I had a customer forward a couple phones on an ECS with a VMI off site. When answered by the operator and being transferred to the ext., forwarding off site works fine. When calling into their auto attendant, get a fast busy. No restrictions are set on the VMI channels, they're just like all the stations. I do have remote access to the PBX but not the VMI. Would the mailbox 900 setting 'Block calls during day mode' and night mode cause this under the Forward/Blocking tab? If not - I wonder if there's a trunk to trunk setting in the VMI or ECS?

You will have to check there mail box not 900.
Set to block calls day and night.
Jim

Their mailbox? I'm not being transferred to their mailbox, I'm selecting their extension from the VMI menu which is forwarded off site.

Setting 'Block Calls' only makes a call go directly into the mailbox without ringing the phone. When a call hits the auto attendant and a caller inputs digits, the VMI checks call handling for that extension then routes the call accordingly. You need a blind transfer to the extension to happen- don't allow the VMI to control the call. You want the ECS to control how the call behaves.

You may have to check to see if your VM extensions are allowed to Camp-On or not.

Since the customer will need to put the system in Night mode at some point Monday, the Auto Attendant will be answering, The caller will the enter the extension. I don't recall a setting to specify whether the transfer to the extension is blind or not. I can check to see whether Camp-On is allowed on the VMI exts. I do know they're set the same as other stations for call restrictions, meaning not restricted. Transfers to idle, non-forwarded offsite extensions are fine

We set the VMI to be restricted with some customers who received large long distance bills after callers would call in to the Auto Attendant after hours and make long distance calls. That's not the case here. Unfortunately I don't have remote access to the VMI and I won't be able to go onsite for a while. I do have remote access to the ECS. I'm thinking it is a setting in the VMI since an operator answered call can be transferred to an ext. with offsite forwarding successfully. It also works in our office, but that voicemail is an Esna.

An alternative is to use Networking features, specifically the External Network Tables to create hard-wired forwarding that isn't dependent on a user setting his forwarding options.

It has to do with how the VMI transfers calls. There is a Normal (supervised) transfer, and a Blind transfer. A normal transfer waits for the phone to be answered before connecting the call. Blind just transfers and drops the port.

At this point I'm more concerned about this than the customer. Their customers will not likely be calling since the customers they service are temporarily shut down for business. In fact the customer contact said it's really not an issue. It just bugs me why it doesn't work. Back at the shop I can transfer to a station forwarded off site with our test system. I see the customer already has a few extensions set up in the Networking tables with associated outside phone numbers going to a trunk group. Two I tried gave me a fast busy from the menu, one I tried gave me music on hold so I assume that one would have been successful calling out,

I couldn't get it to fail when I tried different settings with our system at the shop. The VMI menu of 900 has nothing setup in particular - Action and Sub Action are both set to None for most digits including '2' which is what the stations begin with. I changed the to Action Transfer and Sub Action normal and it still worked, Next time I can go to the customer's site I'll have to check to see how the VMI is set up.

What is the DEFAULT action and sub action set to in menu 900? That's what comes into play when dialing a station number from the AA.

In our office Adix in the shop (where the transfer works to a station forwarded off site): Default off hook day, the Action and Sub Action for most digits are both set to None.

I'm talking about the Default action at the bottom of the menu....

Default on the bottom is: Action -Transfer Sub Action - Normal on our test system at the shop. Not sure how intact or accurate an offline .iwu file is, but if I look at the customer's it's the same.

For use down the road, offline VMI files are not to be trusted...

Try setting Default>Transfer>Normal to Default >Transfer>Blind.

Yea I've seen some weird things in those offline VMI files. Ok next time I'm able to go to the site I'll try those settings.