Barge in by extension

mrmhar1408 · ‎05-22-2010

Hi everybody,

I need to apply a Barge in feature for the operator; so he can barge any extension between 1000 extensions in the site and notify him that there is important call.

when i started configure the Barge in feature for him i found myself forced to add all 1000 extensions to his IP phone to use the Barge in feature which is impossible

What is the way to let the operatore Barge in using the Extension i.e ( press the Barge in key + the extension number ) ?

William Bell · ‎05-22-2010

Barge is not design to deliver this type of functionality. I am not sure which version of CUCM you are running, but in 6.x and later (maybe 5x?) there is a feature called Intercom that fits more into your business use case. My understanding is you want the operator to be able to pop in on a remote user phone to deliver an audio message (i.e. "an important call for you on line 1"). Intercom can do this, but you have to configure a few things.

1. Intercom Partition: This is similar to a route partition but is a special partition that is only visible to the Intercom feature.

2. Intercom CSS: Like the intercom partition, it is a special CSS that only contains Intercom Partitions

3. Intercom DN: A specialized DN that gets programmed on a phone button and assigned to a partition

4. Intercom Translation: (optional) Allows you to expand/contract/translate digits dialed by an intercom caller just like regular translations for standard calls.

You would need to add an intercom line/button to 1000 phones (+ the operator). You would only need one button per station but that still may present a problem for you. It sure is better than configuring 1000 lines on the operator station ;-) You can configure these lines to use the same abbreviated extensions you already have in place if you wish. It is OK if they are identical to the regular DNs. You can use labels to show that the line is an intercom line on the phone (to avoid accidental usage).

On the operator phone, they would have an intercom line. As long as you don't configure the "speed dial" option on that line, it will allow the operator to go "off hook" and dial the intercom extension they want to reach. The operator will get dial-tone and in most every way it will feel like a phone call except that instead of ringing the remote end, a one way media stream (from operator to target) is established.

When the audio stream is established, one of two things happens:

1. If the remote end is on hook (i.e. no active call). There will be a beep and the phone will automatically open the speaker phone

2. If the remote end is off hook (i.e. on a call). The remote end user will hear a beep and then the operator can speak to them. The call party that was already on the phone with the remote user is unable to hear this audio exchange. This is called the "whisper" feature

I suppose you could looke at one of the cisco attendant console applications but I don't work with those too much myself. Concepts are similar except you get some features like a GUI front end. You would need to ensure you do your homework if this option is something you are looking for.

HTH.

Regards,

Bill

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HTH -Bill (b) http://ucguerrilla.com (t) @ucguerrilla

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James Hawkins · ‎05-22-2010

Hi Bills,

Great suggestion to use the Intercom feature (+5) but it may not be practical as it is only supported by a limited subset of Cisco phones - see list below.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucm/admin/7_1_2/ccmfeat/fsintrcm.html#wp1050262

So unfortunately if the customer has 7911, 7940, 7960 etc. this approach will not work.

There is not any whisper support in Cisco's own Unified Attendant Console products (the operator can send an email from within the client). They would need the full Arc Enterprise product or an alternative such as Peter Connects Attendant for this functionality.

mrmhar1408 · ‎05-22-2010

Thanks i will try the intercom tomorrow then i will confirm

James Hawkins · ‎05-22-2010

Unfortunately this is not supported.

I had a similarish requirement where calls had to be interrupted which I solved using Multilevel Precedence and Preemption (MLPP).

This gets rid of the existing caller though so would not really be suitable for what you need (the requirement was for a system on a ship where authorised personel needed to interrupt calls to the bridge).

What operator console software - if any - are you running? - some products have methods by which the operator can inform the called party of a waiting call. For example Arc offers a feature called "Whisper Paging" which allows the operator to send a text message to the busy IP phone.