AT&T IP Flexible Reach Customer Portal: User Support

About Inbound Call Features

Find Out Which Features Are Available to You

AT&T IP Flexible Reach inbound call features enable you to manage calls you receive in various ways. For example, with Anonymous Call Rejection, you can reject calls that have no caller ID; With Call Forwarding features, you can automatically forward calls to a different number.

Your Group, Department, or Enterprise Administrator can grant you rights to use individual inbound call features. You can customize many features after they’re assigned.

Find Out Which Features Are Available to You

Using the Inbound Features tab of the User page of the Customer Portal, you can find out which features your administrator has made available to you.

To check feature availability

Open the Customer Portal.
If the User page is not open, click HOME in the main menu bar to open it.
If it's not already open, click the Inbound Features tab. The Inbound Features page appears.
The Status column shows feature status.
- Features available to you are marked Enabled.
- Features not available to you are marked Disabled.

Inbound Call Features

This section presents a list of the inbound call features and describes what they do. To learn more, click the links to go to that feature's individual topic.

Anonymous Call Rejection

The Anonymous Call Rejection feature enables you to reject calls that don't have caller ID attached. When activated, Anonymous Call Rejection instantly rejects all anonymous calls, preventing the caller from even leaving a message. This feature also appears as a sub-option in the Call Acceptance, Call Rejection, Sequential Ring, and Simultaneous Ring features.

Anonymous Call Rejection doesn't have selective criteria.

For more information, see Anonymous Call Rejection.

Call Acceptance

The Call Acceptance feature enables you to define criteria that permit certain incoming calls to ring through. All other calls are blocked, and the caller is informed that you don't want to receive the call.

Call acceptance does have selective criteria.

For more information, see Call Acceptance.

Call Forwarding – Always

The Call Forwarding – Always feature enables you to redirect all incoming calls to another phone number.

Call Forwarding – Always doesn't have selective criteria.

For more information, see Call Forwarding – Always.

Call Forwarding – Busy

The Call Forwarding – Busy feature enables you to redirect calls to another number when an incoming call encounters a busy condition. The line is considered to be busy when there are too many active calls coming through at once, or when Call Acceptance or Call Rejection is in use.

Call Forwarding – Busy doesn't have selective criteria.

For more information, see Call Forwarding – Busy.

Call Forwarding – No Answer

The Call Forwarding – No Answer feature enables you to redirect calls to another number when an incoming call isn't answered within a specified number of rings. You must specify the forwarding number and the number of rings before forwarding.

Call Forwarding – No Answer doesn't have selective criteria.

For more information, see Call Forwarding – No Answer.

Call Forwarding – Not Reachable

The Call Forwarding – Not Reachable feature enables you to set an alternate phone number (for example, a wireless number) where calls will be redirected when your IP Flexible Reach phone number is unreachable.

Call Forwarding – Not Reachable doesn't have selective criteria.

For more information, see Call Forwarding – Not Reachable.

Call Forwarding – Selective

The Call Forwarding – Selective feature enables you to define criteria that redirect certain incoming calls to another number. If an incoming call meets the specified criteria, the call is redirected to the specified number.

Call Forwarding – Selective has selective criteria.

For more information, see Call Forwarding – Selective.

Call Rejection

The Call Rejection feature enables you to define criteria that reject certain incoming calls. If an incoming call meets the specified criteria, the call is blocked, and the caller is informed that you don't want to receive the call.

Call Rejection has selective criteria.

For more information, see Call Rejection.

Intercept Announcement

The Intercept Announcement feature plays a message when a user receives a call. When this setting is turned on, the call is intercepted and the specified messages are played to the caller. Enterprise, Group, and Department Administrators control Intercept Announcement. You can view your intercept announcement status but not edit it.

When enabled, Intercept Announcement always takes precedence over all other active features.

For more information, see Intercept Announcement.

Sequential Ring

The Sequential Ring feature enables you to define a "find-me" list of phone numbers that are alerted sequentially when incoming calls match your specified criteria. (If you can't be reached at the first number, the service tries the second number. If you can't be reached at the second number, the service tries the third number, and so on.) While the service searches for you, the caller hears a greeting followed by periodic announcements.

Sequential Ring has selective criteria.

Note: You can't use Sequential Ring and Simultaneous Ring at the same time. If both features are set to Active, Sequential Ring takes precedence.

For more information, see Sequential Ring.

Simultaneous Ring

The Simultaneous Ring feature enables you to have up to 10 phone numbers ring simultaneously when calls are received on your IP Flexible Reach phone number. The first phone to be answered is connected.

Simultaneous Ring has selective criteria.

Note: You can't use Simultaneous Ring and Sequential Ring at the same time. If both features are set to Active, Sequential Ring takes precedence.

For more information, see Simultaneous Ring.

About Selective Criteria

Selective criteria are rules that control the behavior of an inbound call feature. You can use selective criteria to customize some features. Selective criteria vary from one call feature to another, but you follow the same procedure to set them.

Note: The following inbound call features have simple settings and no selective criteria:

Anonymous Call Rejection
Call Forwarding – Always
Call Forwarding – Busy
Call Forwarding – No Answer
Call Forwarding – Not Reachable

To set selective criteria: general instructions

This procedure is an overview of the process for how to set selective criteria for inbound calling features. For instructions on setting specific selective criteria, see the help topic for the associated inbound calling feature.

Open the Customer Portal.
If the User page is not open, click HOME in the main menu bar to open it.
Click the Inbound Features tab. The feature Settings page appears.
To the upper-right of the …calls matching section, click Add Criteria. The Add Criteria page appears.
Complete the Add Criteria page.
When you've finished setting criteria, click Add. A success message appears, along with the new criteria.
To create an exception to the rule you've just created, click the Back to [feature name] link to go back to the feature's Settings page.
In the Regardless of above settings… section, click Add Criteria and create your exception.

Inbound Call Feature Precedence

One feature's settings may override those of another feature, even if both are set and enabled.

When enabled, Intercept Announcement always takes precedence over all other active features.

Call Forwarding - Always redirects all incoming calls and takes precedence over most other Call Forwarding features. Exception: Call Forwarding - Selective takes precedence for incoming calls that match the defined selective criteria.

Sequential Ring takes precedence over Simultaneous Ring.

In most cases, defining selective criteria for a feature like Call Rejection or Call Acceptance gives precedence to that feature for any calls that match the defined criteria.