handset lifter

[wsaxon]

this is perhaps not the proper forum for this, but I am not sure who to ask. We have one user with a 7960 who wishes to use a cordless headset. We have purchased a plantronics cordless amplifier and headset. It works fine. We also purchased the handset lifter accessory, so that the user could answer the telephone even while away from the desk (the whole point of the purchase, actually).

What we have found is that while the lifter works, you still have to depress the 'headset' button on the 7960 in order for voice to be delivered from the headset (the caller's voice is received by the headset just fine). This makes a little bit of sense - the 7960 has no idea that the handset lifter is what lifted the handset vs. a real person. Is there a way to get around this so that it will automatically assume 'headset' when the handset goes off-hook?

[Chester Rieman]

If you are just going to use the headset without a handset, you can just leave the handset offhook all the time. This way when you press answer for the call, the phone will already be set to 'headset'.

I am not fully familiar with the plantronics handset lifter, but I know that this will keep the headset button lit for new calls.

[wsaxon]

The problem we are running into here is the 'hanging up' via the cordless accessory unlights the handset button.

What would be really great is if we could trick the phone into lighting the headset light for every call, wanted or not.

[Chester Rieman]

does hanging up via the cordless accessory actually put the handset back on the cradle? If not, this should be the equivalent of the 'end call' button on the phone, not an on-hook. If the 'end call' button is used, the headset function will remain enabled. What model are you using....approved models can be found here:

http://www.plantronics.com/cisco/en_US/catalog/display_category_type.jhtml?rootId=&id=cat4820097&productTypeId=cat4820097&_requestid=21924

[wsaxon]

We have the CA10 cordless amplifier and the HL10 handset lifter accessory. It has one button on the accessory - 'talk.' Basically all that button does is trigger the handset lifter remotely.

[Chester Rieman]

Unfortunatly, the HL10 is not listed as a supported device for the 7960.

There should be a way of keeping the headset activated via the phone config file, but I don't know it off the top of my head. I'll take a look and post what I find here. What does plantronics say about this?

[wsaxon]

Haven't contacted plantronics yet :). I figured this was a cisco-phone-specific issue, since they have the separate jack for the headset and everything. The plantronics instructions seem to be geared toward placing the headset stuff in between the handset and the phone (which doesn't work correctly on the 7960).

[Chester Rieman]

Actually, this is an interoperability issue between the plantronics HL10 and the 7960/40. The HL10 is not listed as a supported device for the 7960/40, this may be why. You will need to use the softkeys to begin and end a call to keep the headset active.

[trailman73]

I am using a Plantronics monorail headset with 7940/60 phones without any problems. You do not need the amplifier, it just plugs right into the headset port of the phone. If you press the headset button all calls are routed through the headset. What is up with the handset lifter? What do you need that for? If the person doesn't want to touch the phone at all you should use the web attendant application. They can answer park transfer, everything without touching the phone at all.

Geoff

[wsaxon]

The point is the headset is hooked up to a cordless amplifier. This means that if the user is in another room making copies, etc., their belt clip beeps, they press talk, the handset lifter lifts the handset off-hook back at the phone and then the call is answered.

This does not work with the Plantronics HL10 lifter because you still have to press a button on the 7960 itself to tell the 7960 'please take voice from the headset mic instead of the handset mic.' There is, apparently, no way to make it default to headset without a button press, or a way to have it take voice from both microphones simultaneously.

This is odd because currently, both speakers are activated by the cordless amp/handset lifter combo. The caller can be heard through the headset and the handset, simultaneously.

[trailman73]

I know that if you want them to answer every call you could set all calls to Auto Answer with Headset. Have you tried this?

Geoff

[wsaxon]

I wasn't aware I could. I will run this by the user to see if this would be acceptable.

[Pabloduarte]

Hello,

We two are using the CA10 Cordless headset with the Handset lifter.

We plugged in the Handset to the base of the ca10 and the cord from the

Base unit to the HANDSET port.

We did not use the Headset port.

When a call comes in the person can pick up the Handset or press the Talk button on the CA10 and the lifter pick up the Handset , But the Base cuts of the circuit to the handset and changes it to the HEADSET.

Hope this works

It work great for Us.

Good Luck

Pablo

[tim_roper]

I had the same problem when trying to install headsets. All of the Cisco people I talked to said the handset lifter won't work because it turns off the headset button. I suggested a software change on the CallManager to allow me to control whether the headset button is set to default, off or on. I have never heard anything back on this.

I could have sworn that I tried the CA10 in the handset port, but it was so long ago that I'll have to try again.

[JASON NIELSEN]

This is what we are doing in our Call Center Application and it work great.