Expert Reference Series of White Papers

Cisco IP Phone
Features

1-800-COURSES www.globalknowledge.com
Cisco IP Phone Features
Dennis Hartmann, Global Knowledge Instructor,
CCIE No. 15651, CCVP, CCSI, CCNP, CCOP, MCSE

Introduction
Softkeys represent features available to the phone while in a call state. An idle phone is in the “onhook” call
state because the handset is on the cradle holding the phone hook down. When the handset is lifted, the phone
is in the “offhook” state. If the phone is in an existing call, the phone is in the connected call state. The CUCM
call states are as follows.
• On Hook
• Connected
• On Hold
• Ring In
• Off Hook
• Connected Transfer
• Digits After First
• Connected Conference
• Ring Out
• Off Hook with Feature
• Remote In Use
• Connected No Feature

The onhook call state has many available softkey features, but only three are enabled by default. The default
softkeys in CUCM 6.1(1) include Redial, NewCall, and Call Forward All (CfwdAll). Pressing the redial softkey will
dial the last attempted phone call using the speaker phone. The NewCall softkey will take the phone off hook
with the speakerphone active.

Default On Hook Softkeys

The CfwdAll button will allow the user to enter a call forwarding destination for all calls destined to the Cisco
IP phone. If the company uses 9 as an access code for outside calls, remind the users of the system to include
the 9 for all external PSTN call forwarding (e.g., cell phone). Call forwarding can be restricted by configuring a
calling search space on the CfwdAll settings of the directory number. Calling search spaces applied to the call
forwarding options of the directory number will override the line and device calling search space configura-
tions on the phone. The line/device calling search space (CSS) is applicable only to the call forward all (CFA) call

Copyright ©2009 Global Knowledge Training LLC All rights reserved. 2

forwarding option. All other call forwarding options use the traditional calling search space methodology. CUCM
versions prior to 5.0 do not include a line CSS configuration item for the CFA option.

Callback
The first unselected softkey in the offhook call state is the CallBack softkey. The CallBack softkey is a feature
that allows the calling party to initiate a CUCM monitor of the called party’s line state. The callback feature can
be used after an unsuccessful call where Call Forward Busy (CFB) does not forward the call to voicemail. The
calling party presses the CallBack softkey initiating CUCM to monitor the called party’s phone. When there is a
state transition (onhook or offhook), the calling party’s phone rings back with LCD display information of the
called party. If the calling party picks up the phone, the called party’s phone begins ringing. CallBack requires
the Cisco Extended Service to be running on CUCM. This feature is not effective when call forward busy condi-
tions are forwarded to the subscriber’s voicemail greeting.

Call Transfer
Another unselected softkey in the onhook call state is the Direct Transfer (DirTrfr) softkey. This softkey is used
to transfer two active calls when you are on multiple lines of a phone, and you would like to connect the two
calls without being part of the conversation. Without this feature, one would need to coordinate a new phone
call between the recipients by bouncing between the two phone calls. Click the DirTrfr button while one of the
calls is active, then highlight the other call using the rocker panel of the phone and then click the DirTrfr softkey
again.

Call Pickup Options

Another unselected softkey in the onhook call state is the Group Pickup (GPickUp) softkey. Group pickup is a
variant of call pickup, and CUCM has three call pickup options: call pickup, group call pickup, and other pickup.
The pickup softkey will allow a user of a Cisco IP Phone to pick up a ringing phone within the same pickup
group at their phone. In an organization which had six members of an information technology (IT) support help
desk, all six IT help desk member’s directory numbers can be put into the same pickup group. If a member of the
IT help desk group walked away from their phone, another member of the group could redirect an incoming call
to their phone by choosing the pickup softkey.

To do this, a call pickup group needs to be configured in CUCM administration (Call Routing > Call Pickup
Group). Click the Add New button. Create a name and number for the pickup group. This number does not
need to follow your internal dial plan and does not need to be in the direct inward dialing (DID) range the com-
pany purchased from the PSTN provider. The call pickup group number is never dialed directly. The call pickup
number provides a mechanism to relate phone directory numbers into a group to provide coverage for people
who have temporarily left their desk. Click Save.

The call pickup number can be applied to the directory numbers of the six phones in the IT help desk. Navigate
to the directory number configuration page (Call Routing > Directory Number). Choose your phone search
criteria and click Find. Choose the call pickup group from the Call Pickup Group drop down menu. Click Save
and then Reset. The call pickup key is enabled in the off hook call state by default.

Copyright ©2009 Global Knowledge Training LLC All rights reserved. 3

White Pine Communications has segregated support resources within their IT group. Four of the six group
members will support CUCM and Cisco IP Phones, while two of the members will specialize in supporting Cisco
Unity voicemail (VM), automated attendant (AA), and Unified Messaging (UM). Two call pickup groups will be
configured to relate the directory numbers of CUCM and Unity support members. Since management has sent
all six students to the CIPT1, CIPT2, and AIUM Global Knowledge classes, the support members of one group
will be responsible for covering calls of the other group when call volume is high. Group pickup will be utilized
to answer calls across multiple call pickup groups.

Group call pickup does not require additional configuration in CUCM. The end users who will use the system
must know the pickup group numbers that need to be dialed when a phone is ringing in a different pickup
group. Use different ringers in each call pickup group so the end users can audibly differentiate call pickup
groups. If an idle user in the CUCM support group hears a ringing phone in the Unity group, she can click the
GPickup softkey and dial the pickup group number of the Unity support group.

Pickup allows pickup groups to be related to each other. This eliminates a lot of end user training and memori-
zation of pickup group numbers. In our example, the CUCM administrator would relate the Unity pickup group
number to the CUCM pickup group and vice-versa. The end users can then pick up calls to any pickup group
using the Pickup key option.

Hunt Login/Logout
The next softkey available in the on hook call state is the Hunt Login/Logout (HLog) softkey. This softkey was
introduced in CUCM 6.0 to allow customer service representatives (CSR) to login and logout of call coverage
groups. The call coverage that comes with CUCM uses the Hunt Pilot (HP) -> Hunt List (HL) -> Line Group
(LG) call routing elements. Directory Numbers (DN) are put into line groups to create basic call coverage capa-
bilities using the top-down, circular, broadcast, or longest idle distribution algorithms. This softkey allows the
CSRs to login and logout of the call coverage capabilities included with CUCM.

The call coverage capabilities included with CUCM do not include elements critical to call center environments.
The call coverage paradigm of CUCM should not be confused with Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) which
includes important technologies including call queuing or skills-based routing. Unified Contact Center Express
(UCCX) should be investigated if the basic call coverage included with CUCM does not fit your needs. Global
Knowledge offers the UCCXD and UCCXA classes covering the UCCX call center platforms. UCCX was formerly
known as IP Contact Center Express [IPCCX].

Conferencing Options
The Join softkey allows the end user of a Cisco IP Phone to create a three-party conference while handling two
calls that need to be converted to a three-party conference. If the join feature is not provisioned, the end user
will need to end one of the phone calls and then convert the existing phone call to a conference call using the
Conference (Confrn) softkey. To use the join softkey, click the join softkey while in an active call, select the other
call on the same line (call waiting) and click join again. The two phone calls will be converted to a three-party
conference call. This feature will only work using virtual lines on the same physical line button unless CUCM 6.1
is used. CUCM 6.1 introduced call join across lines.

Copyright ©2009 Global Knowledge Training LLC All rights reserved. 4

Another conferencing-related softkey feature is the Conference List (ConfList) feature. This softkey can be
used to inspect conference participants by their caller ID information. The conference members will be listed in
the order in which they joined the conference. The Remove Last Conference Party (RmLstC) softkey will allow the
conference controller to remove the last party that entered the conference.

The MeetMe softkey allows a conference controller to create a conference bridge where multiple people can
collaborate. The conference controller must click the meet me softkey while in the off hook call state and then
dial the meet me bridge number to activate the conference bridge. The conference bridge will now be open for
subsequent callers. Subsequent conference participants will only need to dial the phone number of the meet me
bridge. Meet me numbers can represent number ranges that must be configured by the CUCM administrator
before this feature can be used.

The MeetMe feature has some limitations that can be critical in environments utilizing conferencing features
heavily. If any of the conference participants were to dial the conference bridge before the conference bridge
was created, the participant would receive reorder tone. Most dedicated conferencing platforms would put the
conference participants in queue, instructing them that the conference controller did not activate the confer-
ence yet. The meet me bridge will only deliver reorder tone until the conference bridge has been activated by
the conference controller. The meet me softkey does not include any participant introductions, security arrange-
ments, or scheduling. These advanced conferencing features are included in Cisco’s MeetingPlace product lines.
The MeetingPlace product line includes MeetingPlace, MeetingPlace Express and MeetingPlace VT platforms.

Mobility
The next option is the Mobility softkey. CUCM 6.x includes features that were previously only available via
the addition of a Cisco Mobility Manager server in the CUCM cluster. The mobility softkey can be used for the
mobile connect functionality. Mobile connect is also commonly referred to as Single Number Reach (SNR). Many
users have a business phone, business cell phone, personal cell phone, and home phone. Trying to get in touch
with someone via the telephone can be a cumbersome act involving the dialing of various numbers and leaving
voice messages on the related messaging systems. The Cisco Unified Presence Server could have reported the
users availability and preferences, but let’s assume presence is not well-deployed. Presence is a great feature
that can work with or without the mobility features.

The mobile connect service gives users the ability to provide people with one main phone number in which
every one of their associated devices will ring. Up to 10 configurable remote destination phone numbers can
be configured per end user, starting with CUCM 6.0. The service also allows end users to use one single enter-
prise voicemail box by changing the call forward no answer ring duration on CUCM to be lower than any of the
other remote destination call forward to voicemail timers. The mobile connect service will work on H.323- or
SIP-configured gateways via an XML TCL script. The mobile connect service does not work on MGCP configured
gateways.

The first device to pick up the call will complete the call, but the call will be anchored at the PSTN gateway. The
mobile connect feature will greatly increase the utilization of B channels on the Primary Rate Interface (PRI) of
the organization. One incoming call to the organization will result in the utilization of 2 B channels if a remote
destination (cell phone, home phone, etc.) picks up the phone call destined to the Direct Inward Dialing (DiD)

Copyright ©2009 Global Knowledge Training LLC All rights reserved. 5

phone number of the user. This is because each call will be anchored (picked up) at the gateway and re-routed
to the destination. While B channel utilization could be a detractor of this great mobility application, the service
will allow the organization to save a lot of cellular minutes.

If the Mobility softkey of the Cisco IP Phone is pressed during a call that has been answered on a cellular phone,
the call is transparently re-routed from the cellular network to the Cisco IP Phone, which involves minimal inter-
ruption. The mobility functionality is possible because the call is anchored at the gateway using an Extensible
Markup Language (XML) Tool Command Language (TCL) script. The mobility softkey is also supported on the
CUMC client supported for the Blackberry RIM, Symbian, and Windows Mobile 6 cellular phone operating sys-
tems. The CUMC client supports a mobility softkey in which users can pass calls from Cisco IP Phones to cellular
phones with minimal interruption. CUMC also allows supported devices with wireless LAN (WLAN) capabilities
to register and make calls from CUCM.

Mobility also includes the Mobile Voice Access (MVA) feature which is similar to the traditional Direct Inward
System Access (DiSA) service. This feature allows callers to call into the enterprise network and make outgoing
calls as if they were sitting at their desk. The Caller ID information presented to the called party will appear as if
the user was calling from their office line. The service allows organizations to consolidate costs and accounting
information via call detail records (CDR).

Quality Reporting Tool (QRT)

The next softkey feature is the Quality Reporting Tool (QRT) softkey. The QRT viewer can be used by the
CUCM administrative staff to analyze quality issues with a call or missing dial-tone. This feature requires the end
user to click the QRT softkey.

QRT can be rolled out in silent (default) or interview interface mode. The end user who presses the QRT softkey
in silent mode receives an acknowledgement on the LCD screen of the phone letting them know that the data
has been logged. Interview mode will require the user to select the type of problem after clicking the QRT soft-
key. The menu the end user would see is as follows.

Select Category
1) Problems with last call
2) Phone recently rebooted
3) Can’t make calls

Category one includes a second category listing as follows.

Select Reason Code
1) I heard echo
2) The other end heard echo
3) Choppy sound
4) Robotic sound
5) Long Delays

Copyright ©2009 Global Knowledge Training LLC All rights reserved. 6

When complete, the end user receives an acknowledgement after logging the problem. The CUCM administrator
will need to change a service parameter of the Cisco extended functions to turn on interview mode. The Display
Extended QRT Menu Choices service parameter is set to True. The QRT softkey requires the Cisco extended func-
tions service to be running on the CUCM server performing call processing for the Cisco IP Phone involved in the
call. CUCM will provide additional details in the QRT record if both the source and destination devices involved
in the phone call being logged are Cisco IP Phones. A link to the details of the information captured in a QRT
report can be found in the references section of this white paper.

The data captured is viewed with the Quality Reporting Viewer. The QRT viewer is built in to the Cisco unified
serviceability pages in CUCM versions before 5.0. CUCM 5.0 does not include the QRT viewer in Cisco Unified
Serviceability. Beginning with CUCM version 5.0, the QRT viewer is part of the trace and log central portion of the
Real-Time Monitoring Tool (RTMT). RTMT is a java-based client application that is downloaded from CUCM Ad-
ministration (Application > Plugins). RTMT is available for both Windows and Linux beginning with CUCM 5.0.

Do Not Disturb (DND)

The Do Not Disturb (DND) softkey feature has been supported in the IP Manager Assistant (IPMA) application
since Call Manager 3.3. IP Manager Assistant has been re-branded as Cisco Unified Communications Manager
Assistant. The Cisco Unified Communications Manager Assistant application is used to help manage calls for
one or more managers, depending on the way in which the application is rolled out. There is a URL to the Cisco
Unified Manager Assistant data sheet in the references section of this white paper.
CUCM 6.0 improved the DND feature so it could be used on any Cisco IP Phone in the CUCM cluster. The DND
feature will allow an end user to stop their phone from ringing when an incoming call is received if the DND
softkey is on. The LCD screen will display the DND status when turned on. The four options configured at the
CUCM admin device level or end user (/ccmuser web pages) are as follows.
• Disable: Incoming call information is displayed on the LCD screen of the phone, but the phone does
not ring, beep, or flash
• Beep Only: Phone will play a beeping tone when there is an incoming call
• Flash Only: Phone MWI light will flash when there is an incoming call
• None: Phone uses the common phone profile configuration settings

The disable, beep only, and flash only options are available from the common phone profile configuration pages
(Device > Device Settings > Common Phone Profile) menu in CUCM configuration. Detailed DND con-
figuration information is available in the references section of this white paper.

Call Barge
The Barge softkey allows managers to barge into an active call on a shared line appearance. A shared line
appearance represents the configurations of the same directory number on multiple Cisco IP phones. The target
phone of the barge will mix the three G.711 participants using the Digital Signal Processor (DSP) of the target
phone, as long as the built-in bridge functionality of the phone is enabled. The barge functionality will not
succeed if the call is G.729-based or if the built-in bridge functionality is disabled. The built-in bridge capability

Copyright ©2009 Global Knowledge Training LLC All rights reserved. 7

works on all Cisco type B phones, but only the 7940 and 7960 type A phones. When barge functionality cannot
be used, the Conference Barge (cBarge) functionality can be utilized. cBarge will cause a momentary interrup-
tion in the voice call while CUCM allocates a conference bridge resource to the call.

Voicemail Forwarding
The Transfer to Voicemail softkey (TrsnfVM) can be used to transfer a call to a destination subscriber’s voice-
mail greeting. The iDivert softkey option will immediately forward an incoming call to voicemail without waiting
for the call forward no answer timer to expire. This softkey is very similar to the Ignore key found on Windows
Mobile and other popular cell phones. The calling party may be aware of the iDivert operation because the
calling party does not hear the same number of ringbacks before the call is forwarded to voicemail. The iDivert
option can be enabled in the following call states.
• On Hook
• Connected
• On Hold
• Ring In

Configuring Softkey Templates

Many of the softkeys covered in this white paper are not enabled by default. New softkey templates (Device
> Device Settings > Softkey Template) must be configured to enable new softkey functionality. Click the
Find button and select the Standard User Softkey Template. Click the Copy button and re-name the softkey tem-
plate. Click Save. Choose the Configure Softkey Layout option from the Related Links drop down menu and click
the Go button next to the menu.

The onhook call state will is selected by default. Investigate the softkeys available in the Unselected Softkeys
section. There are many features that are not enabled by default. Each call state can accommodate up to 16
softkeys, but only the first three will be displayed on the phone without clicking the More softkey. Choose the
unselected softkeys and click the greater than symbol (>) to move the option to the Selected Softkeys section.
Softkey positions can moved by moving options up or down in the selected softkeys listing. Click Save. Inves-
tigate the softkeys available in different call state options from the select a call state to configure drop down
menu. Some organizations have chosen to remove the call forward all softkey to alleviate toll fraud issues as-
sociated with the use of call forward all option.

The new softkey template will need to be applied to any phone that will use the new softkey template features
enabled. The configure softkey configuration screen has a default softkey template check box where the softkey
can be applied to all existing phones in the system. Alternatively, a softkey template can be configured in the
common device configuration (Device > Device Settings > Common Device Configuration) and applied
to multiple phones. Softkey templates are no longer available at the device pool configuration level beginning
with CUCM 6.0.

Copyright ©2009 Global Knowledge Training LLC All rights reserved. 8

Default CUCM softkey templates do not change significantly between CUCM versions. Some features require
administrative configuration in addition to a softkey which enables the feature. New features must be manu-
ally enabled in the system by creating new softkey templates based on existing softkey templates. The order
of softkeys can be changed in addition to the features that are enabled. Softkeys can be removed from softkey
templates if default features are not used for one or more purposes.

References
Implementing Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Part 1 (CIPT1):
http://www.ciscopress.com/bookstore/product.asp?isbn=1587054833
Cisco Technical Support IP Phone FAQ:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/phones/ps379/products_qanda_item09186a00800a6763.
shtml
CUCM 6.1(1) Features and Services Guide:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucm/admin/6_1_1/ccmfeat/fscpickg.html
Cisco Callback:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps556/products_qanda_item09186a0080191057.
shtml
Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.1 Features:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/voicesw/ps6788/vcallcon/ps556/product_data_shee-
t0900aecd806e86dd.pdf
Cisco Solution Reference Network Design Guide:
http://www.cisco.com/go/srnd
Cisco Unified Communications Manager 7.x SRND:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucm/srnd/7x/uc7_0.html
CUCM Quality Reporting Tool:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucm/service/4_0_1/ccmsrvs/ssqrt.
html#wpxref43053
Do Not Disturb Configuration:
http://www-europe.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucmbe/admin/6_0_1/ccmfeat/fsdnd.pdf
Cisco Unified Manager Assistant Data Sheet:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/voicesw/ps6789/ps7046/ps5015/product_data_shee-
t0900aecd805e1a09.html
Cisco MeetingPlace Documentation:
www.cisco.com/go/meetingplace
Cisco Unified Contact Center Documentation:
www.cisco.com/go/ipcc
Cisco Mobility:
www.cisco.com/go/mobility

Copyright ©2009 Global Knowledge Training LLC All rights reserved. 9

Learn More
Learn more about how you can improve productivity, enhance efficiency, and sharpen your competitive edge.
Check out the following Global Knowledge courses:
ACCMU v6.1 – Administering Cisco Unified Communications Manager v6.1 and Cisco Unity v5.0
IIUC – Implementing Cisco IOS Unified Communications
IIUC2 – Implementing Cisco IOS Unified Communications Part 2

For more information or to register, visit www.globalknowledge.com or call 1-800-COURSES to speak with a
sales representative.

Our courses and enhanced, hands-on labs offer practical skills and tips that you can immediately put to use. Our
expert instructors draw upon their experiences to help you understand key concepts and how to apply them to
your specific work situation. Choose from our more than 700 courses, delivered through Classrooms, e-Learning,
and On-site sessions, to meet your IT and management training needs.

About the Author

Dennis Hartmann, CCIE No. 15651, is a senior unified communications instructor at Global Knowledge and a
consultant. Dennis is also the author of the Cisco Press book, Implementing Cisco Unified Communications
Manager, Part 1 (CIPT1). Dennis has various certifications, including the Cisco CCVP, CCSI, CCNP, CCIP, and the
Microsoft MCSE. Dennis has worked for various Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, Sprint, Merrill Lynch,
KPMG, and Cabletron Systems. Dennis lives with his wife and children in Hopewell Junction, New York.

Copyright ©2009 Global Knowledge Training LLC All rights reserved. 10