Executive Assistant

Description

Executive/Executive Assistant – The Executive service allows Masergy users to have a pool of assistants who can answer and initiate calls on their behalf. The Executive service and Executive-Assistant service are found in the service packs for Enterprise User, Executive User and Power User.

Executive and Executive-Assistant are two interrelated services that together deliver the following functionality:

  • A user with the Executive service can define a pool of assistants who manage their calls. The assistants have to be selected among the users in the same group or enterprise who have the Executive-Assistant service assigned.
  • A user with the Executive-Assistant service can answer and initiate calls on behalf of their executives.
  • Both the executive and their assistants can specify which calls should be forwarded to the assistants, how assistants should be alerted about incoming calls, and which of the calls forwarded to the assistants should be presented to the executive for screening.

Call Filtering

Call filtering determines whether an incoming call intended for the executive should be routed to their assistants. If the call passes filtering, it is routed to the available assistants (assistants who have not opted out of the executive’s pool).

Assistants can be alerted either sequentially or simultaneously about incoming calls.</>

When no assistant answers the call, a rollover action is applied, which can be one of the following:
Send the call to voice mail

  • Send the call to voice mail
  • Forward the call to a specified location
  • No answer processing

The executive or an assistant configures which calls to forward to the executive’s assistants via the web portal and can enable or disable call filtering. In addition, the executive can activate or deactivate call filtering using feature access codes. To enable or disable call filtering, the executive dials the Executive Call Filtering Activation/Executive Call Filtering Deactivation feature access code. When call filtering is disabled, all calls are routed to the executive.

Call Screening

Calls that are filtered and routed to the assistants can also be presented to the executive for screening. The following locations can be alerted in addition to the executive’s main location:

  • Masergy Mobility location
  • Masergy Anywhere locations
  • Shared Call Appearance locations

The executive’s main location is always alerted when call screening is enabled. If the executive answers a call, all other call legs are released.

Executive Call Initiation and Call Push

An assistant can initiate a call on behalf of their executive. To initiate a call, the assistant dials the Executive-Assistant Initiate Call feature access code, followed by the executive’s number and the destination number. If any of the numbers is not provided, the assistant is prompted to provide it.

To transfer a call to the executive for whom the call is intended, the assistant dials the Executive-Assistant Call Push feature access code. The call can be either a filtered call answered by the assistant or a call initiated by the assistant on behalf of the executive via the Executive-Assistant Initiate Call feature access code.

The request is only valid when the assistant has a single answered executive call, and that answered call is connected to the same location from which the assistant dialed the feature access code. Otherwise, the call is released. If the executive does not answer the call within a configured time, the call is recalled to the assistant’s device.

Call Retrieve

An executive can use the Call Retrieve feature access code to retrieve a call that is connected to an assistant’s location. An assistant can use the Call Retrieve feature access code via the Executive-Assistant Initiate Call feature access code to retrieve an executive’s call to the assistant’s location.

To retrieve a held call from the executive’s device, the assistant dials the Executive- Assistant Initiate Call feature access code and enters the Call Retrieve feature access code as the destination number. The call is retrieved from hold and the remote party is connected to the assistant’s retrieving location. The call leg to the executive’s device is released.

Call Bridge

An executive can use the Call Bridge feature access code to bridge to a call that is connected to an assistant location. An assistant can use the Call Bridge feature access code via the Executive-Assistant Initiate Call feature access code to bridge to the executive’s call from the assistant’s location.

To bridge to the executive’s answered call, the assistant dials the Executive-Assistant Initiate Call feature access code and enters the Call Bridge feature access code as the destination number. The bridge warning tone is played according to the executive’s configuration, and the assistant, executive, and remote party can hear each other on the bridge.

Assistant Shared Call Appearance

In some deployments, it is useful for the executive to have a Shared Call Appearance location configured for the assistant so that the assistant receives call status notifications for the executive and can directly originate, bridge, and retrieve calls on behalf of the executive without using feature access codes.

The executive’s Shared Call Appearance location for the assistant should not be alerted for all incoming calls to the executive or for the executive’s Click-To-Dial calls. This can be set up by adding the assistant’s number as the executive’s Shared Call Appearance location and disabling call termination to this location. Filtered calls still alert the assistant via executive call filtering.

Assistant BroadWorks Anywhere

The Masergy Anywhere E.164 Dialing feature access code is available to users with the Executive-Assistant service. The assistant can use the BroadWorks Anywhere E.164 Dialing feature access code
(*14 by default) to enter the destination address in E.164 format.

The BroadWorks Anywhere E.164 Dialing feature access code must be the first digits entered for the destination number, and is replaced with a “+” to form an E.164 destination address. If the assistant enters the BroadWorks Anywhere E.164 Dialing feature access code with no additional digits, the assistant is prompted for the remaining destination address digits.

Assistant Opt in/Opt out and Call Diversion

An executive can decide to allow assistants to opt in and out of their pool of assistants. When permitted, an assistant uses the Executive-Assistant Opt-in and Executive-Assistant Opt-out feature access codes to opt in or out of the executive’s pool.

To opt in or out of an executive’s pool, the assistant dials the Executive-Assistant Optin/Executive-Assistant Opt-out feature access code followed by the executive’s number. Assistants can also divert calls received on behalf of their executives to a specified location. However, the assistants’ Call Forwarding and Voice Messaging services are disabled for filtered calls.

How to

Executive

A user with the Executive service can configure the following settings:

  • Assistants – The executive configures the list of assistants that are assigned to the executive and specifies whether the assistants can opt in or opt out of the pool. The list of assistants is ordered for sequential alerting purposes, and all assistants must be within the executive’s group or enterprise.
  • Filtering – The executive enables or disables filtering and specifies which calls should be routed to assistants.
  • Screening – The executive enables or disables screening and specifies the alert type and the locations to alert for screening.
  • Alerting – The executive specifies whether assistants should be alerted simultaneously or sequentially, configures the Calling Line ID (CLID) name and number for filtered calls, specifies various timers and the action to take for unanswered filtered calls.

Executive-Assistant

A user with the Executive-Assistant service can configure the following settings:

  • Divert – The assistant can enable or disable call diversion of filtered calls and specify the address to which filtered calls are diverted.
  • Opt-in/Opt-out – For any executive that the assistant is assigned to, who allows assistants to opt in and out of their pool of assistants, the assistant can configure whether they opt in or opt out for that executive.
  • Executive Settings – For any executive, the assistant is assigned to, the assistant can access and modify their filtering, screening, and alerting settings. However, the assistant cannot access or modify the executive’s pool of assistants.

Common Use Case

The primarily use of this service feature is to allow a direct link between an executive manager and their group of assistant(s) who monitor or manage their calls throughout the day.