Every day, the office receives calls from various parties and for various purposes.

Depending on the situation, it is necessary to communicate with the person in charge in an appropriate manner and timing, so I think you may feel nervous every time the phone rings.

In particular, “forwarding”, which connects calls to other people, is an operation that cannot be performed on smartphones or home phones, so it is often confusing.

In this article, we will explain in detail the functions and transfer methods of common business phones.

If you have trouble using the transfer function, please refer to it.

The trick to answering the phone is to learn how to operate it

It is unexpectedly easy to stumble when answering the phone at the company is the operation of the phone.

Most smartphones and home phones can be intuitively operated without manuals for basic functions such as “making calls” and “receiving calls”.

However, unlike home phones, business phones (multifunction phones) that are widely used in offices have many buttons.

The procedures for making and receiving calls may differ between extension and outside lines.

Before you actually start answering the phone, first check the operation in the manual.

If you master the basic operations, you will be able to calmly respond to incoming calls without panicking.

Why you need a business phone for office calls

Business phones are used because they have a mechanism for efficiently responding to a large number of calls to the company.

A business phone is a “main device + dedicated phone”

The term business phone does not exactly refer to just the telephone, but rather the entire telephone system.

A switching device called a “main unit” is essential to the structure of a business phone.

The main unit is responsible for sharing the outside line with the extension line and for connecting the extension lines.

Dedicated telephones have buttons that allow you to use extensions and outside lines properly, or select a specific line to answer.

A business phone for companies that handle calls and make simultaneous calls with multiple people

There are some differences in how the phone is used in the office and at home.

Home telephones usually have one line and cannot be used until someone is on the phone.

In a company that receives a lot of phone calls, if you are always busy or if the other party hangs up before you can pick up the phone in time, it will lead to opportunity loss.

For this reason, on the company phone

• Prepare multiple channels for simultaneous calls
• Install multiple phones
• Answer calls from other departments on your behalf
• Quick transfer to the person in charge

Such things are essential.

A business phone is a system necessary for such advanced control of incoming calls and calls .

Basic functions of a business phone

Business phones with many buttons offer a variety of ways to make and receive calls.

Although it differs slightly depending on the model, here we will introduce the functions that are installed in general business phones.

outside line

Calls to landline numbers and mobile numbers are “outside lines”.

With business phones, the operations for answering and making calls may differ between outside and extension lines.

Note that whether the default call when you pick up the handset is an outside line or an extension line depends on your phone settings.

Below is an example. Please check the operation method of your phone for the actual operation method.

How to receive outside calls

• When you receive an incoming call, simply pick up the handset to automatically connect
• When you receive an incoming call, the line button lamp lights up. Pick up the handset and press the illuminated button to connect

How to make an outside line

• push the other party’s number
• Press the “Outline” button, then dial the other party’s number
• Press “0” and then press the other party’s number

extension

Calls between extension numbers assigned to company telephones are called “extensions.”

Each phone has a short number assigned to it, and when you dial that number, the corresponding phone will ring.

Since the phone rings directly, the person at that seat will answer, but if you are not there, there is also a function to answer on your behalf from another phone.

How to receive extension

• An extension to your own phone can be connected simply by lifting the handset.
• To pick up an extension to another phone, pick up the handset and press the “Delegate Answer” button

How to dial an extension

• Push the other party’s extension number
• Press the “Extension” button, then press the other party’s extension number

speed dial

I think it’s troublesome to confirm and push the number every time you call a number that you have many opportunities to call, such as your company’s branch or business partner.

Registering frequently used numbers as abbreviated dials makes it easier to make calls and also prevents mistakes in dialing .

In the phonebook, calls are made by registered name, but speed dial is a function that assigns a short number of several digits such as “001” and makes a call only with the speed dial number .

You can call the desired number faster than searching the phone book.

One-touch dial

One-touch dialing is a function that allows you to register a phone number on the one-touch button on the phone body and make a call with the touch of a button .

It is easier to operate than speed dial, but only the number of free buttons can be registered because it is assigned to a button.

Outgoing/incoming history

As many of you may know, home phones and mobile phones also have incoming/outgoing call history, but some business phones also have this function.

Business phone histories include records for individual phones and records for common phones. In the latter case, the numbers that were sent and received by other phones sharing the same phone number are also displayed. increase.

on hook dial

Depending on the type of business phone, there are some that allow you to make a call with the handset put down .

This is a function called “on-hook dialing”. When the other party answers, pick up the handset and the call will start.

If you have the handset, you have to wait until the other party answers, but if you use the on-hook dial, you can wait while doing other work even if the other party does not answer, which is useful for busy businessmen. It’s a function.

reserve

If you want to temporarily stop a call or want to talk without being heard by the other party, put the call on hold so that the other party can hear music and not hear your voice.

There are two types of hold functions for business phones: “hold (self-hold)” and “park hold”, and it is necessary to use them properly.

keep (keep)

If you press the “hold” button and the hold lamp lights up only on your own phone, you are in self-hold.

In this case, the hold can only be released from the same phone, so use this if you continue to handle the call even after the hold is released.

park pending

When put on hold, the number buttons such as “Hold 1” and “Hold 2” light up, which is called “park hold” and is a common hold.

“Hold 1” lights up on other phones in the same phone group, and you can cancel the hold from any phone, so you can use it when you want to pick up the call from a distant seat or when you want to move your seat. Convenient.

Two ways to transfer calls

Business phones have a button called “Transfer”.

When I say call forwarding, I imagine that this forwarding button is used, but there are other ways of forwarding.

How to forward a call on a business phone

• use the transfer button
• use the hold button

There are two methods, and the button to use differs depending on where the transferee is.

[Transfer method 1] Transfer to a person in charge of a distant seat or another floor

If the person in charge is on another floor or away from your desk, you can use the transfer button to connect the call after talking with the person in charge on the extension.

Call transfer procedure using the transfer button

1. press the transfer button
2. dial the extension of the person in charge
3. When the person in charge answers, confirm whether it is okay to transfer the call, and if it is OK, say “I will transfer” and hang up.
4. When you hang up, the caller and the person in charge are connected

[Transfer method 2] Transfer to the person in charge of the nearby seat

If the person in charge is within the range where you can see or hear them from your desk, it is faster to speak to them rather than ringing the extension phone.

In this case, it is smoother to use “Hold” instead of “Transfer” and have the person in charge release the hold .

Call forwarding procedure using hold button

1. press hold button
2. Confirm that the lamp of the “Hold 1” button is lit
3. Talk to the person in charge and ask if it is okay to take the call
4. When the person in charge presses “Hold 1” on their desk phone, the call is connected

Precautions when handling transfer

Call forwarding is done while the other party is connected to the phone, so it is easy to rush and make mistakes due to the pressure of waiting, but try to be calm and polite.

Here are some points to keep in mind when making transfers.

Check the status of the person in charge before transferring

Even if there is a person in charge in the company, it may be busy with another matter.

As a courtesy, always check whether you can answer the call now before forwarding the call.

Say “Transfer” and then transfer

If you contact the person in charge by extension and transfer the call, the call will be connected to the other party as soon as you hang up.

For the person in charge, if there is no signal at the time of transfer, they do not know when to start talking.

After talking about your business on the extension line, before hanging up, you can add a few words such as “I will transfer” or “Please take care of me”, and the person in charge will say “I will connect the call now”. You can prepare your heart.

If you can’t get it right away, don’t overdo it and call back

You may have tried to forward the call, but the person in charge picked up another call, or you were stopped by your boss.

Waiting for a transfer can put the other party on hold for a long time.

In such a case, do not overdo it, tell the other party that you will call back, and ask for their name and contact information.

There is also an option of automatic transfer service to improve telephone response efficiency

Business phones are full of convenient functions for handling phone calls, but in reality, it would be ideal to connect directly to the person in charge without the need for an intermediary.

NEC Networks & System Integration’s “Canario” uses AI to determine the name of the other party’s voice and forward it directly to the person in charge.

Since it can be forwarded to a mobile phone , there is no need to worry about missing an important call from a customer even when teleworking.

Your personal number will not be known to the other party, and your privacy will be protected.

With automatic transfer by AI , staff at the office can concentrate on their own work without being busy answering phone calls.

summary

I explained the convenient functions of business phones and how to transfer calls.

The operation of a general business phone is introduced here, but it may differ slightly depending on the model and settings, so please refer to the manual for the model you are using.

Due to the increase in telework, we recommend using the automatic forwarding service “Canario” for forwarding to staff working outside the office.