Unlike subscriber that only have one transfer option, call handlers have three transfer rules that can be configured:

 

• Standard.  This transfer rule is active when the call handler’s schedule is “on”.  The standard transfer rule cannot be disabled and is the “backstop” transfer rule.  You can make it not transfer, but you cannot disable the rule.
• Closed.  This transfer rule is active when the call handler’s schedule is “off”.  The rule can be disabled in which case control passes to the standard transfer rule instead.
• Alternate.  If this transfer rule is enabled it overrides the other two rules and is active all the time regardless of what the call handler’s schedule indicates.

 

For each of these transfer rules you can apply the following changes:

 

• Enable Transfer.  Select “true” to enable transfers for all selected call transfers and “false” to disable it.  If you disable transfer here, Unity will not try to ring the subscriber’s phone when a user dials this extension from the opening greeting for instance.  If you enable transfer and the call handlers doesn’t have a custom transfer string set on the “Call Transfer” page in the SA, the extensions number will be used (i.e. the value on the Profile page will be dialed directly).  Since extension numbers are optional for call handlers, if an extension is not provided the transfer will automatically be set to “no, send directly to greeting” instead.
• Transfer type.  You can select “release” or “supervised” in the drop down list here.  Use this setting with caution and only if you understand call transfer and its implications on the phone and voice messaging systems.  Release: Unity puts the caller on hold, dials the extension, and releases the call to the phone system. Unity does not monitor the call. When the line is busy or is not answered, the phone system forwards the call to the call handler’s greeting. This transfer type allows Unity to handle calls more quickly. Use only when call forwarding is enabled on the phone system. Supervised: Unity acts as a receptionist, monitoring the transfer. If the line is busy or the call is not answered within the number of rings you set in "Rings to wait for," Unity does not complete the transfer and plays the call handler's greeting. You can use supervised transfer whether or not the phone system forwards calls. These options are unavailable if transfer has been disabled.  BulkEdit will allow you to set them but they will mean nothing for the call handlers if transfer has been disabled.
• Rings to wait.  You can enter any number between 2 and 19 here.  This dictates the number of rings Unity will wait before pulling a call back and assuming no one is going to answer it.  This option is only used if the call handler is set to “Supervised transfer”.  Release transfers will simply ignore this value.  Again, BulkEdit will still let you set the value even if it’s not going to be used.
• Set transfer number to be subscriber’s extension.  Check this box to force the BulkEdit utility to replace any transfer string that might be in the selected call handler’s transfer field with their extension number.  This can be useful if you’ve changed numbering plans and want to be sure all call handlers are dialing the correct extensions.  USE WITH CAUTION!  If you have custom dial strings configured for handlers they will be wiped out with this option.
• If call is busy.  You can select “Always hold”, “No holding” or “ask caller” in this drop down list.  This dictates what action Unity performs for external calls when the call handler’s phone is busy. You may want to use holding options sparingly as having calls on hold can tie up ports.  Always hold: Unity plays a prompt indicating that the extension is busy. The caller is put on hold and will periodically be asked if they’d like to continue holding or leave a message until the line frees up. No holding: Unity plays the call handler’s greeting (if recorded) and prompts the caller to leave a message. Ask caller: Unity gives the caller the options of holding, leaving a message, or dialing another extension. NOTE: These options only come into play when the call handler is configured for “Supervised Transfers”.  Again, though, BulkEdit will let you set the values even if they are not going to be used.
• Announce.  Select “true” in this drop down list to have Unity say "transferring call," before releasing a call to the extension.  This indicates an incoming call is external and not an internal caller (i.e. they should answer the call in their “professional” voice). This option only comes into play when the call handler is configured for “Supervised Transfers”.  Again, though, BulkEdit will let you set the values even if they are not going to be used
• Introduce.  Select “true” in this drop down list to have Unity say "call for <message recipient’s recorded name>" or "call for <dialed extension number>" when they answer an incoming external call from the automated attendant. Use this setting when subscribers share a phone or a subscriber takes calls for more than one dialed extension. This option only comes into play when the call handler is configured for “Supervised Transfers”.  Again, though, BulkEdit will let you set the values even if they are not going to be used
• Confirm.  Select “true” in this drop down list to have Unity prompt to accept or refuse an external call. The caller waits a few extra seconds during the confirmation. If the call is accepted, it is transferred to the call handler’s transfer string. If the call is refused, Unity plays the appropriate greeting.  This is normally used in conjunction with the “Ask Callers Name” option.  This option only comes into play when the call handler is configured for “Supervised Transfers”.  Again, though, BulkEdit will let you set the values even if they are not going to be used
• Ask callers name.  Select “true” in this drop down list to have Unity prompt external callers to say their names. Before a call is transferred, the subscriber hears, "Call from...".  This is normally used in conjunction with the “Confirm” option.  This option only comes into play when the call handler is configured for “Supervised Transfers”.  Again, though, BulkEdit will let you set the values even if they are not going to be used.