Mitel 5550 manual Answering Calls, Answering calls on a first-come, first-served basis

Answering Calls

When a new call arrives at the console the bell rings (if it is turned

on) and a call waiting icon ( ) appears above the softkey associated with the call.

Call Waiting indicator

Total Calls Waiting

You can answer calls on a “first-come, first-served basis,” using the Answer key or use the softkeys for “selective answer.” If you wish to answer the Recall first, then press the Answer key.

Note: You cannot answer a new call until the one you are engaged in is transferred, disconnected, or put on hold.

Answering calls on a first-come, first-served basis,

With both the Source and Destination areas clear,

•Press Answer

to greet the caller who was waiting the longest. Information about the call, such as the trunk name and number for an external call or the caller’s name and extension number for an internal call, is displayed in the Source area.

Note: The Answer key has a hierarchy; recalls are answered first, then any other call in order of arrival, regardless of whether it is an internal or external call. You can assign answering priorities to calls based on the telephone number that callers dial to reach the console. For more information, see page 28.

About the Call Answering Softkeys

The call answering softkeys are assigned by your communications department to suit the types of calls your company receives.

The leftmost softkey is reserved for recalls (see Answering Recalls on page 22), but the other softkeys may be programmed in a variety of ways. For example, you might

have Dial “0” and “External” to indicate whether a call is from outside the system or inside; or WATS or TIE to tell you the type of trunk the call arrived on; or you might see the department name assigned to the trunk.

You can use the softkeys to guide you when answering a call. For instance, when you see that a call is from outside the system, your company might want you to answer with a different greeting than you use for internal calls or recalls. Use the form provided on page 53 to record your company’s preferred greetings.

Selectively answering calls

You can select the call you want to answer by pressing a softkey [Recall], [Dial 0], [External], [WATS], etc.) instead of the Answer key. If you have more than one call waiting at a particular softkey, then they will be answered on a “first-come, first-served” basis.

Use the call waiting icons ( ) in the Call Waiting area to help you decide which type of calls to answer first. The icon appears above the softkey associated with the various call types (external, recalls, etc.). The number below the icon shows you how many calls of a particular type are waiting. The color of the icon also indicates the number of calls waiting: yellow for one call, blue for two calls, and red for three or more calls.

14 ♦ Call Handling Basics