AT&T Merlin Plus User Manual page 8

DAY AND NIGHT
ANNOUNCEMENTS
You can choose from two different announcements (day or night) to play to
callers when the MERLIN Attendant answers incoming calls. Both the day
announcement and the night announcement can direct calls to up to nine
different routes (1 through 9, 0 is reserved for the receptionist). Additionally,
these announcements can offer callers the option to dial individual extension
numbers.
Depending on your business hours, you can allow callers to dial a route or an
extension number when your business is open (day announcement), then
provide information such as business hours when your business is closed
(night announcement). If your business operates 24 hours a day, you can use
just the day announcement. Here are two examples:
Using Both Day and Night Announcements
ABC Company office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through
Friday. Callers who dial the company's toll free number hear the day
announcement when the MERLIN Attendant answers. The day
announcement instructs callers to enter a route number (1 through 9) to
reach a specific department or an extension number to contact a particular
individual. Callers who call after 5:00 p.m. or on the weekends hear the
night announcement when the MERLIN Attendant answers. The night
announcement provides the regular office hours and allows callers to dial
extension numbers to connect with employees who are working after hours.
Incoming calls can be forwarded to an outside number by using the
MERLIN Plus system Release 2 Call Forwarding (CF) feature. You can also
use Remote Line Access (RLA) to allow your employees with password
permission to use your company's outside lines. It is recommended that
these features be assigned to dedicated Central Office lines when used with
the MERLIN Attendant. If you use Call Forwarding or Remote Line Access
on the same lines as the MERLIN Attendant, the MERLIN Attendant will
act as a night backup to these features, answering calls only when
Call Forwarding or Remote Line Access lines are busy after hours.
(See the MERLIN Plus Communications System Release 2 System Manual for more
information on these features.)
If you use Call Forwarding or Remote Line Access with the
NOTE:
MERLIN Attendant, your night announcement should include special
instructions to call back if these lines are busy. See "Using Call
Forwarding" or "Using Remote Line Access" in this section.
Using the Day Announcement Only
XYZ Company has 24-hour sales and customer service departments. Callers
on lines answered by the MERLIN Attendant hear the day announcement no
matter what time they call. The day announcement offers callers a choice
between entering the route number for sales (1) or for customer service (2).
The MERLIN Attendant 1-3