Times and Dates
Time and date routes can be found on Features—Times and Dates. This can automate some system changes based on times and dates. The options can be very flexible and set up to suit most if not all, circumstances.
As an example, we will use the below as our guide.
This business opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 5.30 p.m. Outside these hours, it would be preferred for all calls to go to a different destination. You can do this using the times and dates feature. Go to times and dates and press ‘new.’
Time Group Settings
Name
Give it an appropriate name to help you understand what you are selecting when you select this time and date for Numbers or Feature Codes.
Description
If you need more information about the time group, you can enter it here.
Priority
Set from 1 being low to 10 being higher priority
Active When
You have two choices here. The default is ‘Any time period below is active,’ or you can change it to ‘None of the time periods below are active.’ We recommend using the default, as it’s easier to follow when setting up and diagnosing issues.
Don’t forget to click save
| Once you have pressed save, you need to add the time periods during which this time group will be active. If you see this screen, click 'Add a new time period'. |  |
Or click on ‘New’ in the time periods section and select all that's required for the time period.
When you create the time period, you need to do this in time chunks. For example, to cover the morning before opening, this needs to be its own time chunk.
Time Period Settings
Name
Please give it a name that has a good meaning for the setup.
Description
You can add a description to provide more information about this setting if needed.
When the Time Period Starts and Stops Each Day
Start Time
The time this time chunk will start
End Time
The time this time chunk will finish
Which Days the Time Period is Active
Days of the Week
Choose the days this time chunk will be active in. You can select multiple days here.
Days of the Month
Choose the days of the month. This time chunk will be active. You can select multiple days here, too.
Months
Choose the months this time chunk will be active in. You can select multiple months here.
Years
Choose the years this time chunk will be active in. You can select multiple years here, up to 21 years in advance.
Once completed, you can apply this time group with the time periods (chunks) to Numbers or Feature Codes.
Applying the Time and Date Groups to Destinations like Hunt Groups, IVRs and Queues
As mentioned above, time and date groups can only be applied to Numbers or Feature Codes. So, if you want to use this new time group, we can create a Hunt Group during office hours and then an IVR for out-of-hours service; you need to do the following.
The office has a main inbound number, so this would be an excellent place to apply the time group. Click on Numbers on the left-hand side menu under Features. Find the number you wish to apply to the time group. Scroll to the bottom right of the page, and you will see time routes.
Time Group Settings
Time Group
Find the time group you just created and apply it here.
Forwards Matching Calls to
Here, you can enter the new destination you would like to apply during these time periods.
You can apply multiple time groups to the same Number or Feature Code if you have a bank holiday time group. You can set this to be a higher priority so that it overrides any other time group in the same number.