Assigning buttons on a 7940/7960 with a new UC560

[adam.thomas]

I'm new to VOIP in general but I'm preparing our office for a new UC560. I have extensions and users imported. Internal dialing works but the old system had the ability to see different groups/extensions on their phones (buttons). When someone called that group ,it would ring from that line/button on the phone and that line would flash. The old system had it setup (I think it was a CME) where each user was assigned multiple shared extensions (i.e. 500 for sales, 501 for service, user A, B and C would share 500 and D,E and F would share 501) and each user would have their own extension.

Those extensions were in addition to their primary extension and shown on the phones. I can't seem to find a way to do this on the new UC560. I created a blast group but each time I add a blast group to a line/button on the user phone it says the extension is in use. Any ideas?

[Steven DiStefano]

Share line buttons can be added to all the phones (2nd button or higher most usual).

How do do shared lines is documented in the TEL #25.

https://supportforums.cisco.com/docs/DOC-11748

[adam.thomas]

Thanks for that information! I'm not sitting at the UC560 unfortunately...In the PDF you linked to, it has shared extensions but it's in the extension mobility section - is that the correct information I should be following?

I tried going to the button assignments and entering in the blast groups for the groups I created but the error was the extension was already in use. Do I need to change the extension for the blast groups to a shared extension?

Thanks again.

[Steven DiStefano]

No, not EM.

Here is the way it should flow.

CCA Navigate to the first phone.

Select button 2.

CLick TYPE = Shared

Define the extension (say 250)

Save

Now navigate to the second phone you want to share that 250 extension.

Select button 2.

Select type = shared, and 250 will be in the pulldown for extension since its created above.

Save

Call 250.

Both stations ring.

Either one can answer and put on hold and resume among phones having that shared line.

Voice mails deposied will have flashing envelope icon for that button.  Its a GDM mailbox accessible by any phone having that shared line dialing into their own VM box and entering option 9.

[adam.thomas]

Great, thank you again for your help.

I hope I understand correctly as your information was very helpful. It sounds like (based on your example) that I don't need to define blast groups if I created a shared extension like you demonstrated...would that be accurate? For example, if I have a sales blast group already created, I would delete that group and create an extension (501 or whatever) and assign that to button two of each member of the sales team?

Thanks!

[Steven DiStefano]

Yes, thats correct.

But its your choice.

Hunt groups / blast groups (which is a parallel hunt) are usual PBX features and they are numbers dialed from menu actions in AA or manually.  they are not mapped on buttons (unless speeddial).  The idea is a call comes on a hunt/blast and is answered.  The answering station has that call now.  No other member can retrieve it.  The answering staton can PARK the call and then PAGE his teammates (plumbing, you have a call on 701).

Shared lines are emulating key system behavior (even though its not a common wire pair, we make it act like it is. HOLD Resume big advantages here.

Hunt Blast can overflow to a GDM as well, but since they are not butons, you dont get the visual MWI like you do on Shared Line buttons.

Lots to consider.  but its your choice.