Hunt Groups

Overview

A hunt group is a combination of the following elements:

Element	Description
Hunt Pilot	A hunt pilot comprises a string of digits (an address) and a set of associated digit manipulations that route calls to a hunt list. Hunt pilots provide flexibility in network design. They work in conjunction with route filters and hunt lists to direct calls to specific devices and to include, exclude, or modify specific digit patterns.
Hunt List	A hunt list displays a set of line groups in a specific order, and then associates with one or more hunt pilots, and determines the order in which those line groups are accessed. The order defines the progress of the search for available directory numbers for incoming calls. A hunt list comprises a collection of directory numbers as defined by line groups. A hunt list can contain only line groups. Each hunt list should have at least one line group. Each line group includes at least one directory number. A single line group can appear in multiple hunt lists.
Line Groups	Hunt groups provide a business context for the lines you choose as members of line groups. You will need to choose lines belonging to line groups, or any existing line groups that must be added to the hunt list members. A line group allows you to define the order in which directory numbers are chosen. CUCM distributes a call to idle or available members of a line group based on a call distribution algorithm and on the Ring No Answer (RNA) Reversion Timeout setting.

The hunt pilot, hunt list, and line group combination are automatically associated via unique identifiers for the following:

• The name of the hunt pilot and its hunt list is the same.

• The hunt list’s line group members are set to the name of the associated line groups.

Searches can be performed on any of the details of the hunt pilot.

The site defaults auto-populates some values for hunt groups. To view or update the defaults, go to (default menus) Site Management > Defaults, choose a site to view its defaults, and locate the Default CUCM Hunt Pilot Partition field on the General Defaults tab. See Site Defaults

Related Topics

• Add a Hunt Group

Add a Hunt Group

This procedure adds a hunt group in VOSS Automate and Cisco Unified Call Manager (CUCM).

Note

When adding a hunt group, you will specify the parameters of the hunt pilot and the hunt list, and choose one or more new or existing line groups.

If your administrator has enabled number inventory, you can choose the hunt pilot pattern from a list of available numbers. If number inventory is disabled, you will need to specify a hunt pilot pattern, or choose from a limited selection of available numbers.

To allow the successful use of call forwarding in a hunt pilot, clear the defaults for Max Callers In Queue (32) and the default for Max Wait Time In Queue (900). To use queuing instead of call forwarding, change the default values, for example, to 33 and 901.

To add a hunt group:

1. Log in as site administrator or higher.

2. Choose the hierarchy (if necessary) where you want to add the hunt group.

   Note

   Hunt groups can be configured at the customer level or at site level.

3. Go to (default menus) Subscriber Management > Hunt Groups.

4. On the Hunt Groups list view, click Add.

5. Choose a network device list (NDL).

   Note

   For hunt groups configured at the customer level:

   • Choose a NDL that identifies the CUCM where the hunt group is defined.

   • The system supports adding duplicate hunt groups (two hunt groups with the same hunt list name), provided multi-cluster CUCM is configured and you choose a different NDL. The second hunt group and hunt list are added to the second CUCM.

6. On the Hunt Groups/New Record page, fill out at least the required fields.

7. Click Save.

   A workflow is triggered to add the new hunt group:

   • A hunt list is added with the details you configured.

   • A hunt pilot is added with the details you configured.

   • One or more line groups are created with the specified directory numbers as members.

Configure a New Hunt Group

This section describes the configuration options when adding a hunt group. You will need to configure the following sections of the Hunt Groups/New Record page:

• Pattern Definition

• Forward Hunt No Answer

• Forward Hunt Busy

• Queueing

• Park Monitoring

• Calling Party Transformations

• Connected Party Transformations

• Called Party Transformations

• AAR Group Settings

• Hunt List

• Line Groups and Line Group Members

Configure Pattern Definition

For hunt groups configured at the customer level, define a unique hunt pilot pattern. The hunt pilot pattern is added to the customer-level DN inventory and is marked as in-use and unavailable.

Field	Description
Hunt Pilot Pattern	Specify a hunt pilot pattern, or choose one from the the drop-down. A hunt pilot pattern can include numbers and wildcards (no spaces). wildcards (no spaces). For example, for NANP, enter 9.@ for typical local access, or 8XXX for a typical private network numbering plan. Valid characters include uppercase characters A, B, C, D, and + (representing the international escape character +). Ensure that the directory hunt pilot, which uses the chosen partition, route filter, and numbering plan combination, is unique.
Route Partition	Choose a route partition from the list if you want to use a partition to restrict access to the hunt pilot, else, leave the field blank.
Route Filter	If your hunt pilot includes the ‘@’ wildcard, choose a route filter from the drop-down. Route filters restrict some number patterns. The numbering plan you choose determines the route filters you can choose from.
Hunt List	Add the hunt list name to the Name field in the Hunt List section to auto-populate this field.
Call Pickup Group	Choose a call pickup group to associate with this hunt group. Choose a call pickup group at the same hierarchy as this hunt group or if no call pickup groups are available at this hierarchy, choose a call pickup group at the hierarchy directly above. Call pickup group is the number that can be dialed to answer calls to this directory number (in the partition)
Alerting Name	Specify an alerting name for the hunt pilot in UNICODE format. This name is displayed on phones that the hunt pilot dials when it receives an incoming call, along with calling party information. Phone users can use this information to answer the call This name also displays on the calling phone. If you don’t enter a name, the hunt pilot DN displays on the phones.
Provide Outside Dial Tone	Enable for each hunt pilot that routes the call off the local network and provides outside dial tone to the calling device. Disable if you want to route the call in the network.

Configure Forward Hunt No Answer

1. At Forward Hunt No Answer Action, choose the hunt call treatment action setting.

   • Choosing Forward Unanswered Calls to Destination enables these fields:

     CFNA Destination	Defines the directory number where calls are to be forwarded.
     CSS CFNA	Applies to all devices using this directory number. The drop-down displays all CSSs in the system. The default is the default line CSS of the site.

   • Choose Use Forward Settings of Device that Forwarded to Hunt Pilot to use the call forwarding settings of the line group member.

2. At Maximum Hunt Timer, specify the maximum time for hunting without queueing.

   Note

   Do not use the same value for this field and for the RNA Reversion Timeout field in the associated line group.

Configure Forward Hunt Busy

At Forward Hunt Busy Action, choose the hunt call treatment action setting.

• Choosing Forward Busy Calls to Destination enables these fields:

  CFB Destination	Defines the directory number where calls are to be forwarded.
  CSS CFB	Applies to all devices using this directory number. The drop-down displays all CSSs in the system. The default is the default line CSS of the site.

• Choose Use Forward Settings of Device that Forwarded to Hunt Pilot to use the call forwarding settings of the line group member.

Configure Queueing

At Queueing, define whether to queue calls. Selecting this checkbox disables Forward Hunt Groups, and displays additional configuration options.

Note

These mandatory fields are auto-populated with default values:

• Maximum Number of Callers Allowed in Queue: 32

• Maximum Wait Time in Queue: 900

Configure Hunt List

Field	Description
Name	Maximum of 50 alphanumeric characters, and can contain combination of spaces, periods (.), hyphens (-), and underscore characters (_). Ensure each hunt list name is unique to the route plan. it is recommended that you use short, descriptive names for your hunt lists. The CompanynameLocationCalltype format provides enough detail and is short enough so you can easily identify a hunt list.
Cisco Unified Communications Manager Group	Choose a CUCM group from the list. The hunt list registers to the first node in the CUCM group. Choosing a CUCM with only one node configured triggers a system warning, so choose a group with more than one node.
Enable this Hunt List	Defines whether to enable your hunt list as soon as you save. No system reset is required.
For Voice Mail Usage	Define whether to use this hunt list for voicemail. Enabling this setting allows the route list control process to keep a count of the setups that are being served to the hunt list, and will not allow more setups than the number of available devices. As a result, each device in the hunt list is treated as if it has a Busy Trigger and related Maximum Number of Calls of one.

Configure Line Groups

Although you can configure an empty line group with no members (directory numbers), CUCM does not support this configuration for routing calls. If the line group contains no members, the hunt list stops hunting when the call gets routed to the empty line group. To avoid this scenario, ensure you configure at least one member in the line group.

You must define one or more directory numbers before configuring a line group. You can remove members from the line group after you configure or update the line group.

Note

For hunt groups configured at the customer-level, include lines defined at the customer level, and at any site within the customer.

Field	Description
Line Group Name	The drop-down displays all line groups available at the site. You can choose a line group from the list or enter a name for the line group in the field. Names you add can be up to 50 alphanumeric characters and can contain any combination of spaces, periods (.), hyphens (-), and underscore characters (_). Ensure that each line group name is unique to the route plan. It is recommended that you use a short, descriptive name for your line groups. The CompanynameLocationGroup format usually provides a sufficient level of detail, and is short enough to be easily identified.
RNA Reversion Timeout	Specify a time, in seconds, after which CUCM will distribute a call to the next available or idle member of this line group or to the next line group if the call is not answered, and if the following option is chosen for Hunt Options No Answer: Try next number; then try next group in Hunt List The RNA Reversion Timeout applies at the line-group level to all members.
Hunt Options No Answer	Choose a hunt option for CUCM to use if a call is distributed to a member of a line group that does not answer. This option is applied at the member level.
Automatically Logout Hunt Member on No Answer	Defines whether line members are automatically logged off the hunt list. Line members can log back in using the “HLOG” softkey or PLK.
Hunt Options Busy	Choose a hunt option for CUCM to use if a call is distributed to a member of a line group that is busy.
Hunt Options Not Available	Choose a hunt option for CUCM to use if a call is distributed to an unavailable line group member. The Not Available condition occurs when none of the phones that are associated with the DN in question is registered. Not Available also occurs when extension mobility is in use and the DN/user is not logged in.

Configure Line Group Members

To configure line group members:

• Choose a directory number.

• Choose a partition.

• Specify a position.

Edit a Hunt Group

It is possible to edit hunt groups, for example, to add or delete line groups, or to add or delete line group members.

When modifying a hunt group, the following workflow is executed (depending on the changes you made):

• The line group details are modified.

• Any new line groups are added.

  A removed line group is deleted only if it is the last instance. If a shared line group is removed, it is deleted from the specified hunt group only, but is still included in other hunt groups that are also using it.

  If the hunt group uses existing line groups, the existing line groups are updated when the hunt group is modified.

• The hunt list is modified.

• The hunt pilot is modified.

Delete a Hunt Group

When deleting a hunt group, the following workflow is executed:

• The line groups that are members of the hunt list are deleted (if they are not used by any other hunt group in the system).

  If a shared line group is removed, it is deleted from the specified hunt group only, but is still included in other hunt groups that are also using it.

• The hunt pilot is deleted

• The hunt list is deleted