IT Tips - November 2014

IT Tips – November 2014

 

Thanksgiving time! That means relaxation, turkey and most of all beer family.

This year I am thankful for the camaraderie of our IMC family.  

 
 

What’s Inside:

Tech Section

·         All about your Cisco Desk Phone 

 

All about your Cisco Desk Phone

This month’s IT Tip is for the home office folks. That’s right, you’re still loved.

Each day we sit at our desks here in GB, drinking coffee with a fancy desk phone next to our monitors. Blissfully unaware of the phone’s complexity.

These phones are quite fancy indeed. There is a lot more that you can do with the Cisco desk phone than you may realize.

First of all, there is a full-blown user guide on the F drive penned by Cisco (F:\Cisco Phone User Guide). It’s a riveting tale of long lost calls and the voicemails that could have been. In all seriousness, that guide is for those of you who are feeling a little… geeky. I don’t mean to toot my own horn (TOOT TOOT!) but I feel that this tip will be a little more fun to read than that Cisco guide...

Without further ado, I present you with a bunch of questions that I’m pretending to be asked!

How can I check my office phone voicemail if I’m not in the office?

Duh! Just use magic!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…
 

Or if you’re a muggle, do this:

1.       From a phone other than your desk phone, call your extension (e.g. 413-429-2005).

2.       Press * when you hear your greeting.

3.       Enter your 4 digit extension (AKA ID) followed by # and then your password followed by #.

4.       You will now be logged in just like if you clicked the messages button in the office.

I’m going to be out of the office, what is the best way to change my greeting?

Great question, self!

 

I recommend using the “alternate greeting” so that your main greeting remains unchanged. That way you’re not re-recording your main greeting when you leave AND when you return. 

I also suggest setting an “end date & time” to your alternate greeting. When the end date you specify arrives, the alternate greeting will automatically switch off! Hooray for convenience! 

Here is how:

1.       Press the button labeled “messages” on your phone and then enter your pin.
      

2.       Once you’re logged in, you’ll want to go to “setup options” (option 4).

3.       Press 1 to change your greetings.

4.       Press 2 to turn on your alternate greeting (this will leave your main greeting untouched).

5.      This is the cool part! You can set and end date and time by pressing 1. This will make it so your alternate greeting will automatically turn off when you return!

a.       You can press 1-8 to have it end in 1-8 days.

b.      You can add a specific date and time by pressing 9 and following the prompts. 

Note: If you get lost or confused, just listen to the lady on the phone.

  
How can I do a conference call from my desk phone?

There are two ways to accomplish this (neither of them involve magic).

Option 1: The MeetMe Conference Call 

This is a pretty cool feature. MeetMe allows you to select a special extension that people can call into. When you create a MeetMe conference, the extension you choose becomes the extension of your conference call.

Extensions 1501-1509 are reserved for MeetMe conference calls. When you initiate the MeetMe, you will choose one of these extensions to be the extension of your conference call. 

Please note: if someone is already using one of these extensions for a MeetMe conference, it will be reserved and unavailable. 

How to setup a MeetMe conference call:

1.       Initiate a new call from your phone.

2.       Click on the “more” button on the bottom of the screen.

3.       Click on the “MeetMe” button.

4.       Enter any extension from 1501 – 1509.

You are now in the conference!!! 

Now you’ll need to let your participants know which extension to dial. 

Participants inside the company need only dial the extension (e.g. 1502).

Participants outside the company will need to call 800-817-5665 and then dial the extension.

Note: Once the caller enters the extension, they will be brought directly into your conference call.

 

Option 2: The 3-Way Conference Call

You can also do a simple 3 person conference call from your desk phone. This only allows for total of 3 people (including yourself) to be on the call.

 

Here’s how:

1.       Call the first person.

2.       Once you’re connected, click the “more” button on the phone.

3.       Now press the “confrn” button on the phone.

4.       Dial the number of the person you wish to add to the conference.

5.       Press the “confrn” button again.

 You will now be on the conference call with two others!

                     

 

Is there a way to search for a person’s extension from the phone? 

Yes! Please have a look at this IT Tip from 2012 which shows you how to use the Cisco Phone directory.

  

Have a great month, everyone!

-Keith

Please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email if you have a something that you think will make a good tip. You’ll get credit on the blog for your contribution and I might give you a high-five