Softkey Phone Features: HLog, Join, and MeetMe,

The next softkey available in the On Hook call state is the Hunt Login/Logout (HLog) softkey. This softkey was introduced in CUCM 6.0 to allow customer service representatives (CSR) to login and logout of call coverage groups. The call coverage that comes with CUCM uses the Hunt Pilot (HP) -> Hunt List (HL) -> Line Group (LG) call routing elements. Directory Numbers (DN) are put into line groups to create basic call coverage capabilities. This softkey allows the CSRs to login and logout of the call coverage included with CUCM.

The call coverage capabilities included with CUCM do not include some important elements necessary to call center environments. This paradigm should not be confused with Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) which includes important technologies including call queuing or skills based routing. Unified Contact Center Express (UCCX) should be investigated if the basic call coverage included with CUCM does not fit your needs. Global Knowledge offers the UCCXD and UCCXA classes covering the UCCX call center platforms.

Let’s talk about the Call Join (Join) softkey. The Join softkey allows the end user of a Cisco IP Phone to create a 3-party conference seamlessly when handling two calls that should be converted to a three party conference. If the Join feature was not provisioned, the end user would need to end one of the phone calls and then convert the existing phone call to a conference call using the Conference (Confrn) softkey. To use the Join softkey, click the Join softkey in an active call, select the other call on the same line (call waiting) and click Join again. The two phone calls have now been converted to a three-party conference call. This feature will only work using virtual lines on the same physical line button unless CUCM 6.1 is used. To examine some other features included in CUCM 6.1, check out the following Cisco URL: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/voicesw/ps6788/vcallcon/ps556...

The MeetMe softkey is next. The MeetMe softkey allows a conference controller to create a conference in which other conference participants can dial the MeetMe number on their phone to be created to the conference bridge. The conference controller (first person) must click the MeetMe softkey while in the Off Hook call state and then dial the MeetMe bridge number. The conference bridge will now be open. Subsequent conference participants will only need to dial the phone number of the MeetMe bridge. MeetMe numbers or number ranges must be configured by the system administrator before this feature can be used.

The MeetMe feature is not without limitations. If any of the conference participants were to dial the conference bridge before the conference bridge was created, the participant would receive reorder tone. Most dedicated conferencing platforms would put the conference participants in queue, instructing them that the conference controller did not activate the conference yet. The MeetMe bridge will only deliver reorder tone until the conference bridge has been activated by the conference controller. The MeetMe softkey does not include any participant introductions, security arrangements, or scheduling. If you are looking for some of these advanced conferencing features, check out the Cisco Meeting Place and Meeting Place Express platforms. The Meeting Place platforms are dedicated conferencing servers.

The next blog will investigate some of the Mobility softkey to use some of the Cisco Unified Mobility enhancements included with CUCM 6.0.

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• Call Join