Auto dialing external extensions from Outlook with SCC

[laura.bass]

Please help!  I am not a technical person so I will probably call everything by the wrong name, but we have cool new SPA525G phones on a UC560 thingy.  We are using the Cisco Smart CallConnector Advanced client and server which has a menu and a toolbar in Outlook.  We have a BIG PROBLEM because many of our external contacts in Outlook have extensions.  Example:  (800) 555-5555 ,, 12345   and we use the commas so that the calls can be autodialed from our iPhones.  All of these extra numbers cause the number to be dialed with the country code.  We tried an X instead of ,, and the country code is not dialed but neither is the extension.

How can numbers with extensions be dialed using our Cisco hardware and software?  What is the pause character?

[cindy toy]

Hi Laura,

Please call the Small Business Support Center:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/support/tsd_cisco_small_business_support_center_contacts.html

Regards,

Cindy Toy

Cisco Small Business Community Manager

for Cisco Small Business Products

www.cisco.com/go/smallbizsupport

twitter: CiscoSBsupport

[laura.bass]

Cindy - I called the support number and got someone in Bulgaria.  After working with them over the phone and via webex for 2 hours they were unable to help me.  They claim it can be done but they do not know how.

Is it even possible to dial extensions from the Cisco Smart CallConnector Advanced with Outlook?  I just need an answer so that I can figure out our strategy.  We are a small company and do not have an army of IT available to change our CLI code or whatever.  It is just me and I am just a non-technical person and I need help.

Does anyone know if this simple thing is possible and if so, how?

UPDATE:  The Cisco support people just called me.  Word on the street (in Bulgaria) is that NO, it is not possible to dial extensions with CCA and Outlook.  We have to dial the old fashioned way, with our finger.  This, after struggling two hours with someone who did not understand me and vice versa because of the language barrier.

The most disappointing thing is not that Cisco cannot do something so simple, but how difficult it is to deal with Cisco.  I ditched AT&T because that company is a nightmare.  Well, so is Cisco.  My resellers are having no luck dealing with them either so I guess I have just traded one nightmare for another.  Awesome.

[jbattist]

Laura,

       I am sorry for the experience you had with your call.  I found in the SCC Administration guide the following:

"The Number Translation Rules compare the supplied number against the Input Pattern and if there is a match, a number of specified digits are removed (including zero digits) from the left and optionally append from the left the specified digits.

The dialing rules do not handle requirements for pauses, for dialing account codes or extension numbers after the primary number"  Pg. 182 of 292  Cisco Smart Callconnector Server 2.1

Again, I apologies for the experience you had with this issue. 

James Battisti

SME Unified Communications

[laura.bass]

James - Thank you very much for your response!  Your help is appreciated as now we can stop blindly groping for answers.  You're THE MAN!