Introduction

The Shared Call Appearance (SCA) feature allows an Assistant to function on behalf of an Executive by answering or making calls for the Executive via programmed call appearance buttons on the Assistant's phone.

Assistants can also use the Bridged Call Appearance conferencing feature to enter an Executive's in-progress call by selecting the Executive line button on the phone.

The flexibility of this feature permits countless call scenarios and complexities that can lead to extremely convoluted call control interactions. To reduce the possibility of unexpected behavior (such as stuck or non-accessible buttons and one-way audio), follow the limitations for configuration and usage described in this article.

How It Works

When the SCA feature is enabled for a user (typically, an Executive), MiCloud immediately generates an Associated Bridged Call Appearance (aBCA) and ties this extension directly to the Executive's main extension. When the feature is enabled, the buttons on the Executive's phone are automatically changed to call appearances for this aBCA number. From that point on, behind the scenes, all calls to and from the Executive use this aBCA number. The aBCA number is hidden from other users; it is not in the System Directory, and it is typically seen only by the administrator when assigning the feature to the Executive and assigning the programmed buttons to the Assistant user.  

After SCA is configured, calls to the Executive forward to the aBCA call appearance buttons wherever they are assigned. By default, the call appearances display on the Executive's phone, but call appearances can be placed, via programmed buttons, on phones of Assistants, allowing them to answer calls and initiate calls from the Executive's line. Placing an internal or external call from the Executive's line gives the appearance that the Executive is making the call.

Once the assistant has reached the party, the Assistant can press the Hold button, which then displays the line in the held state on both the Assistant's and Executive's phones. Then the Assistant can use a programmed Hotline button to notify the Executive that a call is on hold, and the Executive can answer it. The Executive simply presses the held line displayed on the phone and converses with the party. 

On top of this basic functionality, the Bridged Call Appearance (BCA) Conference feature can be enabled for the aBCA, which allows the Assistant to barge into and monitor the Executive's calls as needed. The Executive may then request the Assistant to add another party to the call while he/she continues to converse with the original party. The Assistant, at this point, can press the Hold button, which allows the Assistant to leave but not invoke MOH and interrupt the ongoing call. The assistant can then either use their own line, or another line of the Executive, to place a call to the required party (internal or external). Once the additional party is contacted they can be joined into the ongoing original call by the Assistant.

The Executive can also be configured with a Lock button that when pressed disables the ability of the assistant to barge in on the call, ensuring privacy.

Limitations

When configuring the SCA feature, be aware of the following limitations:

• The maximum number of Executives that can be monitored by a single Assistant is six (six aBCAs with no more than three stack buttons each, for a maximum of 18 aBCA buttons).
• No more than four assistants should be configured to monitor a particular Executive.
• The SCA feature is not recommended for Executives or Assistants who are remote (work from home) users.
• An Assistant should not be configured with the SCA feature. The SCA feature should be configured only for the Executive user.
• Dial Number (Speed Dial) buttons, to the Executive, should not be configured on the Assistant phone or Button Box. The Hotline feature button should be configured instead.
• When bridged conferencing has been enabled, the practice of multiple Assistant users barging into the same Executive call is not recommended.
• A Monitor Extension programmable button cannot be configured to monitor a user who has the SCA feature enabled. If assigned, the Monitor Extension button will not ring or light up when the SCA user receives a call.
• Assigning a user who is enabled for SCA to a 6910 or 420/420g IP phone is not supported.
• Assigning a user who is enabled for SCA to an ATA or other SIP device is not supported.