Emergency Inbound Routing
As well as activating emergency routing from the portal, you can set it up so it's also activated by calling into your system. This is useful if you need to trigger emergency routing when you can't access the portal, for example if a member of the team is away from their desk when an emergency happens.
Note. For setting an emergency route, toggling it on and off from the portal, and what the Routing column icons mean, see Inbound Numbers.
Before you start
You need an emergency IVR already set up and assigned to your inbound numbers, as covered in Inbound Numbers. To activate emergency routing by phone, you also need:
- An IVR built specifically for activating emergency routing.
- A dedicated inbound number to call to trigger it.
Building the activation IVR
Head to the IVR page and create a new IVR to house your emergency activation routine. Build it using the elements below.
| Element | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Start element | Assign this to the dedicated inbound number you'll use to activate emergency routing. |
| Text to Speech or Play element | Give the caller a brief instruction, for example: "This is the Emergency Activation Line. To activate the emergency lines, please press 1 after the beep." |
| IVR Menu element | Add an option 1, and assign a beep file so the caller knows when to press it. |
| System Control element | Set the Control Action to Global emergency. This is what actually activates emergency routing. |
| Text to Speech or Play element | Confirm to the caller that emergency routing is now active, for example: "Emergency route now activated." |
| Hang-up element | Ends the call once activation is complete. |
Optionally, add a further Text to Speech or Play element with an error message to play if activation doesn't succeed, prompting the caller to try again.
Adding a dedicated number
- Order a number and add it to the system via the Inbound Numbers page.
- Point it at your activation IVR by selecting the IVR's start element from the dropdown.
- Add a clear description so other users don't mistakenly reuse, edit, or delete the number.
Note. Assign a separate campaign and list to this number rather than reusing one from your live calling operation. If you use a campaign or list already in production, this number's calls affect its reporting and record history. A dedicated campaign and list, ideally a test list, keeps this activity out of your regular reports.
Note. This method only activates emergency routing. To switch it off, you must go to the Inbound Numbers page and use the emergency routing toggle. It can't be deactivated by calling back in.