Handling calls
Here are instructions on how to handle incoming and outgoing calls.
Adjust call or ringer volume
- While on a call, press the volume control keys to increase or decrease the handset or speakerphone volume
- If the phone is not on a call, the volume control keys will adjust the ringer volume
Answer a call
- Pick up the handset, or
- Leave the handset down but press the green “Speaker” key to answer in speakerphone mode
Leave a voice mail without ringing the phone (call a voice mailbox directly)
- Dial a ”*” and then the person’s extension number to directly call their voice mailbox without having their phone ring first
- e.g. dial ”*402” to directly call the voice mailbox of extension 402
- Calls can also be transferred directly to someone else’s voice mailbox this way
Place a call
- Pick up the handset (you will hear a dial tone) and dial the number – you will hear normal key tones as you press the digit keys
- For an outside line first press 9
- The phone will automatically place the call when it detects the end of a recognized number pattern
- If the number is an unusual format (for example, an international call), it will not dial automatically – in this case, press the right arrow key to dial the number or simply wait for the dialing timeout to expire
- Alternatively, leave the handset down and dial the number
- The left arrow key is used as a backspace key to correct numbers
- Lift the handset or press the green “Speaker” key to place the call
Place a caller on hold
The “Hold” key is used to place a call on hold (the person on hold will hear hold music during the time they are on hold).
- While on a call, press the “Hold” key to have the caller placed on hold
- Press the “Hold” key again to resume the call
Switch to speakerphone/hands-free mode
The “Speaker” key is used to switch to speakerphone/hands-free mode.
- While on a call, press the “Speaker” key to activate speakerphone/hands-free mode
- The handset can now be hung up without disconnecting the caller
- Lift up the handset again to switch back to handset mode
Call forwarding
This feature allows you to direct calls to your extension to instead to another internal extension or to an external phone number, such as your cell phone or home phone number. The “Follow me” feature (below) can also be used to do this.
Alternatively, your personal extension web site on the phone system can also be used to configure call forwarding. The personal extension web site is available at http://phone/ucp/
Enable call forwarding
Instructions
- Dial the “Call Forward All Activate” feature code (”*72”)
- After being prompted, enter your own extension number followed by ”#” (this is the extension to redirect)
- If directing the call to another internal extension, enter the extension number followed by ”#”
- If directing the call to an external phone number, enter the external number to dial followed by ”#”
- Remember any external number must be preceded by a 9.
- The settings will be read back to you to confirm them. Hang up.
If the forwarded call is not answered, the caller will be directed to your normal voice mailbox as usual.
Disable call forwarding
Asterisk instructions
- Dial the “Call Forward All Deactivate” feature code (”*73”) from your extension
- The settings will be read back to you to confirm them. Hang up.
- To cancel call forwarding when calling from any internal phone
- Dial the “Call Forward All Prompting Deactivate” feature code (”*74”) from any extension
- Enter your extension number followed by ”#”
- The settings will be read back to you to confirm them. Hang up.
Call transfers
Blind Transfers
Blind transfers are where the call is transferred without you needing to stay on the line.
- Answer the call
- The caller indicates they would to be transferred to someone else
Instructions
- Press the “Transfer” key to have the caller placed on hold
- Or Dial the “In-Call Asterisk Blind Transfer” feature code (”##”) while still on the call (the ”##” needs to be dialed quickly)
- The caller will be switched to on-hold music
- You will hear the word “Transfer” followed by a dial tone
- At the dial tone, dial the internal extension number to which the caller is being transferred and press ”#”
- The caller will immediately be directed to the new extension, which will begin to ring
- When you hear the extension start ringing, hang up to complete the blind transfer
Attended Transfers
Attended transfers are where the call is transferred after you have a introductory conversation with the person who is receiving the transfer (to describe who the caller is, for example).
- Answer the call
- The caller indicates they would to be transferred to someone else
Asterisk instructions
- Press the “Transfer” key to have the caller placed on hold
- Or Dial the “In-Call Asterisk Attended Transfer” feature code (”*2”) while still on the call (the ”*2” needs to be dialed quickly)
- The caller will be switched to on-hold music
- You will hear the word “Transfer” followed by a dial tone
- At the dial tone, dial the internal extension number to which the caller is being transferred
- Some systems will require you also press ”#” afterward
- Wait for the person you just dialed to answer
- When they answer, you can introduce the caller (this is a private conversation that does not yet include the incoming caller)
- Hangup and the incoming call is then directly connected to the transferred-to extension (the transferred-to party will hear a beep when you hang up to indicate they are now connected to the original caller)
- If the other party is does not answer in a few seconds, you will be connected back with the original caller
- If you get their voice mailbox message instead (it depends how quickly the voicemail is configured to answer the call), you can dial the “In-Call Asterisk Disconnect Code” (”**”) to get back to the original caller and explain the person is away
- If the caller would like to transferred anyway and leave a voice message, transfer them again and hang up when you hear the transferred-to extension ringing
Conferencing (using conference rooms)
The phone system includes conference room capabilities. The system can be set up for as many conference session rooms as are needed. As many people can join a conference room session as you have internal and external lines available.
- Dial the specified number to enter the specified conference room (e.g. dial ”390” to enter the extension 390 conference room)
- You will hear a recording stating that you are the only person in this conference
- Other participants should dial the same number (e.g. ”390”) from their phones to join the conference
- A short sound will play to indicate a new participant has joined the conference
- A short sound will also play when a participant leaves the conference
- Outside callers can be transferred to the conference room number just like they would be transferred to an internal extension (see “Call transfers”, above)
- If desired, a IVR menu code can also be set up by your phone system administrator for outside callers to connect themselves to the conference room
There are many options around how conference rooms work, such as conference room operation, hold music and recording a conference. Please contact your phone system administrator for additional configuration options.
Day/night mode control
This feature enables designated users (usually the company operator or receptionist) to override the normal routing of calls based on the time of day. For example, the system may be configured to direct calls during office hours directly to the receptionist and to route calls to voice menu after hours. Using the day/night control, the receptionist can override this time settings and force all calls to follow the setting as if the office were closed. This override is usually used if the receptionist needs to be away unexpectedly or if the office needs to close due to poor weather.
Enable night mode
Asterisk instructions
- The system starts in day (or “office open” mode). To switch to night mode, dial the “Day/Night” feature code (”*280”)
- The system will play two beeps and speak the name of the day/night control (“Day Reception 0 disabled”) to confirm the change. Hang up.
All incoming callers will now be directed using the office-is-closed call handling procedure.
Disable night mode (go back to day mode)
Asterisk instructions
- If the system was switched to night mode previously, dial the “Day/Night” feature code (”*280”) to switch back to day mode
- The system will play one beep and speak the name of the day/night control to confirm the change (“Day Reception 0 enabled”). Hang up.
Do not disturb
This feature allows you to set your phone not to ring and direct all callers immediately to your voicemail so you are not disturbed.
Enable do-not-disturb
Asterisk instructions
- To enable do-not-disturb, dial the “DND Activate” feature code (”*78”)
- The settings will be read back to you to confirm them. Hang up.
All callers will get your special “busy” voicemail greeting when calling (this is a different greeting than your normal “unavailable” voicemail greeting). You can record your own custom “busy” greeting (see the “Asterisk Voicemail User Reference” documentation) or leave the default greeting, which is a system announcement that the person is on the phone followed by a beep. The caller can then leave a voice message.
Phone instructions
If configured, the “DND” softkey is used to enable or disable do-not-disturb.
- Press the “DND” key to enable no-not-disturb
- The “DND” key will light to indicate do-not-disturb is enabled
Disable do-not-disturb
Asterisk instructions
- To disable do-not-disturb, dial the “DND Deactivate” feature code (”*79”)
- The settings will be read back to you to confirm them. Hang up.
Phone instructions
If configured, the “DND” softkey is used to enable or disable do-not-disturb.
- Press the “DND” key again to disable no-not-disturb
- The “DND” key will go out to indicate do-not-disturb is disabled
Follow me
This feature allows you to direct calls first to one number (such as your internal extension), and then if there is no answer, redirect the call to another number, such as another internal extension or an external number such as your cell phone or home phone number. It is an alternative to setting up call forwarding (above). The difference is call forwarding will immediately redirect the call without ringing your normal extension, while Follow me will ring both your extension and your alternate numbers, so you can answer the call either way.
Configure Follow me
- Your phone system administrator needs to initially enable and configure this feature for you – please contact that person to do so
- Once this has been done, you can change Follow Me settings through your personal extension web site
- Open a web browser and go to the phone system user voicemail website http://phone/ucp/
- Log in using your extension number as the login name and your voice mail password as the password
- Click on the “Follow Me” link on the left
- Change Follow Me settings as desired
- Note that an external telephone number should be entered with a 9 and the beginning and a # at its end (e.g. “95415551212#”) – the # will not be displayed later but is needed when the number is initially entered
- Click “Update” to save your changes
Enable Follow me
Asterisk instructions
- To enable follow me, dial the “Findme Follow Toggle” feature code (”*21”)
- The settings will be read back to you to confirm them. Hang up.
Phone instructions
If configured, the “Follow Me” softkey is used to enable or disable follow me.
- Press the “Follow Me” key to enable follow me
- The “Follow Me” key will light to indicate follow me is enabled
Disable Follow me
Asterisk instructions
- To disable follow me, dial the “Findme Follow Toggle” feature code (”*21”)
- The settings will be read back to you to confirm them. Hang up.
Phone instructions
If configured, the “Follow Me” softkey is used to enable or disable follow me.
- Press the “Follow Me” key to disable follow me
- The “Follow Me” key will go out to indicate follow me is disabled
Paging and intercom
This feature allows people to announce pages over the phone system. Paging mode is a one-way voice announcement to all (or selected) phones. Intercom mode allows for a two-way conversation between two or more phones.
By default, these features will not interrupt normal calls currently in progress. This setting can be changed if calls should be interrupted by pages.
“All Staff” paging example
Any number of paging groups can be created. In this example, an “All Staff” paging group has been created at 490 that will page all phones.
Asterisk instructions
- Dial ”490” to reach the “All Staff” paging group
- A beep will sound
- Begin speaking – your announcement will immediately sound from the speakers of all other phones in the “All Staff” paging group
- Hang up when you are done
Note that not all types of phones are capable of receiving pages.
Direct intercom to a specified extension
Asterisk instructions
- Dial the “Intercom prefix” feature code (”*80”) followed by the desired extension number to directly intercom that extension (e.g. dial ”*80402” to intercom extension 402)
- The other phone (assuming the person is not on a call) will immediately answer and switch to speakerphone mode
- Have a conversation with the person on the other end of the line
- Hang up when you are done
Note that not all types of phones are capable of intercom mode.
Parking calls
This feature allows an incoming call to be parked and then picked up by any other extension. This is an alternative to transferring a call directly to a particular extensions. Some organizations prefer to park the incoming call and make a general page asking the desired person to pick up the call from wherever they are in the building using whatever phone is closest to them.
To park a call
- Answer the call
- The caller indicates they would like to be transferred to someone else
Asterisk instructions
- Do a blind transfer of the caller to the “Parking” feature code (press the Transfer key, wait for the dial tone, then dial ”70”) while still on the call
- The caller will be switched to on-hold music and placed in the first available parking slot (by default, there are eight slots, numbered 71 to 78)
- The parking slot into which the caller was placed will be announced to you (this will be parking slot 71, unless other calls are already parked)
- Press the transfer key and ask the desired person (usually through an “All Staff” page) to pick up the call on parking slot 71
By default, there is a parking lot timeout of 90 seconds. If the parked call is not picked up in that time, the caller will be connected back to the configured destination for orphaned parked calls – usually this is the designated company operator or receptionist.
To pick up a parked call
Asterisk instructions
- Dial the desired parking lot slot (e.g. dial ”71”) from any extension
- You will immediately be connected to the parked caller
Recording calls
This feature allows you to start and stop recording a call. It needs to be enabled on the phone system before use (please contact your phone system administrator for this). Note that certain legal jurisdictions require the other party on the call to be informed the call is being recorded.
Start recording a call
Asterisk instructions
- While on a call, dial the “In-Call Asterisk Toggle Call Recording” feature code (”*1”) (the ”*1” needs to be dialed quickly)
- You will hear one beep. (The person on the other end of the call will not hear the beep.) The call is now being recorded.
Stop recording a call
Asterisk instructions
- The recording will automatically end when the call ends
- To end the recording sooner, dial the “In-Call Asterisk Toggle Call Recording” feature code (”*1”) again (the ”*1” needs to be dialed quickly)
- You will hear two beeps. (The person on the other end of the call will not hear the beeps.) The recording will stop but the call will continue.
Access the recorded audio
Recordings are accessed through the user portal web site (this is the same site that also provides web access to voicemail settings). http://phone/ucp/
- Log into the User Portal web site using your extension number and voice mail password
- click the “Call Monitor” link in the upper left corner of the User Portal web site
- a call monitor page should appear on the right, with a heading of “Call Monitor for (your name) (your extension number)”
- locate the call record by browsing or using the search box
- on the right side of the call record that has a call recording (under the “Monitor” column heading) will be two icons
- click the “Play” icon (a picture of a speaker) to listen to the call
- click the “Download” icon (a picture with a green arrow) to download the audio record file
Speed dialing
This feature allows you to assign personal speed dial codes to numbers you frequently dial.
Create a speed dial entry
Asterisk instructions
- Dial the “Set user speed dial” feature code (”*75”)
- Enter the speed dial location number (a digit from 0 to 9) and press ”#”
- Enter the full phone number that will be dialed and press ”#”
- The settings will be read back to you to confirm them. Hang up.
Call a speed dial entry
Asterisk instructions
- Dial ”*0” followed by the speed dial location number to dial the specified speed dial number
- e.g. Dial ”*01” to dial the speed dial in location 1
View and search company phone directories
Internal (and, if allowed, external callers) can search a directory of all users that have voicemail accounts.
Asterisk instructions
- Dial the “Directory” feature code (”411”) when calling from an internal phone
- When calling from an external phone and listening to the initial greeting, press the Directory feature code (usually ”#”, or as configured by your phone system administrator)
- Enter the first three letters of the person’s first or last name using telephone keys
- The first matching name will be read out
- Press ”1” to dial the named person
- Press ”*” to move to the next matching name
It’s helpful if you have recorded the pronunciation of your name in your voicemail settings (please see Voicemail for instructions) so callers can hear your name spoken normally instead of hearing the phone system spell out your name letter-by-letter.
Voice mail blasting
This feature allows a message to be sent directly to all voice mailboxes as a way of distributing announcements to staff. It acts like a paging group except that the message goes directly to users’ voice mail boxes instead of being announced live from their phone speaker.
“All Staff” voice mail blast example
Any number of voice mail blast groups can be created. In this example, an “All Staff” voice mail blast group has been created at 500 that will send a voice mail to all voice mailboxes.
- Dial ”500” to reach the “All Staff” voice mail blast group
- The number of the voice mail blast group will be announced (500)
- Press ”1” to confirm you want to leave a message for this group
- A beep will sound
- Begin speaking
- Hang up when you are done
Your announcement will be distributed to all the voice mailboxes in the “All Staff” voice mail blast group as soon as you hang up.
Other operations
There are a number of other less-used features not specifically listed above. The feature code reference list shows all the available phone system feature codes. Please contact your phone system administrator if any of these features are desired.
Examples of other features that are available are:
- Blacklist a particular number to prevent calls from that number from being put through to your phone
- Directed call pickup, where you can dial a code that will allow you to answer someone else’s call when you hear their phone ringing
- Ring groups, where a group of phones will ring all together or in a specified order when a certain number is dialed – anyone at one of these phones can answer the call (this approach is sometimes used instead of having a digital or human receptionist answer incoming external calls)
- The ability to hot-desk with phones and have your extension follow you at whatever phone you happen to be at
- Call centre-oriented features such as call waiting queues and the ability to listen in on other calls, talk privately to only one side of the call (“whisper”), or break into an existing call to speak to both sides of the call (“barge-in”)
Asterisk phone system feature codes
The phone system has many other features accessible using special dial combinations – most are an asterisk followed by two numbers (for example, *97).
Blacklist
*30 – Blacklist a number
*32 – Blacklist the last caller
*31 – Remove a number from the blacklist
Call Forward
*72 – Call Forward All Activate
*73 – Call Forward All Deactivate
*720 – Call Forward All Prompting Activate
*74 – Call Forward All Prompting Deactivate
*90 – Call Forward Busy Activate
*91 – Call Forward Busy Deactivate
*900 – Call Forward Busy Prompting Activate
*92 – Call Forward Busy Prompting Deactivate
*52 – Call Forward No Answer/Unavailable Activate
*53 – Call Forward No Answer/Unavailable Deactivate
*520 – Call Forward No Answer/Unavailable Prompting Activate
*740 – Call Forward Toggle
Call Waiting
*70 – Call Waiting – Activate
*71 – Call Waiting – Deactivate
Core
666 – Dial System FAX
** – Directed Call Pickup
*2 – In-Call Asterisk Attended Transfer
## – In-Call Asterisk Blind Transfer
** – In-Call Asterisk Disconnect Code
*1 – In-Call Asterisk Toggle Call Recording
7777 – Simulate Incoming Call
*12 – User Logoff
*11 – User Logon
Day Night Mode
*28 – Call flow Toggle
*271 – Set to Open
*272 – Set to Closed
Do-Not-Disturb (DND)
*78 – DND Activate
*79 – DND Deactivate
*76 – DND Toggle
Follow Me
*21 – Findme Follow Toggle
Info Services
*69 – Call Trace
# – Directory
*43 – Echo Test
*65 – Speak Your Exten Number
*60 – Speaking Clock
Paging and Intercom
*80 – Intercom prefix
*54 – User Intercom Allow
*55 – User Intercom Disallow
Parking Lot
*85 Pickup ParkedCall Prefix
Phonebook Directory
*411 – Phonebook dial-by-name directory
Speed Dial Functions
*75 – Set user speed dial
*0 – Speeddial prefix
Voicemail
*98 – Dial Voicemail
*97 – My Voicemail