Cisco IP Phone Features

Cisco IP Phone features are controlled via softkeys. Softkeys are programmable feature buttons that appear while the phone is in a different call state. An idle phone is said to be in the On Hook call state because the handset is in the cradle holding the phone hook down. When the handset is lifted, the phone is in the Off Hook state.

The On Hook call state has many available softkey features, but only three are enabled by default in Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.1(1). The default softkeys include Redial, NewCall, and CfwdAll. Pressing the Redial key will dial the last attempted phone call. When this softkey is pressed, the speaker phone become active and the last placed will be attempted. The NewCall softkey will take the phone Off Hook with the speakerphone active. The CfwdAll button will allow the user to enter a call forwarding destination for all calls to the phone. The Cisco IP Phone will not ring while CfwdAll is active. If the company uses a 9 as an access code for outside calls, remind the users of the system to include the 9 for all external PSTN call forwarding (e.g. cell phone). Call Forwarding can be restricted by providing a Calling Search Space to the Call Forward All directory number (line) settings. Calling Search Spaces applied to call forwarding options of the phone will override the line and device Calling Search Spaces of the phone. The Line/Device Calling Search Space (CSS) is applicable ONLY to the Call Forward All (CFA) option. CUCM 5.0 and later include two Calling Search Space fields to enable the Line/Device CSS capabilities.

There are many On Hook phone features that are not enabled by default. We will begin to talk about these phone features now. The first in the list is the CallBack softkey. The Callback softkey is a feature that allows the calling party to monitor the called party’s line state with the help of CUCM. After an unsuccessful call due to a call forward busy (CFB), the calling user presses the CallBack softkey. When there is a state transition (onhook/offhook), the calling party’s phone rings with the called parties information. When the calling party picks up the phone, the called parties phone begins ringing. CallBack requires the Cisco Extended Service to be running on CUCM. Additional information regarding these feature is available at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps556/products_qanda_item...

The next softkey feature available is the Conference List (ConfList) feature. This softkey can be used to inspect conference participants by their Caller ID information. The conference members will be listed in the order in which they joined the conference.

The next Unselected Softkey in the On Hook call state is the Direct Transfer (DirTrfr) softkey. This softkey is used to transfer two active calls. Let’s say you were on the phone. You then put the active call on hold and made a new phone call by clicking your second directory number button or the NewCall softkey. In your conversation, it was determined that the two parties you had on separate lines should talk to each other and you were going to leave the conversation. Instead of dropping the second call and transferring the first call, you could click the DirTrfr button, highlight the first call using the rocker panel of the phone and then click DirTrfr again. The second call would now be transferred to the party on hold.
The next blog will continue the phone feature conversation. In the meantime, check out the Cisco Technical Support IP Phone FAQ available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/phones/ps379/products_qanda_item0...