Boss-secretary features on Unified CallManager Express 4.x

alig.norbert · ‎04-03-2008

Hi all,

Is there a possibility to handle a boss-secretary function on a CallManager Express?

Thenks an greets

Norbert

Rob Huffman · ‎04-03-2008

Hi Norbert,

There are some good features that will support this type of setup on CME. There is not quite the setup like IPMA which is available in CCM but for CME the big Boss/secretary features would be;

Monitor-Line Button Speed Dial

For Cisco CME 3.2 and later versions, a monitor-line button can be used to speed-dial the monitor line's number. A monitor line is a line that is shared by two people. Only one person can make and receive calls on the shared line at a time, while the other person, whose line is in monitor mode, is able to see that the line is in use. Speed dialing is available when monitor lines' lamps are off, indicating that the line is not in use. For example, an assistant who wants to talk with a manager can press an unlit monitor-line button to speed-dial the manager's number.

A monitor-line lamp can be off or unlit only when its line is in the idle call state. The idle state occurs before a call is made and after a call has been completed. For all other call states, the monitor line lamp is on or lit.

DSS (Direct Station Select) Service

In Cisco Unified CME 4.0(2) and later versions, the DSS (Direct Station Select) Service feature allows the phone user to press a single speed-dial line button to transfer an incoming call when the call is in the connected state. This feature is supported on all phones on which monitor line buttons for speed dial or speed-dial line buttons are configured.

When the DSS service is enabled, the system automatically generates a simulated transfer key event when needed, eliminating the requirement for the phone user to press the Transfer button.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucme/admin/configuration/guide/cmespeed.html#wp1035362

Intercom

Cisco CME supports intercom functionality for one-way and press-to-answer voice connections using a dedicated pair of intercom ephone-dns on two phones that speed-dial each other.

When an intercom speed-dial button is pressed, a call is speed-dialed to the ephone-dn that is the other half of the dedicated pair. The called ephone-dn automatically answers the call in speakerphone mode with mute activated, which provides a one-way voice path from the initiator to the recipient. A beep is sounded when the call is auto-answered to alert the recipient to the incoming call. To respond to the intercom call and open a two-way voice path, the recipient deactivates the mute function by taking one of the following actions:

On a multibutton phone, pressing the Mute button.

On a Cisco IP Phone 7910, lifting the handset.

In Cisco 3.2.2 and later releases, the no-mute keyword can be used with the intercom command to deactivate the speaker-mute function on inercom calls. For example, if phone user 1 makes an intercom call to phone user 2, both users hear each other upon connection when no-mute has been configured. The benefit is that people who receive intercom calls can be heard without having to disable the mute function. The disadvantage is that people who receive intercom calls will have their conversations and nearby background sounds heard the moment an intercom call to them is connected, regardless of whether they are ready to take a call or not.

Intercom lines cannot be used in shared-line configurations. If an ephone-dn is configured for intercom operation, it must be associated with one IP phone only. The intercom attribute causes an IP phone line (ephone-dn) to operate as an autodial line for outbound calls and as an autoanswer-with-mute line for inbound calls.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucme/admin/configuration/guide/cmeinter.html

Hope this helps!

Rob

alanlt_99 · ‎09-09-2015

Rob just a quick one. I get what you are saying and appreciate the Links provided, however on a traditional TDM PABX, Once an Extension is forwarded to another extension the call can then be returned to extension forwarding calls. i.e. and please bare with me: Extension 2077 forwards all calls to 2078 when calls forwarded are answered by 2078 for 2077, the call can be returned to 2077 from 2078. Thus 2078 has overriding priority to 2077, and only 2078 can make a call to 2077 or reverse a call forwarded to 2077.

Any thoughts?

Alan

Rob Huffman · ‎09-10-2015

Hi Alan,

Yep, I totally get what you are saying and this is a very helpful feature to be sure! It is available in CUCM via;

Cisco Unified CallManager provides a service parameter (CFA Destination Override) that allows the administrator to override Call Forward All (CFA) when the target of the CFA calls the initiator of the CFA, so the CFA target can reach the initiator for important calls. In other words, when the user to whom calls are being forwarded (the target) calls the user whose calls are being forwarded (the initiator), the phone of the initiator rings instead of call forwarding back to the target. The override works whether the CFA target phone number is internal or external.

When the CFA Destination Override service parameter is set to False (the default value), no override occurs. Ensure the service parameter is set to True for CFA override to work. See Service Parameters Configuration in the Cisco Unified CallManager Administration Guide

But....it is not available in CME (any version) as far as I know. The closest thing, which may or may not work in your scenario is "Selective call Forwarding" as shown in the doc below;

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucme/admin/configuration/guide/cmeadm/cmetrans.html#pgfId-1106055

Cheers!

Rob