Getting Started with the Hosted Virtual PBX Manual

Understanding Local and Extended Local Extensions

Unlike IP numbers, phone numbers must be easy to remember, as there is no DNS service available to translate the person’s name into his phone number. Company employees use internal extensions to call their colleagues. Such internal extensions are easy to remember because they are short and most of them have two, three or four digits.

Every Client with His Own Namespace

Layer 2 Communications implements easy to remember phone numbers, both at client and reseller level.

Every client has a completely separated namespace for his extensions. The extensions can have two, three, four or five digits based on the administrator’s preferences. These phone numbers are called local extensions. When a billing plan that allows local calls is applied on an extension account, the extension can call other extensions that belong to the same client by simply dialing their extension number on the phone keypad.

On a Layer 2 Communications server there are multiple clients. They belong to the same or to different resellers. An extension has to be able to call other extensions on different client accounts. Although this utilization scenario is not very frequent, Layer 2 Communications allows it. In order to call an extension located on another client account, you must dial from the phone terminal keypad client_id*local_extension_number. The client_id is a four digits number and represents the ID of the client that owns the extension you want to call.

For example, you want to call the extension number 002 in the client account with the id=0303. If your extension belongs to the same client account, then you must dial 002 (the local extension number). If your extension belongs to another client account, you must dial 0303*002. This number is called in the local extended format. You can allow or forbid the extension to make such calls. This can be done in the billing plan associated to the extension.

To summarize, an extension can be contacted directly from the same client account using the local extension number or can be contacted from another client account using the local extended number.

Extension Not Involved in a Conversation

In order to access any of the features below, your phone extension must not be involved in a phone conversation. This means that you must pick up the phone and dial the numbers below.

Change PBX Extension Settings
Some system settings can be changed over the phone. Changing settings over the phone can be easier than accessing the online interface. If you want to configure multiple settings, the web interface provides a faster operation method.

*70 - deactivate Call waiting
Layer 2 Communications supports call waiting, but in order to use this feature you
must have a phone terminal that is call waiting compliant. In order to deactivate call waiting and let the persons that call you hear the BUSY signal when you are involved in another phone conversation, dial *70 from your extension phone keypad. Wait for the confirmation message and hang-up the phone. Call waiting can also be deactivated from the Layer 2 Communications web interface in Phone Terminal properties page.

*71 - activate Call waiting
In order to take advantage of the call waiting option, dial *71 from your extension phone keypad. Wait for the confirmation message and hang-up the phone. Call waiting can also be activated from the Layer 2 Communications web interface in Phone Terminal properties page.

*78 - activate Do Not Disturb
When Do Not Disturb is activated, the extension cannot be contacted and the phone will not ring. A custom sound file, which is chosen in the Layer 2 Communications web interface, can be also played. If you want to activate the Do Not Disturb function, dial *78 from your extension phone keypad. Wait for the confirmation message and hang-up the phone. The Do Not Disturb function can also be activated from the Layer 2 Communications web interface in Phone Terminal properties page.

*79 - deactivate Do Not Disturb
If you want to deactivate the Do Not Disturb function, dial *79 from your extension phone keypad. Wait for the confirmation message and hang-up the phone. The Do Not Disturb function can also be deactivated from the Layer 2 Communications web interface in Phone Terminal properties page.

Activate/Deactivate Transfers to Extension

*72 EXTENSION_NUMBER – activate transfer to extension unconditionally
All calls will be automatically transferred to EXTENSION_NUMBER extension if a matching rule is defined in the incoming rules group. The originally called extension will no longer ring. In order to activate unconditional call transfer, dial *72 followed by the local extension number where you want to transfer calls.
Wait for the confirmation message and hang-up the phone.

*73 EXTENSION_NUMBER – deactivate transfer to extension unconditionally
If you want to deactivate unconditional call transfers to
EXTENSION_NUMBER extension, matching the incoming rules defined, dial *73 followed by the local extension number from your extension phone keypad. Wait for the confirmation message and hang-up the phone.

*90 DEXTENSION_NUMBER – activate transfer to extension when busy
In order to activate on busy call transfer to EXTENSION_NUMBER extension, matching the incoming rules defined, dial *90 followed by the local extension number where you want to transfer calls. Wait for the confirmation message and hang-up the phone.

*91 EXTENSION_NUMBER – deactivate transfer to extension when busy
If you want to deactivate on busy call transfers to EXTENSION_NUMBER extension, matching the incoming rules defined, dial *91 followed by the local extension number from your extension phone keypad. Wait for the confirmation message and hang-up the phone.

*92 EXTENSION_NUMBER – activate transfer to extension when no answer
In order to activate call transfer to EXTENSION_NUMBER extension when there is no answer, matching the incoming rules defined, dial *92 followed by the local extension number where you want to transfer calls. Wait for the confirmation message and hang-up the phone.

*93 EXTENSION_NUMBER – deactivate transfer to extension when no answer
If you want to deactivate call transfer to EXTENSION_NUMBER extension when there is no answer, matching the incoming rules defined, dial *93 followed by the local extension number from your extension phone keypad. Wait for the confirmation message and hang-up the phone.

Diagnostic Extension

*011 – call the diagnostic extension
The diagnostic extension is a special extension where the system administrator can find out details about several server parameters. To access this extension you must dial *011.
Layer 2 Communications announces the values of the following parameters:
  The server load in the last 5 minutes
  The existence of binary registered channels and binary calls in progress
  The Asterisk uptime
  The system uptime
  The used memory and the free memory

Phone Voicemail Access and Company Directory

*95 – listen to your Voicemail messages
If you have Voicemail enabled for your extension, you can dial *95 from your extension phone keypad in order to manage voicemail messages. You can listen and delete voicemail messages using the integrated menu. The Voicemail password is required in order to access the mailbox over the phone. The mailbox management features are also available in the PSA VoipNow web interface, in the Mailbox area.
You can also access your mailbox, if you call your extension number and press * after you hear the Voicemail welcome message. This is a good idea, if you call your extension from another extension or you call your extension public phone number from an external phone number.

*22 – interrogate the Company Directory
If you want to call a person and you do not know his name, dial *22 from your extension. You will be asked for the person’s name. If the person name can be found in the directory, you will be directed automatically to his/her extension.
The person you wish to contact can choose to hide from the Company Directory, in which case you cannot find him in the directory.

Queue Agents

*96 – login the queue agent owning the extension
If you are an agent in a queue and you want to take calls from your personal extension, you can dial *96 from your extension phone keypad in order to login to the system. You will be prompted for your agent password. After login, the system will expect to find you at the extension you logged in from.

*97 – login any queue agent
If you are an agent in a queue and you are currently at another system extension, you can dial *97 from the extension phone keypad in order to login to the system. You will be prompted for your agent number and password. After login, the system will expect to find you at the extension you logged in from.

*98 – disconnect the queue agent
If you are currently logged to the system as an agent, you can logout by dialing *98 from the extension phone keypad. The agent connected to the extension you dialed from will be automatically logout from the system.

*26 YOUR_NUMBER and *28 YOUR_NUMBER – pause and un-pause the agent session
If you are currently logged in the system as an agent and you want to take a break without logging out of the queue, you must dial *26 followed by the number of your extension. This code lets Layer 2 Communications that you are not available and that calls should not be assigned to your extension. To return to the queue activity you must dial *28 followed by the number of your extension.
If you have logged in the queue from the phone associated with your extension, you can use the shortcut *26 to pause and *28 to un-pause your session.

*999 QUEUE_NUMBER – supervise queue conversations
If you are a queue supervisor, you can start listening to the active queue conversations by dialing *999 followed by the number of the queue extension.
Layer 2 Communications will announce the extension number of the first found active agent and start playing his conversation. To listen to the next available call, you must dial *.

Pick up another extension's call

Let's consider the following example: there are two secretaries sharing an office. Each of them has a Layer 2 Communications phone terminal extension. Their extensions belong to the same client account. Their extensions have the permission Extension is multi-user aware enabled.
Let's assume one of the secretaries is out of the office and her phone is ringing. Layer 2 Communications allows the second secretary to pick up any call that rings on her colleague's phone.

*21 - pick up first call ringing
If your phone terminal extension has the Extension is multi-user aware permission enabled, you can pick up any call that is ringing on the extensions that belong to the same client account as you. By dialing *21 on your phone keypad you will pick up the first call in the list of calls that are ringing on the client account.

*21 TARGET_NUMBER - pick up call ringing
If there are several calls ringing on your client account and you want to pick up the call on a specific extension, you must dial *21 followed by the number of the target extension.
For example, let's assume there are two calls ringing at the same time on extensions 001*004 and 001*005. To pick up the call on 001*004, you must dial
*21004.

*21 PARTIAL_NUMBER - pick up first matching call
To pick up the call ringing on a certain extension, you do not have to specify the entire number of the target extension. If you dial *21 followed by the first few digits of the number (PARTIAL_NUMBER), Layer 2 Communications will pick up the call on the first extension whose number matches PARTIAL_NUMBER.
For example, let's assume there are two calls ringing at the same time on extensions 001*211 and 001*222. To pick up the call on 001*222, you can dial *2122 (instead of *21222).

Call Conference Features

YOUR_NUMBER – creates a conference room
If your extension has the conference features enabled, you can create a new conference room by dialing 8 followed by your extension number. Other users can join your conference by dialing 8 followed by YOUR_NUMBER.

Help Message

*000 – listen a help message from your provider
In order to listen to a help message from your provider, you can dial *000 from your extension phone keypad.

System Test

*52 – echo test
If you want to test the extension’s connection with the server, you can dial *52 from your extension phone keypad. Everything you speak in the phone will be replied back. This is very useful, if you want to test the latency of the connection to the Layer 2 Communications server.

Phone Services

*94 – listen the Date/Time
In order to find out the Day and Time of the Layer 2 Communications server, dial *94 from your extension phone keypad. This may not be your local time due to the differences in the time zone.

Extension Involved in a Conversation

All the functions below apply only to active call conversations.

Transfer Calls

Note
An extension can use the call transfer features only if it has the Extension is multi-user aware permission enabled. See the user documentation for details on how to set this permission.

#1 FORWARD_NUMBER – transfer interlocutor to extension number FORWARD_NUMBER
When you are involved in a phone conversation, you can press #1 followed by an extension number FORWARD_NUMBER in order to transfer the interlocutor to that extension.

Note
Since version 1.5.0 the call can also be transferred to a number outside the Layer 2 Communications server.

*2 FORWARD_NUMBER – put caller on hold then transfer it to
extension number FORWARD_NUMBER
Let's take the following example: there are two colleagues working in a support team. A call arrives on the extension belonging to colleague no. 1. He cannot solve the caller's problem, but knows that colleague no.2 solved a similar problem last week. If he dials *2 followed by his colleague's extension number, his call will be put on hold; then a new call will be automatically placed to his colleague's number.

Colleague no.2 answers. Colleague no.1 explains the problem, asks him to take care of it and hangs up. Colleague no.2 will automatically be connected with the caller that was on hold.

When you are involved in a phone conversation, you can press *2 followed by an extension number FORWARD_NUMBER. The call will be put on hold and the system will place another call to the extension FORWARD_NUMBER.
If the FORWARD_NUMBER extension does not answer, the call is transferred back to your extension. If the FORWARD_NUMBER extension answers, you can communicate with the extension user. When you hang up, the call that was previously put on hold will be automatically transferred to FORWARD_NUMBER.

Note
Since version 1.5.0 the call can also be transferred to a number outside the Layer 2 Communications server.

Park Calls
With Layer 2 Communications Hosted Virtual PBX, you can "share" calls between extensions on the same client account.
Let's consider the following example: there are two extensions on the same client account. One belongs to a secretary and the other one belongs to her boss.
All calls ring on the secretary's extension which filters them and transfers the important one to her boss. If the boss is currently busy, she can transfer calls to a parking lot. She can call her boss and inform him the position of the call in the parking lot. The parking lot will keep the calls on hold until the boss is able to pick them up (i.e. unpark the calls).

It is essential that the two extensions have the Extension is multi-user
aware permission enabled; otherwise, they are not allowed to park or unpark calls.

#2 – park call
If you want to send an answered call to the parking lot, you must press #2 on the phone keypad. The system announces the position of the call in the parking lot (this position can be used to unpark the call, when there are several calls in the parking lot). The call will be kept on hold until it is unparked by another extension from the same client account. If the call remains in the parking lot for a time period equal to the Parking timeout, it will be automatically returned to the extension that parked it.

Note
An extension can use the call parking feature only if it has the Extension is multi-user aware permission enabled. See the user documentation for details on how to set this permission.

*221 – unpark first call
To unpark the first call found in the parking lot, you must dial *221 on the phone keypad.
Note
An extension can unpark calls only if it has the Extension is multi-user aware permission enabled. See the user documentation for details on how to set this permission.

*225 – unpark selected call
If there are several calls in the parking lot, you can choose the one you want to pick up.
If you don't know the position of the call in the parking lot, dial *225 from your phone keypad. The system informs you about the Caller-IDs and their positions in the parking lot. When you hear the Caller-ID and position of the call you want to unpark, press * on your phone keypad.
If you already know the position where the call was parked, dial *225 followed by the position. For example:

• you can unpark the third call in the parking to by dialing *2253
• you can unpark the tenth call in the parking to by dialing *22510

Note
An extension can unpark calls only if it has the Extension is multi-user aware permission enabled. See the user documentation for details on how to set this permission.

*229 – unpark last call
To unpark the last call found in the parking lot, you must dial *229 on the phone keypad.
Note
An extension can unpark calls only if it has the Extension is multi-user aware permission enabled. See the user documentation for details on how to set this permission.

Call Recording

*1 – one touch call recording

When you are involved in a phone conversation, if your extension has the call recording features active, you can record calls by pressing *1. A custom sound file, which is chosen in the Layer 2 Communications web interface, can be also played when call recording starts.

In order to stop a call recording, you must press *1 again.

*0 – one touch conference recording
When involved in a conference, if you started the conference, you can record all conversations by pressing *0. The custom sound file chosen in the Hosted Virtual PBX interface to notify about recording events is played.

In order to stop a call recording, you must press *0 again.

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