Manager: Telephone Features

Parking a call is an alternative to holding a call. A call parked on the IP Office system can be retrieved by any other user if they know the system park slot number used to park the call. When the call is retrieved, the action is known as Unpark Call or Ride Call. While parked, the caller hears music on hold if available.

Each parked call requires a park slot number. Attempting to park a call into a park slot that is already occupied causes an intercept tone to be played. Most park functions can be used either with or without a specified park slot number. When parking a call without specifying the park slot number, the system automatically assigns a number based on the extension number of the person parking the call plus an extra digit 0 to 9. For example if 220 parks a call, it is assigned the park slot number 2200, if they park another call while the first is still parked, the next parked call is given the park slot number 2201 and so on.

The Park Timeout setting in the IP Office configuration (System | Telephony | Telephony | Park Timeout) controls how long a call can be left parked before it recalls to the user that parked it. The default time out is 5 minutes. Note that the recall only occurs if the user is idle has no other connected call.

There are several different methods by which calls can be parked and unparked. These are:

Using Short Codes
The short code features, Park Call and Unpark Call, can be used to create short codes to park and unpark calls respectively. The default short codes that use these features are:

Using the Phone Manager and SoftConsole Applications
The Phone Manager and SoftConsole applications all support park buttons. Phone Manager provides 4 park slot buttons, numbered 1 to 4. SoftConsole provides 16 park slot buttons numbered 1 to 16 by default. In both cases the park slot number for each button can be changed if required. Clicking on the buttons allows the user to park or unpark calls in the park slot associated with each button.

In addition, when a call is parked in one of those slots by another user, the application user can see details of the call and can unpark it at their extension.

Using Programmable Buttons
The Call Park feature can be used to park and unpark calls. If configured with a specified park slot number, the button can be used to park a call in that slot, unpark a call from that slot and will indicate when another user has parked a call in that slot. If configured without a number, it can be used to park up to 10 calls and to unpark any of those calls.

Phone Defaults
Some telephones support facilities to park and unpark calls through their display menu options (refer to the appropriate telephone user guide). In this case parked calls are automatically put into park slots matching the extension number.