Feature Description Guide
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Auto Attendant
Voicemail
The Auto Attendant provided with Cisco Unified Communications 500 provides simplified self-service for callers by
allowing them to quickly reach a person, hear an audio directory, or hear recorded guidance without the
assistance of an operator. It is navigated using touch-tone entries from your phone. The Auto Attendant can have
different options based on time of day and holiday schedules. It can also redirect to another menu layer in the
Auto Attendant.
Basic
Automated Call
Distribution
(Basic ACD)
Voice System
Features
Basic ACD provides automatic answering and distribution of incoming calls through interactive menus and hunt
groups. A Basic ACD application consists of one call queue service and up to 10 Basic ACD services. For each
Basic ACD service, users configure a pilot number for the service, hunt group parameters, prompts, destination
for unanswered calls, timeout, number of retries, and other settings.
The Basic ACD call flow implemented in Configuration Assistant is limited to drop- through mode, in which the
Auto Attendant serves as the top-level entry point and control is transferred to Basic ACD for second-level menu
actions.
Barge,
Conference
Barge (cBarge)
Voice-system
features
The barge feature allows phone users who share a directory number to join an active call on the shared line by
pressing a softkey. When the initiator barges into a call, a conference is created between the barge initiator, the
target party, and the other party connected in the call. Parties see the call information on their phones and, if the
conference join tone is configured, they hear a tone.
If a phone that is using the shared line has privacy enabled, call information does not appear on the other phones
that share the line and the call cannot be barged. Connected parties hear the barge tone (single beep) after the
conference is set up. When a party leaves the conference, a barge leave tone is played to the remaining parties.
Billing records
Voice-system
features
The accounting process collects accounting data for each call leg created on the Cisco Unified Communications
500. You can use this information for activities such as generating billing records and network analysis. The
feature captures accounting data in the form of CDRs containing attributes defined by Cisco. The feature can
send CDRs to a RADIUS server, syslog server, or to a file in comma-separated value (CSV) format for storing to
flash memory or an FTP server.
Blast hunt
group
Voice-system
features
With this feature enabled, incoming calls simultaneously ring multiple phones or multiple destinations, including
PSTN, SIP trunk, and multisite numbers. This feature is also called parallel hunt groups. In Cisco Unified
Communications 500 Software Pack 7.0.2 and later versions, this feature is supported across all IP phones.
Busy lamp
field (BLF)
Users,
phones, and
extensions
This feature provides a visible line status indicating whether or not the line is in use. A monitor-line lamp is 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 is
completed. For all other call states, the monitor line lamp is lit. A receptionist who monitors the line can see that it
is in use and can decide not to send additional calls to that extension, assuming that other transfer and forwarding
options are available. BLF for phones is also available; refer to the BLF notification feature that follows.
BLF
notification
(“watch
mode”)
Users,
phones, and
extensions
A line button that is configured for watch mode on one phone provides BLF notification for all lines on another
phone (watched phone) for which the watched directory number is the primary line. Watch mode allows a phone
user, such as a receptionist, to visually monitor the in-use status of an individual phone. The line and line button
on the watching phone are available in watch mode for visual status only. Calls cannot be made or received using
a line button that has been set in watch mode. Incoming calls on a line button that is in watch mode do not ring
and do not display caller ID or call-waiting caller ID.
Blocking caller
ID
Voice-system
features
You can selectively choose to block your name or number on outbound calls. Caller ID blocking on outbound calls
does not apply to PSTN calls through analog FXO ports. Caller ID features on analog FXO-connected subscriber
lines are under the control of the PSTN service provider, who may require you to use the provider’s caller ID
blocking service.
Busy timeout
Voice-system
features
Busy timeout sets the length of time after which calls that are transferred to busy destinations are disconnected.
Call forwarding
Voice-system
features
Call forwarding allows you to divert incoming calls to an extension to a specific destination under different
conditions:
● All calls: All incoming calls are diverted based on destination configured by the administrator or entered by
a user.
● No answer: All incoming calls are diverted when the extension does not answer the call for a specific timeout
to a destination such as voicemail configured by the administrator.
● Busy: All incoming calls are diverted when the extension is busy and call waiting is not active to a destination
such as voicemail configured by the administrator.
● Night service: All incoming calls are automatically diverted during designated hours, defined by night service
schedule, to a destination such as an automated attendant configured by the administrator.
An extension can have all four types of call forwarding defined at the same time, with a different forwarding
destination defined for each type of call forwarding.
Call history
Voice-system
features
This feature helps collect call-detail information for reporting activities such as generating billing records and voice
network analysis. The system captures accounting data in the form of CDRs that can be stored as a text file (CSV
format) for storing to flash memory or exporting to an FTP server for third-party application integration.
Call hold
Voice-system
features
The system by default allows you to place a call on hold by using the Hold softkey on any active call. For calls
placed on hold, the system can enable the optional on-hold indicator, which generates a ring burst on idle phones
or call-waiting beeps for phones on another call.
Call hunt
Voice-system
features
Call hunt allows you to use the same extensions on multiples phones or lines on the same phone to provide
coverage for a single called number. It uses preference to control the order in which the extensions are matched
and a huntstop option to determine when the call should be forwarded to the no answer destination.