In-Call Transfers

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013 at 1:42 PM EST

Call transferring is a heavily used feature by many companies.  Done wrong it can irritate customers… So you need to make sure it’s done the right way.  Here are the instructions on initiating attended and blind transfers.  Share this with everyone in the company so they know what they’re and not upsetting customers or other employees.   

ATA-
*Our ATA’s both have the same transfer commands

To transfer with an ATA you need to use the attended transfer function (*2). This depends on the functionality of the analog phone you have connected. You will put the current call on hold, probably using a “Flash” button. Once you hear the dial tone, dial *2 and the 10 digit phone number or extension number you want to transfer to. Once you get an answer, just hang up the phone. The 2 calls should then connect.
The Linksys SPA301 will be the same as transferring with an ATA.

IP Phones:
*Our IP phones have very similar transfer commands.

Cisco SPA303
Performing an Attended Transfer
STEP 1 During an active call, press xfer. The call is placed on hold and a new line is
opened to dial the number.
STEP  2 Either:
• Enter the number to which you want to transfer the call, then press the dial
softkey or wait a few seconds.
• Press the dir softkey and either choose a number from the personal
directory or select the Corporate Directory, then press the dial softkey.
*If you hang up before the second call rings, the transfer fails and the first call is disconnected.
*If you misdial, use the delChar, clear, or cancel softkey to make your changes before the call is transferred.
STEP  3 Press the xfer softkey after the phone begins to ring, or at any time after the phone
is answered.

Performing an Unattended (Blind) Transfer
STEP 1 During an active call, press the bXfer softkey.
STEP  2 Enter the number to which you want to transfer the call and press the dial softkey.
The call is transferred with no further action required on your part.

Polycom IP 450 and 335-
Performing a Consultative Transfer
To transfer a call:
1. During a call, press the Trnsfer soft key.
The active call is placed on hold.
2. Do one of the following:
— Enter the number to which you want to transfer the call.
3. As soon as you hear the ring-back sound or after the party answers (and
you speak to the party), press the Trnsfer soft key.
*You can talk privately to the party to which you are transferring the call before the transfer is completed.
*If you are using a handset, the transfer can be completed by putting the  handset on the cradle.
*You can cancel the transfer before the call connects by pressing the Cancel soft key.

Performing a Blind Transfer
To perform a blind transfer:
1. During a call, press the Trnsfer soft key.
2. Press the Blind soft key.
3. Enter the number to which you want to transfer the call.

Panasonic KX-TGP500-
Outside calls can be transferred to an outside party
1. During an outside call, press MENU.
2. Scroll to “Transfer” press SELECT
3. Dial the phone number.
*You can dial the phone number from the phonebook
*To correct the number, press {CANCEL} to clear the number and enter again.
4. Wait for the paged party to answer.
*If the paged party does not answer, press CANCEL 2 times to return to the outside call.

Transferring a call without speaking to the outside party
1. During an outside call, press press MENU.
2. Scroll to “Blind transfer” press SELECT
3 Dial the phone number.
*You can dial the phone number from the phonebook
*To correct the number, press CANCEL to clear the number and enter again.
4. Press TRANS and the outside call rings at the other unit.

Communicator-

Blind Transfer (transfer this call now):
1. During a call, click the “Transfer” button; the active call will be placed on hold and a call entry field appears.
*If you change your mind and want to resume the call, press the “X” button on the right side of the panel.
2. Type a number or extension to which you want to transfer the call, or select a contact from your Contact List.
3. Click the “Transfer now” button. (If it says “Call First,” click the drop-down menu and select “Transfer Now.”) You will be disconnected immediately.

Attended Transfer (call, then transfer):
1. During a call, click the “Transfer” button; the active call will be placed on hold and a call entry field appears.
*If you change your mind and want to resume the call, press the “X” button on the right side of the panel.
2. Type a number or extension to which you want to transfer the call, or select a contact from your Contact List.
3. Click the “Call First” button. (If it says “Transfer Now,” click the drop-down menu and select “Call First.”)
4. You will have the opportunity to speak with the transfer recipient first; you can also hold, resume or cancel either of the calls.
5. After speaking with the new party, press the “Transfer Now” button; you will be disconnected immediately.

Windows users can change the default behavior of the “Transfer” button to either “Transfer Now” or “Call First.”
  *Windows users: In the “Softphone > Preferences” screen, click the “Application” tab and scroll down to the “Default Actions” section.

If you need any additional help don’t hesitate to contact us on Facebook, Twitter or the Phone.com Customer Service page.

New Use Case from a Professional CEO

Monday, January 21st, 2013 at 11:13 AM EST

By: Jeb
I just came across an entirely new use for Phone.com. I was on a short flight last night and met one of our customers named Travis, he’s a professional CEO. He’s been doing this since the late 90′s and has built up a little empire. His job is to come into a struggling company and lead it for a few months to a few years into a position of profitability or to a sale/acquisition.

Travis is on the phone a lot, at his current company he has at least a dozen one on one calls every day and he’ll spend hours and hours a day on conference calls. Part of his job is training so many of these calls are counseling and teaching. Travis transferred his cell phone number to Phone.com and set up 3 extensions. One extension rings to his cell phone another rings on one of our IP phones (the Polycom IP 450) he has on his office desk and the third extensions rings the other IP phone on his desk at his home office.

Travis prefers this over just using his cell phone for all his calls. He still only gives out one number to everyone but now he doesn’t spend hours and hours everyday with a cell phone pressed against his head like he did before. Travis got one of our really nice high definition IP phones and spends his days on it. I know from experience that the speaker phone is amazing and he agrees. Travis explained he doesn’t have a knot in his neck every day from holding the cell phone to his ear with his shoulder and he’s happy to not have a radiation producing cell phone less then an inch from his brain and he told me his favorite thing is that he now has both hands free to work, organize his desk or do anything else he wants. I guess it’s the little things.

I was so happy to hear from another satisfied customer and learn of a new use case for Phone.com. Do you have an interesting way you use our service? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter and maybe I’ll write it up.

Crash Course in Mobile Telephony

Friday, January 18th, 2013 at 11:40 AM EST

By Stuart Zipper

I’ve been writing about digital wireless phones ever since, well, ever since Qualcomm had its very first half dozen prototypes to show folk. I even got to play with one of those phones, at a trade show.

But a little more than a week ago, I got my first real “crash course” in mobile telephony. Or perhaps I should say “crush course.”

What happened was that I was sitting in a hospital parking lot, filling out a pile of forms. I got so immersed that I totally forgot that my cell phone was sitting on my lap, and when I got out of the car it apparently slipped out with me, but I didn’t notice until a couple of hours later.

Desolate that I couldn’t find it, I went home and jumped on my PC, using the GPS-based “find me” feature built into the phone to determine that it was still somewhere around the hospital. Charging back to the parking lot I looked some more, to no avail. Perhaps, the security folk said helpfully, it had been found and turned in to the hospital Lost and Found – which of course to my continuing bad luck was closed by then.

A quick call the next morning revealed that indeed it had been sitting in the Lost and Found overnight, so of course I rushed right over. But my joy turned to sadness when I retrieved my little phone – for it had been run over by a car before being found. Just about crushed to death, with a crinkly screen and a cover over the battery compartment that wouldn’t close any more; the only thing still usable was the find me function.

And thus I now find myself the owner of a brand new, shiny blue, HTC 8X Windows Phone 8. An LTE model, no less. In other words, the newest kid on the block. And I can even get LTE data around where I live, in fact data service that’s even more reliable than voice.

So as I write this, I’m wondering when the obvious next step will happen, with that LTE network enabled for VoIP over LTE (VoLTE). Yes, there are some kluge apps that can do this now, but the network really isn’t yet set up to handle key issues such as reliable hand-off, as one moves from one cell to the next.

But I’m confident, having written about technology for decades, that it’s only a matter of time now before my LTE phone starts functioning as a two-way digital extension off the virtual switchboard of my Phone.com account.

Meanwhile, by the time you’ve read this, I expect to have ordered a phone case that has a decent chance of surviving a parking lot accident.