Multiple conference calls are supported, with parties addable to each conference call until the system's conference capacity, up to 128, is reached. However, a maximum of 64 parties is supported in any particular conference call.
Conference resources are also used for call recording and other
features, reducing the available conference capacity for ordinary
conference calls.
Note: If you are the only internal user in the conference, depending on your telephone systems configuration, dropping yourself might end the conference. Consult your system administrator for details.
Default Short Codes
Short codes are numbers that you can dial to enable and disable
various features. The following are default short codes that may be
available. However, your system administrator can remove and change the
short codes available to you or all users.
Start a conference between yourself and any calls that you have on hold.
If you do not already have a held call, you can use the process below to start a conference. For more complex scenarios see Context Sensitive Conferencing.
Starting a Conference Call
| 1. | Make a call to the first party or answer a call. |
| 2. | Press the  CONFERENCE key. The current call is automatically put on hold. |
| 3. | Dial the party that you want to add to the conference. |
| 4. | If they answer and want to join the call, press the CONFERENCE key again or press the Join soft key. |
| 5. | If they do not want to join the call or do not answer, press  DROP and then press the appearance key of the held call (fast green flash). |
Notes About Conference Calls
| • | You can use the Conf key as an alternative method for transferring calls; this is particularly useful for internal users. However, if you are the only internal user in a conference, bear in mind that you are the conference host and dropping yourself from the call would end the conference for all participants. |
| • | If you already have calls on hold, pressing the Conf key will create a conference containing the connected call and the call on hold. You can add more calls if you like. |
| • | If you have a call 'on hold pending transfer' and you wish to conference yourself, your current call, and the call 'on hold pending transfer,' pressing the Conf key will start a conference that includes all three of you. Other held calls will not be included, but you can add more calls or drop yourself if necessary. |
•Pressing the Conf key against a held call will add that call to the extension's current call (alerting or connected). Any calls 'on hold pending transfer' will also be added to the call.
You can add additional parties to an existing conference.
| 1. | Press the  HOLD key to put the conference on hold. This does not affect the other conference parties who can continue talking to each other. |
| 2. | Press an available appearance key on which to make a call. |
| 3. | Dial the party that you want to add to the conference. |
| 4. | If they answer and want to join the call, press the CONFERENCE key again or press the Join soft key. |
DROP and then press the appearance key of the held call (fast green flash). You can display a list of the parties involved in a conference call.
| 1. | If not already displayed, press the  up or down  arrow key to display the conference call. |
| 2. | Press the Details soft key. |
| • | To scroll through the list of callers in the conference, use the up and down arrow keys. |
| • | To drop the caller displayed from the conference, press the Drop soft key. Pressing the DROP button will also drop the displayed party. |
| • | To mute a caller, highlight them and press Mute. Repeat this to unmute them. |
You can drop parties from a conference call, including yourself. You can also mute other parties.
| 1. | While connected to a conference call, if you press the Details key, the conference details menu is displayed. |
| 2. | You can then perform the following actions: |
| • | To scroll through the list of callers in the conference, use the up and down arrow keys. |
| • | To drop the caller displayed from the conference, press the Drop soft key. Pressing the DROP button will also drop the displayed party. |
| • | To mute a caller, highlight them and press Mute. Repeat this to unmute them. |
| • | To return to the call display, press the Exit soft key. |
Note: If
you are the only internal user in the conference, depending on your
telephone systems configuration, dropping yourself might end the
conference. Consult your system administrator for details.
You can Hold a Conference Call
Using the HOLD
key you can put a conference call on hold in the same way as you can
for a normal call. The appearance key for the conference call will show a
fast flashing green lamp.
To take the conference call off hold, press the appearance key.
Important - Holding Conference Calls
You can hold a conference call in the same way as holding a normal
call. Holding the conference call does not affect the other conference
parties who can continue talking. You will also still be listed as a
member of the conference call in the conference details.
Warning: This only applies to conference calls hosted by your own telephone system. Holding your call to a conference hosted on another telephone system may cause that conference to hear your system's music on hold.
The starting a conference and adding a call to a conference
scenarios in this manual cover the simple scenarios where you have no
other calls in progress on the phone. In those scenarios, the current
call and all held calls are conferenced.
However, in some scenarios where you have multiple calls in progress, you may want to conference just particular calls. This can be done by scrolling the display to change which call is highlighted when you press Conf or Conference.
For example:
| • |
To conference the current call and a particular held call: Scroll the call display to highlight the required held call. Press Conf or Conference. That held call is conference with your current call without affecting any other held calls. |
The table below summarizes which calls are conferenced based on which call is currently highlighted on the telephone's display. A 'held pending transfer' call is one which has been put on hold by pressing either Conference or Transfer.
|
Highlighted Call |
Other conditions in priority order |
Result when Conf or Conference is pressed: |
Calls Conferenced |
||
|
Current Call |
Held Calls |
Held Pending Transfer |
|||
|
Connected call |
No call held pending transfer |
Conferences the connected call and all held calls. |
|
|
– |
|
Call held pending transfer |
Conferences the connected call and the held pending transfer call. Any other held calls are unaffected. |
|
– |
|
|
|
Held call |
Connected call |
Conferences the held call and the connected call. Any other held calls including held pending transfer are unaffected. |
|
– |
– |
|
Held pending transfer call |
Conferences the held and held pending transfer call. All other held calls are unaffected. |
– |
– |
|
|
|
Held calls |
Conferences with all other held calls. |
– |
|
– |
|
|
Held pending transfer call |
Connected call |
Conferences the held pending transfer call to a connected call. Any other held calls are unaffected. |
|
– |
|
|
Held calls |
Conferences the call held pending transfer with all other held calls. |
– |
|
|
|
| • |
Changing which call is currently highlighted On phones with a set of cursor keys, the up and down cursor keys can be used to select the current highlighted call appearance, even while there is a currently connected call. On touchscreen phones, the cursor buttons on the right-hand edge of the screen can be used for the same purpose. On most phones in the series, the background shading indicates the currently highlighted call. |
Note: The above only applies to conferences initiated from the telephone. The traditional behaviour of conferencing the current and all held calls regardless of hold type still applies if the conference is initiated from elsewhere such as from an application like one-X Portal for IP Office.