Call waiting

If you’ve enabled call waiting for your station (PROG/HELP 3 1) and a second call comes in while you’re on another, a tone in your earpiece and the bottom line of your display will indicate that a second call is waiting. You can ignore the waiting call and it’ll be transferred to your mailbox (or other destination set by the Installer). To toggle between the two calls, press FLASH/RDL (or FLASH on certain legacy phones). To drop either call, press RELEASE while connected to the call to be dropped: this disconnects the call and automatically re-connects you to the other call.

Call waiting display

Be sure to check the display when you’re using call waiting. Initially, the first line shows the name or number of your original call (depending on how the call was created) and the call duration. The second line shows the name or number of the call waiting along with the duration of that call. The arrow on the display will move between the first and second lines, indicating to which call you’re connected.

Here’s an example:

1. You’re connected to XYZ Company, when you hear a beep and see that Joe Smith is calling:

   (ESI phone with two-line display)

   (ESI phone with three-line display)

   (In this example, Joe’s call is being transferred to you; it’s been in the system for 31 seconds.)
2. You press FLASH and are connected to Joe. Note how the arrow moves to indicate the change of connection:
   

   (ESI phone with two-line display)

   (ESI phone with three-line display)

   Note:

   If Caller ID isn’t used, the line number will appear instead of the caller’s name or number. If Caller ID is used, in some instances the local telephone service provider will only show a general caller status such as UNAVAILABLE, PRIVATE, or NO DATA SENT.

Station-to-station call waiting

You can call, or transfer a call to, another station that’s in use (as indicated by the fact that its station key, if one exists for it on your ESI phone, is glowing red). This generates a call waiting tone in the other station’s earpiece and puts a call-waiting indication on the bottom line of that station’s display, as explained in “Call waiting display” (above). If the person ignores the call waiting, your call or the transferred call will be forwarded to the person’s mailbox (or other destination set by the Installer).

Background announce feature

(Not available on legacy 12-Key Feature Phone.)

During call waiting, you can also make a brief, private background announcement to the station’s earpiece (if its user has enabled the background announce feature; see “Station options”). A background announce key must have been programmed at your station through the programming of code 5 6 9 into a programmable feature key.

• During call waiting (as described previously), press and hold the programmed announce key to speak; the key will glow green if background announce is permitted or red if it isn’t permitted. The called station will hear your voice over the outside person’s voice. The outside caller, however, cannot hear you. The called person can respond by pressing FLASH, which places the original call on hold.
• Release the key when you’re finished speaking.
  

  Note:

  The background announce feature works only between ESI phones (i.e., non-ESI analog phones on the system can neither send nor receive background announcements) — and only if (a.) the called person has allowed call waiting and background announce and (b.) the called person is using his/her handset. The background announce key will be green (if these conditions are met), indicating that a background announcement can be made.