left the vector once the announcement plays. It won't work any other way...at least in my experience. I went down the same road...cause the issue you are experiencing. Trace the vector to check it out.

Wildcard

 

[Stinney]

Unfortunately, transfer connect does fail, but not as a result of the touch tones. We have an ESS site and in a disaster recovery we can redirect all of our Toll Free traffic off of our ATT circuits in our primary location to the ESS site's cicuits.

Unfortunately, the ESS site termination wasn't built properly and transfer connect is not active on the circuits at that site. It's currently cost prohibative to add it to the circuit. So when we redirect the toll free numbers to this circuit, the transfer connect feature doesn't work.

So if I could set up a way to transfer the call if the transfer connect fails, or if I can determine what PN or trunk the call came in on, I could set up a conditional statement to route to the toll free directly.

Something like:

Goto step if call is on trunk X or PN x then the step would route to the TFN directly.

Otherwise, play the transfer connect tones.

- Stinney

Favorite all too common vendor responses: "We've never seen this issue before." AND "No one's ever wanted to use it like that before.

 

[wildcard100001]

The only thing I can think of is... if the ESS engages... dial up to it and make the vector change. Take out the ann step and put the route step in place. Manual.. and a pain, but it would work.

Let me know if you figure it out.

Wildcard

 

[SF0751]

What steps do you take when the Toll Free is redirected to the ESS? Is this automatic, or do you have to set it up manually?

Susan
"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't."
- Anatole France

 

[Stinney]

We use Quick Call Allocator, a product of AT&T. It's a manual process.

Manually changing the vector is possible, but it's not just one vector. Will probably build in a variable check to say if variable = X then route to the toll free number and bypass the transfer tones.

- Stinney

Favorite all too common vendor responses: "We've never seen this issue before." AND "No one's ever wanted to use it like that before.

 

[Tolson]

What version is your pbx? Do you only route calls to that site when the ESS is active?

If it is version 5.x and the second question is yes you could add a statment to the vector to check and see if the ESS/LSP is active and process the call accordingly.

"goto step x if server = ess" substitute ess with either main, ess or lsp depending on how you write your vectors.

 

[Stinney]

We have 3.1.4, but the ESS check is available. I've looked at it as an option if we go into ESS.

However, there are occasions where we redirect and the system isn't in ESS. However, if we go into ESS and the PN that carries the circuits that have transfer connect on them are able to register to the ESS system, then there is no need to bypass the transfer connect.

It looks more and more like this will have to be a manual process. But since we manually have to move the toll free numbers to the other circut anyway, it's not a burden to do it.

Think my final resolve will be to add a variable check in the vector and then change the variable to not use the touch tones when we have to move the toll free traffic.

- Stinney

Favorite all too common vendor responses: "We've never seen this issue before." AND "No one's ever wanted to use it like that before.

 

[jamesd16]

I was failing to get Transfer Connect to process through the vector. wildcard said "try re-recording the tones slower or faster, longer tones." so I tried a different tone generator which I found without a download at this address:

http://www.dsptutor.freeuk.com/dtmf/ToneGenerator.html

I then saved the .wav with audio format CCITT u-Law with an 8kHz sample rate, saved it to the val board through Val Board Manager, and am successfully completing transfer connect calls every time. So happy with the result I had to sign up and post for others.

 

[Stinney]

I downloaded all 12 dtfm tones and use a free audio editor called wavepad to create my own. I don't like to depend on a website always being there.

I downloaded the dtfm tones here:

http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=91603&package_id=100460

They have short and long dtfm tones. I found the short work fine.

I set up a few recordings in advance for all of my *8 needs:

*8800, *8888, *8866, *8877

Then I just have to append the remaining 7 touch-tones of the number to these. Wavepad allows you to save in the proper format.

I also like to use wavepad to record announcements and perform editing functions (volume levels, removing lengthy pauses or breathing between phrases, etc)



- Stinney

Favorite all too common vendor responses: "We've never seen this issue before." AND "No one's ever wanted to use it like that before.

 

[SloTCMS30]

Stinney,

We too use AT&T's Toll-Free Routing Control to re-route our calls for other offices. This seems to be an easier method and much quicker that modifying vectors and VDN's... Once we add our ESS to our Co-Lo, I will add that site to our routing tree...

2cents

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

- Epicurus