[cisco-voip] Using Unity as automated attendant

[Mike Armstrong]

We're running CallManager 3.3(3), and Unity 4.0(3) (VMO) to support our ~230 
employees, staff, and students.  Right now I'm using the Automated Attendant 
feature in CCM's Extended Services, which was OK (but not great) for us 
until they made the initial greeting non-interruptible.  I'm sure that we 
can use Call Handlers in Unity to implement a much more elegant automated 
attendant facility, but so far I haven't figured out how to make all the 
connections.  I'm embarassed -- Jeff Lindborg says it's trivial, several 
documents and books refer to "the automated attendant feature" in Unity, but 
I can't find enough guidance to actually do it.  I've found a surprisingly 
limited amount of information on CCM/Unity integration, but maybe I just 
haven't looked hard enough.

Basic information:

- Callers call extension 1411 (a CTI route point) to get to the automated 
attendant;
- The IVR application now uses DNs 1412-1415 to handle up to 4 simultaneous 
sessions;
- All our DNs (now) begin with "1", so I'd like to use an initial greeting 
that allows the caller to either enter the extension, or spell the name, 
without having to press a "1" for extension, or a "2" for a name, as the 
present AA requires;
- Only about 60 of our users are Unity subscribers (voicemail is voluntary; 
interesting to me that only about 25% want it).

Where I'm stumbling:

How do I integrate CCM and Unity to do this?  Do I assign dummy DNs to 
several Unity ports (a la the IVR's DNs) so that I know the caller is 
looking for the AA and not a subscriber?
If the caller presses (e.g.) "3" to start spelling a name, how do I tell the 
directory handler the initial "3" has already been pressed?
How do I do a name lookup for a non-subscriber?  (using CCM's DC Directory 
now, with plans to move to AD integration)
Can I transfer to any DN, not just a subscriber?

Any help would be appreciated.

Mike Armstrong
UF/IFAS CREC