The short story is the easiest way to do this is to use the alternate greeting and activate it when it’s time. This is not a very satisfying answer since it can’t be done for call handlers over the phone until the release of 4.0(1), however.
That said, there’s a tricky way to pull off a “holiday” greeting with 3 call handlers, some duct tape and a little bailing wire that I detail in the Audio Text chapter of the book we’re working on. I’ll be posting this chapter on AnswerMonkey probably after Thanksgiving – it’s almost done, just gotta give it some spit and polish. Here’s the brief version, however:
When a schedule is in “holiday” mode it just kicks into “after hours”- there is no “holiday” greeting on call handlers which would be nice to have but isn’t there and it isn’t on the roadmap. However, you can chain 3 call handlers together and make sure that calls only reach the 3rd call handler when it’s a holiday and no other time.
Call Handler A – first call handler, could be the opening greeting. Create a schedule called “day schedule” that’s active during business hours (i.e. 8am to 5 pm or whatever). Make sure it honors holidays. Record an appropriate standard greeting and have the after greeting action go to wherever you want (i.e. the operator call handler). Set the after hours greeting to be blank and set it to send to the greeting for Call Handler B.
Call Handler B – Create a schedule called “night schedule” that’s active during off hours (i.e. 5pm to 8am) and make sure that it honors holidays. Record a standard greeting that plays what you like (i.e. “we’re closed right now…”) and have the after greeting action go where you like (for instance to the example interview handler). Set the off hours greeting to be blank and have it’s after greeting action to the greeting for Call Handler C.
Call Handler C – Set it’s alternate greeting active so it plays all the time – it doesn’t matter what schedule it’s associated with then. Record your holiday greeting here (i.e. “Happy Holidays! We’re closed…”) and have the after greeting action set to do what you want with the call.
So… when a call comes in during business hours it hits call handler A and the standard greeting plays. When the call comes in after hours it passes through A and goes to B and it’s standard greeting plays because you have it associated with the mirror opposite of the day time schedule. This means the only way a call could ever hit Handler C is if it’s a holiday since during Holidays Unity forces the “off hours” event which will force it to fall through A and then B and finally hit C. This way you can record the upcoming holiday greeting in C and leave it.
A little awkward but workable.
