Cisco Collaboration and Contact Center Solutions - Messages with tag "Paging to Cisco Phones"

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This blog is to share our expertise in Cisco UCM, UCCX/UCCE and Cisco Meeting Server

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How to Extend CUCM (CallManager) Features

Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CallManager) is the leading IP PBX in the worldwide market. Only certified professionals can deal with its rich functionality. Nevertheless, dozens of software vendors develop products that empower CUCM (Cisco Unified Communications Manager) functionality with new features.

Aurus, the official Cisco Solution Partner, invites you to learn what new features the Aurus PhoneUP product brings to Cisco IP PBX (Cisco Unified Communications Manager or Cisco BE 6000/7000).

Enterprise Phone Directory for Cisco CallManager

The "Directory" module of the PhoneUP application bundle provides the enterprise phone directory service for employees, and is an alternative to built-in CUCM phone directory. The main differences between the "Directory" module and the out-of-the-box Cisco CallManager directory are:

CUCM"Directory" module
Number of directoriesOneUnlimited number with access control for groups of employees
Integration with external systemsADAD, LDAP, IBM Lotus Notes, CSV, XML, CUCM, SQL database
External contacts supportNoYes
Caller IDInternal numbers onlyAny phone number
Incoming call detailsName / Last Name / CompanyFlexible data that may contain an employee photo
Notification of missed calls via e-mailOnly with UnityYes
DTMF support NoYes
Personal directoriesOne (edited manually or imported from Outlook)Unlimited number of directories synchronized with external sources
Auto-redial featureNoYes


The "Directory" module is integrated with Cisco Jabber. Using the standard contact search field of Cisco Jabber not only you can find an employee, but also search for client, partner and any other contact imported from external datasource. Also, when you get a call from the contact (client for example) stored in the directory Cisco Jabber will show the client's name, status and any other information from the CRM system.

Phone Call Recording (CUCM)

Cisco offers its own solution, Cisco MediaSense for call recording that captures and stores audio, forked by Cisco IP phone bridge or CUBE (Cisco Unified Border Element). But MediaSense is a recording platform that only provides basic features to manage call recordings. Cisco officially recommends using 3rd party solutions developed by technology partners that provide additional functionality.

For example, the "Record" module of PhoneUP can be integrated with Cisco Mediasense to bring you extra-features not implemented in Mediasense:

  • flexible management of user access to call recordings;
  • rich search and filter tools;
  • call recording rules (for example, recording only external calls);
  • IP phone user interface to search and play the call recording;
  • playing the recording into the current phone call;
  • and much more.

Attendant Console

Cisco actively promotes Cisco Jabber, the enterprise collaboration tool. At the same time, some business units need a wider range of call control features including specific ones, for example:

  • top manager assistants need to monitor chief's phone lines and intercept calls during his absence;
  • reception staff and contact center need a visual control of the call queues not to miss client calls or VIP calls that should not be left unanswered;
  • top managers need an intuitive, time-saving interface allowing to perform basic call control actions with easy to use UI supporting drag-n-drop.

In these cases you should pay attention to the "Console" module.

Group paging via Cisco IP phones

Features of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) and Cisco IP-phones, as well as API Cisco provides its technology partners, allow to use the IP telephony network for text and audio notifications to employee groups.

Cisco's collaboration product line doesn't include such a solution, and clients need to turn to 3rd party vendors. The "Paging" module of PhoneUP bundle supports both text and audio paging to Cisco IP phones as well as live broadcasting through speakerphones.

Features that improve the security of IP telephony network built on Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM)

Cisco CallManager (CUCM) provides users with the Meet-Me conferencing feature – each conference has its phone number that needs to be dialed to join the meeting. But the "built-in" Meet-Me conferences do not provide the necessary security. Anyone who knows the number of conference room can dial it and join. To avoid this you can use the "Conference" module that works on top of CUCM conferencing feature and protects meetings with PIN.

The "Lock" module is used to lock Cisco IP phone while its owner is away to prevent abuses and frauds. In some ways this is similar to the "Extension Mobility" feature implemented in Cisco Unified Communications Manager, but is designed to improve the security. Unlike Extension Mobility a phone locked with PhoneUP:

  • stays registered to CUCM;
  • can receive incoming calls;
  • is allowed to make outgoing calls to a limited set of directions;
  • denies the access to the personal address book, call history, call recording, etc .;
  • gets locked and unlocked automatically when you log in/out the PC.

XML-services for Cisco IP phones

Cisco Systems provides technology partners with rich capabilities for development of custom XML-applications for Cisco IP phones - with which users can interact via the IP phone keypad and display. The "Inform" and "Hotel" modules of the PhoneUP bundle may be considered as examples of such applications.

Cisco IP Phone: Lacking Features

Employee, for the first time getting Cisco IP Phone, discovers all the delights of the enterprise IP telephony described in numerous articles by Cisco Systems and its partners.

Indeed, the high call quality, audio / video conferencing tools and other collaboration services (voice mail, presence indication) make enterprise communications more convenient and efficient.

However, your Cisco IP phone can be supplemented with additional features Cisco doesn't provide, which will increase the ROI of your new enterprise communications network.

Let's start.

Phone directory and Caller ID info

The alternative solution to the out of the box CUCM phone directory allows you to synchronize all company contacts (employees, clients, partners and so on) into the one, always up to date enterprise directory, that provides users with fast search, Caller ID, click to call, call control and other features.

When receiving an incoming call the display of your Cisco IP phone shows the detailed Caller ID info even when the call has come from mobile, PSTN etc.

The list of missed calls contains not just phone numbers, but also the caller info – contact or company name. This allows user to identify the really important missed calls and call them back on time.

These features of Cisco IP phone are provided by the "Directory" module of the PhoneUP bundle.

Cisco IP phone for enterprise paging

The "Paging" module allows using Cisco IP phones for group paging to enterprise employees.

The ability to send text and audio messages to the group of Cisco IP phones allows you to use your IP telephony network for employee notifications. Unlike email and IM, the message sent to IP phone won't be overlooked due to the sound alarm played by the IP phone.

Cisco IP phones can also be used for emergency announcements. With just one button you can put all phone calls on hold and broadcast your message through speakerphones with the max volume.

Pre-recorded text and audio messages can be sent manually or on schedule. The paging may also be triggered by a third-party system (for example alarm system, manufacturing process monitoring tool etc) no notify the group of employees about the incident occurred.

Special call control features

The "Priority" module of the PhoneUP suite provides several special features for managers.

The Forced Connection feature allows top manager to contact any employee even if his phone line is busy – the current call is put on hold and the employee gets connected to the manager.

Silent Monitoring is another useful feature, which helps evaluating the quality of customer service. The supervisors' interface shows the client names sales managers are talking to and allows to listen to any conversation.

Using the Whisper feature the supervisor is able to connect to any call and talk to the agent without making the client aware of the supervisors' presence. With the Barge feature the supervisor is able to add himself to the sales managers' call.

Images from video cameras on the Cisco IP phone display

Even if your Cisco IP phone doesn't support video, its display can still show video frames grabbed from the camera. For example, with just one push of a button the security officer will see who is at the door before opening it, any employee will access the video from the parking lot, the technologist will monitor the manufacturing area from anywhere in the enterprise, etc.

Frequently used info on the Cisco IP phone display

Cisco IP phones are able to display any data from the enterprise software in the real-time mode. For example:

  • exchange rates – for bank cahier,
  • KPI – for top managers,
  • agent performance data – for contact center supervisor.

The benefit of using the IP phone for this purpose is that you only need to push one button to see the data without launching the software and navigating to the certain interface.

This opportunity is provided by the "Inform" module of the PhoneUP bundle.

Cisco IP Phone as an interface to enterprise software

In some cases IP phone can be used to provide the user interface to 3rd party enterprise app. This is useful when the PC is unavailable, but the user interface is simple enough to be run on the IP phone display.

For example, employees can use Cisco IP phone to maintain records of the working time - by pressing a few buttons the employee registers the start / end of the work, and the entered data is transferred to the enterprise software.

Another example - the employee who issues goods needs to enter the order number to verify its status and configuration, confirm the issuance and print necessary documents – these operations don't require a PC, the IP phone with a large display will be enough.

System Requirements

The PhoneUP bundle integrates with Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CallManager) providing Cisco IP phones with all the features described above.

Supported IP PBX and IP phones:

IP-PBX Cisco:

  • Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) 6.X, 7.X, 8.X, 9.X,10.X;
  • Cisco BE 6000 / 7000.

Cisco IP phones and other endpoints:

  • Cisco 6900 Series (6911, 6921, 6941, 6945, 6961);
  • Cisco 7800 Series (7821, 7841, 7861);
  • Cisco 7900 Series (7906, 7911, 7914, 7915, 7916, 7921, 7925, 7931, 7937, 7941, 7942, 7945, 7961, 7962, 7965, 7970, 7971, 7975);
  • Cisco 8900 Series (8941, 8945, 8961);
  • Cisco 9900 Series (Cisco Unified IP Phone 9971, Cisco Unified IP Phone 9951);
  • Cisco IP Communicator;
  • Cisco Jabber for Windows.