Put callers through to a person

Your assistant can put callers through to a person in the middle of a call: to you, to reception or to the workshop. This page covers where you store the numbers, when your assistant transfers, what the caller hears and what happens if nobody answers.

Where calls are put through to

On your assistant's Behaviour tab there are two places for numbers:

• The default target is the Destination number in the Put known callers through card. It applies to every transfer, not only to known callers. How long it rings is set by the Ring time (seconds) in the same card, 15 seconds if left empty.
• Transfer targets are named numbers in the Transfer targets card, such as "Reception" or "Workshop". Each has its own Ring time of 5 to 120 seconds, 15 if left empty.

Which phone rings: normally the Transfer target the rule names. If another target's label fits the request clearly better, your assistant may pick that one instead. Without a fitting target, the default target applies.

When your assistant transfers

• If you have set up rules, your assistant only transfers when a rule says so: with Transfer straight through or Qualify, then transfer or book. Urgency alone is then not enough. This includes the rules scoco keeps for your contacts: as soon as you block a contact or set one to Always put through, it applies.
• Contacts for whom you switched on Always put through are transferred after the greeting.
• If your status is Messages only, it puts nobody through.
• If neither a destination number nor a transfer target is set, it takes a message instead.

Known callers who should ring your phone before the greeting are set up under Put known callers through.

Add a transfer target

1. Open Assistants, choose your assistant and stay on the Behaviour tab.
2. In the Transfer targets card, click Add target.
3. Enter a Label. Your assistant says it aloud, in German inside the sentence „Ich stelle Sie jetzt an … durch." (I am putting you through to … now). A label such as „den Empfang" therefore sounds better than „Empfang".
4. Enter the Phone number with its area code, for example +49 30 123456. Landline and mobile numbers in Germany and the EU are possible.
5. Enter a Ring time in seconds if you need one.
6. If this phone forwards unanswered calls to scoco itself, enter after how many seconds under Your carrier's forwarding.
7. Click Save.

You can change the label later. Rules keep pointing to the same target.

What the caller hears

Your assistant announces the transfer: with a transfer target, for example „Ich stelle Sie jetzt an den Empfang durch.", with the default target „Ich stelle Sie jetzt durch.". The caller then hears the ringing tone until someone picks up. If the caller switched language, the announcement comes in their language.

As soon as someone answers, your assistant leaves the call. It does not listen to what you and the caller discuss.

Which number your phone shows is set in the Put known callers through card under Number shown: The caller's real number, Only for known contacts, or always your scoco number.

On a test call

On a test call your assistant puts nobody through, and no phone rings. Up to that point everything runs as in a real call: your assistant decides as described above and picks the target. Instead of „Ich stelle Sie jetzt an den Empfang durch." it then says „Das ist ein Testanruf: Im echten Anruf würde ich Sie jetzt an den Empfang durchstellen. Angerufen wird niemand." ("This is a test call: in a real call I would put you through to … now. Nobody is being called."), and for the default target the same without a name. If the caller switched language, this sentence comes in their language too. The conversation with it then goes on. Who it would have put the caller through to is shown on the call in the Inbox, on the Test call: not carried out card.

If nobody answers

If nobody answers within the ring time, the line is busy or the number cannot be reached, the caller stays on the line. Your assistant comes back, apologises that nobody is available right now and takes a message with a callback number. If someone calls from the very number the call would be put through to, it also takes a message.

Common problems

The dashboard does not save a target. Every target needs a label and a phone number. Fill in both fields or remove the row with Remove target.

The ring time is refused. It must be shorter than the value under Your carrier's forwarding.

The number belongs to scoco. A transfer target may not be one of your scoco numbers, or calls would loop.

The number is not accepted. A transfer target must be a landline or mobile number in Germany or the EU. Premium-rate and service numbers such as 0900, 0180, 0137, 0700, 0800 or 118… and numbers outside the EU are not possible, because the transferred call runs over the scoco line. The message names the number. A target that was saved before keeps ringing.

A target cannot be removed. A rule still points to it, and the message names the rule. Change the rule first.

Your assistant never transfers. Check your rules and your status. With rules in place, it only transfers when a rule says so.