AT&T AT&T manual Multiline Voice Terminals, Single-Line Voice Terminals, 101

CONFERENCE

Description

Allows up to five parties, including the conference originator, to participate in a conference call. Any voice terminal user, including operators at Direct Trunk Attendant Consoles and Switched Loop Attendant Consoles (V2), can set up conferences. Refer to the description of “(’conference Drop” for additional information on conferencing.

Multiline Voice Terminals:

Multiline voice terminal users can add another (external or internal) party to an existing call by pressing the CONFERENCE button. This places the first party on Special Hold (indicated by a broken flutter on the line appearance button) and the system selects an idle SYSTEM ACCESS or LOOP (Switched Loop Console) button and provides system dial tone. The user may dial the desired number or select another facility to dial the party to be conferenced-in. Subsequently, pressing the held line button completes the conference. If the facility to be added is busy or has invoked Exclusion, the conference will be denied.

Users can conference up to two outside facilities (trunks), and up to five parties in all. Any attempt to add a sixth party will be denied, and the sixth party will be dropped. This limit is for the conference as a whole. Other conference inside stations are also prohibited from adding a third outside party or sixth party.

Single-Line Voice Terminals:

The single-line voice terminal user can establish a conference by momentarily pressing the switchhook, which puts the first party on hold, receiving Recall Dial Tone, and then dialing a second party. After connection to the second party, another press of the switchhook establishes the conference. A third press of the switchhook will drop the second party, restoring the original call. The user cannot put a conference that he/she has established on hold. Other internal conferees (multiline or single-line) may then add additional parties to the conference up to the five party/two outside line maximum.

Considerations

The Conference feature allows any voice terminal user to set up conference calls. Non- attendant users do not need the assistance of the attendant.

Waiting for an added party to answer and announcing the purpose of the call before adding the party to the conference is good operating practice.

Interactions

●Account Code Entry: If more than one user attempts to associate an account code

with a Conference Call, the first to activate the feature will prevail.

●Attendant Message Waiting: Pressing the Attendant Message Waiting (ATT MSG) button while on a conference call will be ignored.

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