Delay when transferring a call from a Call Handler

[SteveK066]

Using Unity11.5.1.23900-30. Whenever a caller selects a digit on a Call Handler there's a 5 second delay before the call is actually transferred. This does not happen on a Caller Input choice on a standard mailbox profile. As soon as 'Wait while I transfer your call' (would be nice to eliminate that) is heard, the destination rings immediately. 'Play the "Wait While I Transfer Your Call" Prompt' is not checked in Transfer Rules

I wonder why there is a delay with the Call Handler and can it be eliminated?

[Maren Mahoney]

The delay after choosing a Caller Input digit is a configurable option. The delay is in place to allow a "5" keypress to transfer a call to something while still allowing someone to "dial your party's extention" of 52001 slowly.

On the Caller Input configuration screen. the field "Wait for Additional Digits XXXX milliseconds" is the field you are looking for. Note that the default is 1500 milliseconds (1.5 seconds) so if it is currently set to 5000 milliseconds it was changed deliberately.

As for the "Please wait while I transfer your call", that is a checkbox on each Transfer Rule that is set to transfer to something other than a greeting. Uncheck the box and save.

Maren

[SteveK066]

Thanks Maren,

I see the 'Wait for Additional Digits' field is only 250 milliseconds. The 'Please wait while I transfer...' is unchecked. Strange that the transfer is reasonably quick with a standard user mailbox. I'll look at it more when I'm in the office. Good information to keep in mind if transferring by entering an extension, you wouldn't want the 'Wait for Additional Digits' field too short.  

I would have said because maybe that the Unity is connected to an old AT&T 5ESS switch, we're migrating (slowly) to all Cisco phones, but I wonder why the delay doesn't happen on a standard mailbox. We do have some Cisco phones in place currently, and I believe the delay occurs with them using a Call Handler as well.

[Nithin Eluvathingal]

As you said you are migrating to cucm, is there a conflict numbers/route pattern?

[SteveK066]

No, all numbers that have migrated from the 5ESS to CUCM are reachable to and from both systems. When called phone to phone they ring immediately, and if I press a digit configured in Caller Input on a standard user mailbox the transfer occurs immediately back to an ext. on the 5ESS system. And, if the destination of the Call Handler  - Caller Input is a Cisco phone I still get the delay.

I noted that in a standard mailbox - Caller Input - Transfer to Alternate Contact Number, the extension entry needs to be preceded by #, where as a Call Handler must be configured with only the 5 digit extension. Tried both ways for standard mailboxes and Call Handlers, the must be configured as mentioned.

[Maren Mahoney]

So this delay is only on Cisco Phones (which are presumably registered to a CUCM cluster) while Unity Connection is connected to the 5ESS switch? And then I assume there is a trunk between the 5ESS switch and CUCM of some form?

If that is the case, it is possible that signaling the transfer out of CUC to 5ESS and then to CUCM may be the source of the delay. I don't know if 5ESS switches provide a "Wait while I transfer your call" message, but I could see a transfer signal out of CUC causing a phone switch to provide that. I'm guessing on that, though.

Maren

[SteveK066]

The delay is on Cisco phones and the phones on the 5ESS switch, only when transferring via a Call Handler. When transferring to a selection on Caller Input from a standard user mailbox, there's no delay to both Cisco and 5ESS phones. Yes there is a trunk(s) between the 2 systems. But we don't even need to consider the 5ESS since the delay occurs when transferring to a Cisco phone as well. I suppose I can make a menu out of a standard mailbox by selecting to replay the greeting as an action after the greeting. I've done that before to stop a repeated Spam call to a particular mailbox, requiring the caller to press 1 to leave a message.

As for 'Wait while I transfer your call' that message is from Unity, not the 5ESS. Neither of these are a huge deal - it's  just that any other system I've worked with there was no delay. Even back in the 80s when Rolm Phonemail was common! Thanks for the reply, any suggestions are appreciated. 

[SteveK066]

Further testing revealed I don't get the delay if I call directly to the voicemail box, meaning *+ the extension. When I hear the greeting any digit will ring the destination extension, whether it's on CUCM or the AT&T system right after hearing 'Please wait while I transfer your call'. When call the voicemail profile number, or Call Handler the usual way, like all the customers would by the extension number, the delay occurs when selecting any Caller Input digit that transfers to a phone. In our AT&T system I have numbers that forward directly to voicemail. Strange that the greeting is heard after a half ring as it should, but then the transfer function is delayed. 

I configured a number in the AT&T system, and routed it the same way all the Cisco phone numbers are. I made a new Call Handler, now I don't get the delay. I also removed a number that was configured in the AT&T system on a station port that was forwarded to Unity voicemail, reconfigured it as a Cisco phone number. I then configured that number as a Directory Number in CUCM, with all calls forwarded to the Unity voicemail number. I created it by adding it as a line on an existing phone, then removed it. Now there's no delay when transferring from it's associated Call Handler. Strange that once the call was in Unity, the transfer delay would occur if the number was configured in the AT&T system. Just the transfer delay, the greeting would play without delay. 

There must be a way to configure a Directory Number in CUCM specifically for a Call Handler without needing the step of adding it to a phone - still working on that. 

Update: Tried configuring just a Directory Number, forwarded all to voicemail. It wouldn't work until I added it to a phone. I removed it, so it's not on a phone but still works. I know that's not the right way, and research shows the number should be configured in I believe Call Routing - Route Point - Line Groups.

[Roger Kallberg · Accepted solution]

Normally you would use a CTI route point with a directory number set as call forward all to voicemail to reach a call handler. The directory number should be the same as you put as extension on the call handler.

[SteveK066]

Ok, thanks.