Phones/Admin line

From PCSAR

Our toll-free admin line 1-855-727-6825 is designed as the one number we give out for administrative purposes. (I.e. anything that's not a search.) Because we have people cycling through roles on a fairly regular basis, we don't want to publish individual's personal numbers. Those will too often be out of date.

Our admin line is provided through Phone.com. They provide an inexpensive virtual PBX where we can create menus and virtual extensions. Each role that needs a point of contact can have its own extension and either go to the current volunteer's home and/or cell, or it can go to voice mail and be forwarded via e-mail to the appropriate committee.

The line has a small per usage cost of US$0.05/min. The intention is not that you do all of your business over this number, but rather that it be a point of first contact and that you follow up directly thereafter.

[edit] Main menu

When you dial in, you'll hear:

You've reached Pincher Creek Search and Rescue.
For emergencies, press 1.
If you'd like to discuss a current situation with Search and Rescue, press 2.
To reach the administrator or for billing, press 3.
For our President, press 4.
Training, press 5.

Both 1 & 2 go to our dispatch service (STARS). It's not our intention that the Admin phone line be used as an emergency line. We have other phone numbers for that. But in case someone calls this number by mistake, we want them to be able to get into our emergency contact system, rather than just leaving them confused or with no real emergency number to contact.

Option 2 does the same thing as option 1, but is worded differently because sometimes Tasking Agencies just want to get some advice on a current incident and don't think that rises to the level of using our emergency contacts. This gets them to our dispatch, which will get them in contact with a Search Manager. Together they can review the situation, and if that results in no activation, that's just fine. We want to be called for those types of discussion.

The other options forwards to "virtual extensions" that our members can customize as they like.

[edit] Virtual extensions

The following virtual extensions are configured. Others can easily be added at no additional cost.

• 103 - Administrator
• 104 - President
• 105 - Training

Each extension can be configured to:

• Forward calls to your personal phone number. E.g. your home phone, your cell phone or both.
• Take a voice message and e-mail it to you.
• Lots more if you want to get into it.

You can configure your extension by logging in at: Phone.com extension login page.

• Phone Number: 855-727-6825
• Extension: Use three digit number from above list
• Password: Use the password given to you by the phone.com administrator

Once you're logged in, click on "Settings" to change your voice mail and notification. Click on "Settings > Call Handling Rules" to change how calls are forwarded to you.

There's a pocket guide when you click on "Voicemail", and more help under "Support". If you can't figure something out, ask Brett Wuth.