'Follow Me' The Flexibility Of Your Private Ring Group

One of the most popular features on new IP-PBXs is the 'Find Me, Follow Me' feature. Many employees today are in and out of the office at different times of the day, often unscheduled, and this calls for high flexibility in call routing. The 'Follow Me' feature provides this flexibility.

Traditionally, when a caller was transferred to your extension, or when calls came directly to your extension with a direct phone number, you either answered the call in a specified time or it went to voice-mail. With the 'Follow Me' feature, the extension can be paired with other extensions, cell phones or even with phone numbers at other locations.

Follow Me

In the example below you can see that the first two devices to be called are the office extension and the cell phone. When a calls comes into extension 2209, the extension and the programmed cell phone both ring at the same time for 3 rings. Then as designated by priority 2, the call then rolls to the home phone for 2 rings and then the caller would go to the extension voice-mail. The system then can be programmed to send that voice-mail to your email account where you can listen to it on your cell phone, tablet, laptop or PC.

This flexible option allows users to customize a ring pattern that best suits their everyday needs. Someone who is in the office most of the day may want to ring their extension first for several rings and then try their cell phone, for example. Someone who is in and out all day can ring both at once, etc. This setting can also be changed on the fly from a smartphone, tablet, laptop or PC.

Other Forwarding Options

For those who may be on vacation or out of the office for an extended period of time with limited access to office VM, they may want to have all of their calls go straight to their cell phone and then have voice-mails go to their cell phones. This is where traditional forwarding comes into play. The user would go in and direct forward all of their calls directly to their cell phone number, and if the call is not answered the cell phone voice-mail would answer. This gives the user flexibility as to where they want to receive their voice-mails.

Cell Phone Transfers

On IP-PBX systems such as the IPitomy IP-PBX, users can transfer calls they receive on 'Follow Me' to any extension on the system by dialing a code and then the extension. For example Susan has her 'Follow Me' set up to ring her desk phone, and then her cell phone. She receives a call while she is out to lunch and finds she needs to transfer the call to Paul who is back in the office at extension 2201, Susan simply dials ##2201 and the call is transferred over to Paul's extension.

Today's VoIP technology offers more flexibility than ever. No matter where you may be you can always get your calls and your voice-mail messages!

Author: Matthew Bellisario

Matt has over 23 years in the communications industry. Starting off in the US Coast Guard, he acquired the skills necessary to be successful as a senior technician in the telecommunications and wireless world. Now Matt has moved on to another side of the industry which includes sales, marketing and product training. Some of his recent accomplishments include publishing professional white papers, newsletters, sales articles, and producing training and marketing videos.

Are You Thinking Mobility?

If we look at technology advancements over the last decade, the majority of development has been aimed at mobility. Laptops have almost made the desktop obsolete, while the tablet is now beginning to overshadow the laptop. Smartphones will soon enough make the old "dumb" phone obsolete very soon, and there are still huge developments on the way where the smartphone and tablet will most likely merge. The desire for media access on the go is the driving factor in all of these types of advanced tech devices.

New companies are figuring out ways to function more efficiently at less cost than their predecessors. Businesses are figuring out ways to maximize the time of their employees, and more employees are filling more than one role in their company. This means they may not be able to spend the entire day in an office. They may need to take calls and send email files while they are moving from one place to another. Whether they are in an airport, going to a client meeting, taking their lunch break or merely driving between locations, people need to stay connected.

The two primary ways of staying connected are by phone and email. Smart phones have changed the way we communicate. We are able to have a phone conversation in most places, and with the integration of data, we can also send and receive emails. Access to the Internet on the smart phone in conjunction with the latest apps has now started a revolution as to how we conduct business. We are no longer limited to a phone call or an email. We can actually access pertinent data we need to engage clients.

With high speed data available and apps which integrate into our databases via the Cloud, technology is on the verge of making large office spaces obsolete. As our databases and applications move into the Cloud, we can now begin to conduct business on a tablet with touch of an app! For example, you can conduct a webinar on your tablet, or have a face to face meeting with a client across the globe with Skype, Facetime, or other apps. You can send texts, emails or important data files easily without setting foot in an office. The latest advancements are aimed at offering even more mobile functionality. The latest smart phone manufacturers are pushing the envelope, and some are working on a fold-able phone as we speak. These will provide the compact usability of a phone, with the larger display of the tablet when opened.

What does all of this mean for those in the sales industry? It means that mobility is going to play a key role in the future success of your company and product. This of course does not mean you have to be in the smart phone or tablet business, but you may want to consider how you, your company and product interfaces with these mobile devices. Does your company have a mobile app that can be utilized by your customers? Can you work effectively out of the office when you need to? Do you utilize all of the advantages of mobility solutions to make the most of your time and efforts, like a soft phone on your smart phone so you can take and make calls off of your phone system from anywhere? Are you thinking mobility? You should be!