If your MAX On-Call system is not triggering escalations as expected, use this guide to walk through the most common setup issues. These checks ensure your configuration is complete and that your residents can successfully report after-hours maintenance emergencies.
1. Verify Business Hours in Emergency Settings
MAX On-Call only escalates emergencies outside your defined business hours.
Navigate to Account Settings > MAX On-Call
Make sure Enable after-hours escalations is toggled on
Confirm Business Hours are configured properly
Tip:
If your team wants MAX to trigger escalation 24/7, leave all hours blank or set each day to Closed.
Important:
If no business hours are configured, MAX will not escalate any calls.
2. Confirm Emergency Categories Are Enabled
From the Emergency Settings page:
Check the Emergency Picklist section
Make sure valid emergency types (e.g., Flooding, No Heat) are enabled
MAX will only escalate if all four of the following are true:
The call was made by a resident
The call came outside business hours
The issue matches a configured emergency category
The resident says "emergency" during the call
Note: If the caller does not say the word “emergency,” MAX will not escalate, even if the issue qualifies.
3. Confirm the Correct MAX On-Call Number Is Being Used
The customer must be using the correct MAX On-Call number for their account.
Ensure they have the number (e.g., 605-815-5508 or their custom number)
Remind them that residents must call this number to reach MAX
The customer is responsible for distributing the number to residents via:
Signage
Resident portal
Welcome emails or texts
Community bulletins
4. Review Emergency Call Tree Setup
From the Emergency Settings page:
Scroll to the Call Tree section
Confirm escalation contacts are listed and ordered correctly
Check wait times between each step
Reminder:
MAX will call each contact in order until one of them accepts the emergency. During the call:
Press 1 to hear the emergency
Press 1 again to confirm and take the emergency
Press 9 to decline
Press 7 to repeat the message
5. Test the Setup (Optional)
While there is no test mode built into MAX, you can simulate a test call using the following process:
Call the MAX On-Call number outside business hours
Say “emergency” when prompted
Report an issue that matches an enabled emergency category
Warning: This will trigger real escalation calls. Only perform test calls:
During business hours
With a known dummy test contact
With the team aware that a test is being run
6. If Residents Can't Reach MAX
There are two main scenarios for how residents are routed to MAX:
Option 1: Direct Distribution (Recommended)
Residents call the MAX number directly. No forwarding is required. The number can be shared via:
Community signage
Resident portal
Email or welcome packets
SMS
Option 2: Call Forwarding from the Main Office Line
If the customer wants to forward calls from their main phone system:
Forward after-hours or emergency IVR options to the MAX number
Remove voicemail or call screening that might block auto-forwarding
Test the forwarding path by calling after hours and verifying:
The call is picked up by MAX immediately
Saying "emergency" triggers the escalation path
7. Additional Troubleshooting Questions
If setup looks correct but escalations still fail, ask:
Are residents calling the correct number?
Are calls being forwarded properly from the main line or IVR?
Has the call tree changed recently without updating MAX?
Are residents using the word "emergency" when they call?
Is the issue being reported mapped to an enabled emergency category?
Are business hours defined correctly?
Is the resident linked to a real unit in Property Meld?