Usage
Dialing by first name must be configured first since it is not the default option. After this feature is configured, then the directory will prompt users to search by the first 3 letters of a first name rather than searching by a last name.
Step 1. Required Config
Navigate to the Portal and enable the following config for a specific domain.
Warning
Adding the PORTAL_USERS_DIR_MATCH_FIRSTNAME config below, regardless if systemwide or per domain, will not retroactively change the directory match to look for the user's first name. It will apply for users added AFTER the UI config is updated.
To manually force the directory to match on first name for those users added prior to updating the PORTAL_USERS_DIR_MATCH_FIRSTNAME UI config, proceed to steps outlined in the section below called, "Directory Match Type Change (Manual via NMS Admin UI)".
| Config | Default Value | Description |
| PORTAL_USERS_DIR_MATCH_FIRSTNAME | The default value is either n/a or "no" depending on the scope. This value should be yes in order to match by first name instead of last name in a directory. | Switch the auto creation of the "dir match" to first name instead of the default last name. |
Step 2. Change the Directory Match Type (Manual via NMS Admin UI)
To manually force the directory to match on first name for those users added prior to updating the PORTAL_USERS_DIR_MATCH_FIRSTNAME config, proceed with steps below :
1. Navigate to the Admin UI > Users > Configuration. Scroll to the bottom of the table and then click Export.
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2. Select the domain that had the above config enabled in the "required config" section. Then click Start Export.
3. The file downloads locally to your computer as a .csv file. Open the file. You'll notice that the directory_match column is empty aside from maybe a few digits, department labels, and/or site labels. This is the reason why the directory cannot match on first name - it's empty.
This next step uses a formula to generate 3 digits based on the first 3 characters of the first name and populate it into the A column (directory_match) in the downloaded file. The goal is to match characters to where they would be on a keypad (e.g. the letter "A" would be the number "2" on a keypad).
Example Keypad
Warning
Once you use the following formula and import this revised file back into the Admin UI, then the directory by last name default is overwritten and to reverse this back to last name, the file would have to be exported, edited, and then imported again, but this time change the Q to R in the formula (e.g. Q2 becomes R2).
4. Copy the following formula exactly as is and paste it into cell A2. Then click and drag the corner of A2 down the A column until each user's row is filled -- with the exception of "departments" and "sites". Do not overwrite those. As you drag down the column, 3 digit numbers will start to populate in each cell according to the first 3 characters of that row's user's first name.
5. Save the file in the original .csv format.
6. Navigate back to the Admin UI > Users > Configuration. Scroll to the bottom of the table and then click Import.
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7. Upload the edited .csv file. "Purge" should be set to no. Then click Start Import.
8. A dialog box will display when the import is finished. Note any errors it detects and examine your original file. For example, these errors were users who weren't properly configured and a directory_match cell that was left empty. Click Back.
9. Directory by first name is now configured. Continue reading to modify a domain user's directory greeting and for an example of adding a directory to an Auto Attendant.
Step 3. Modify the Domain User's Directory Greeting
If there is a domain user's greeting in place, you will need to modify the audio file to prompt for first name in the directory search instead of the default last name.
Here is an audio prompt for first name if needed: phrase-directory-first-name.wav
1. Navigate to the Admin UI > Applications > Greetings. Click into the domain user and modify and re-upload greeting #3 to prompt users to dial by the first 3 characters in their first name.
For more information about modifying a greeting and what the greeting numbers mean, read "Recording Greetings".
Read "Modify Domain User's Greetings" to specifically manage the domain user's greetings.
Step 4. Testing
Here is one way to test the "dial by first name" configuration. Make sure you've followed the above steps first.
1. Navigate to the Portal > Domain (select a domain) > Auto Attendants. Click to Add Attendant.
2. Type in a name, an available extension callers will dial to reach this Auto Attendant, and select a time frame when the Auto Attendant is in effect. Click Add.
3. Follow the prompts to record a menu prompt. For this example, select #3 on the dial pad menu and choose Directory. The directory greeting is different than the menu prompt. Menu prompt informs the callers of their choices (e.g. "Thank you for calling. Press 3 for directory"). A directory greeting is managed in the Admin UI as seen in the section above about the domain user example.
4. Click Save.
5. Now test! Dial the Auto Attendant extension. Press 3 when prompted. The prompt should ask you to enter the first three letters of the first name based on the above configurations in this article. Enter the characters on the keypad and it should find and announce that user's extension.