Override Time Condition for Inbound Calls

When an inbound route follows a time condition, Cloud Voice sends calls to whichever destination matches the current period, and the switch between periods happens on its own. Occasionally you need to break from the schedule for a short while. This page explains how an authorized user can dial a feature code to force a time condition into a different state, and how to clear that override afterward.

Caution

An override takes effect the moment the code is dialed and it changes where every inbound call on that route lands, not just your own test call. Dial an override code only when you really want live callers redirected, and clear it (or let the automatic reset handle it) once you are done so calls return to the normal schedule.

When you might override a time condition

Overriding is useful whenever reality does not match the calendar:

• Working after hours. Someone stays late to keep supporting customers, so they force the business-hours state to remain open past the normal closing time.
• Leaving early. The office shuts down ahead of schedule on a particular day, such as closing an hour early on Christmas Eve. Before heading out, a user forces the business-closed state.

The exact behavior depends on how the inbound route’s time condition is built. The three sections below cover global business hours, custom business hours, and custom time periods.

Note

Nobody can override a time condition until you grant them permission. Before the feature codes below will work, complete Allow Users to Override Time Condition by Feature Code.

Global business hours

In this example the inbound route routes calls according to the system’s default time zone and its global business hours. Depending on the current period, this route sends callers either to an IVR (Interactive Voice Response, the automated menu that answers and offers options) or to a Queue (a waiting line that hands calls off to available agents).

To override the schedule on a route like this:

1. Confirm the user has been granted override permission (see the note above).

2. Have the authorized user dial the override feature code, which defaults to *99. The state that the call flips to depends on when the code is dialed:

   When the user dials *99	Where inbound calls go
   During business hours	The outside-business-hours destination (IVR 6200)
   During outside business hours	The business-hours destination (Queue 6400)
   During holidays	The business-hours destination (Queue 6400)

3. To end the override, have the user dial the same feature code (*99) again.

Note

• If nobody clears the override manually, Cloud Voice resets the time condition on its own once the next period begins. See Automatic Reset of Time Condition for the details.
• To keep an override in place instead of letting it reset, see Disable automatic reset of time condition.

Custom business hours

Here the inbound route follows a custom business-hours schedule, again using the system’s default time zone.

To override the schedule on this route:

1. Confirm the user has been granted override permission.

2. Have the authorized user dial the feature code *801. As before, the resulting state depends on the time of the call:

   When the user dials *801	Where inbound calls go
   During business hours	The outside-business-hours destination (IVR 6200)
   During outside business hours	The business-hours destination (Queue 6400)
   During holidays	The business-hours destination (Queue 6400)

3. To end the override, have the user dial *801 again.

Note

• If nobody clears the override manually, Cloud Voice resets the time condition on its own once the next period begins. See Automatic Reset of Time Condition for the details.
• To keep an override in place instead of letting it reset, see Disable automatic reset of time condition.

Custom time periods

With custom time periods, the schedule is divided into named periods rather than a single open/closed pattern, and each period has its own override feature code. The example route below uses the system’s default time zone.

To override the schedule on this route:

1. Confirm the user has been granted override permission.

2. Have the authorized user dial the feature code for the period they want to force. Instead of toggling between two states, each code jumps straight to a specific period’s destination:

   Time group	Schedule	Destination	Feature code
   Time Period 1	Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 08:30 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 18:00	Extension (2000 - Leo Ball)	*8103
   Time Period 2	Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday: 08:30 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 18:00	Extension (2004 - Terrell Smith)	*8104
   Holidays	-	IVR (6201 - Holidays)	*8101
   Outside business hours	-	IVR (6200 - 24h-Services)	*8102

3. To end the override, have the user dial the reset feature code *8100.

Note

• If nobody clears the override manually, Cloud Voice resets the time condition on its own once the next period begins. See Automatic Reset of Time Condition for the details.
• To keep an override in place instead of letting it reset, see Disable automatic reset of time condition.