Desk phone basics: transfer, hold, park and conference

Button names vary slightly between Yealink, Poly and Cisco phones, but the steps are the same.

Put a call on hold

Press Hold. Press it again (or Resume) to go back to the caller.

Transfer a call

Announced (warm) transfer — speak to the colleague first:

1. Press Transfer (the caller is put on hold).
2. Dial the extension or number and wait for an answer.
3. Introduce the caller, then press Transfer again to connect them.

Blind transfer — send the call without speaking first: press Transfer, dial the number, then press Transfer (or B Transfer) straight away.

To send a caller straight to someone’s voicemail, use the *55 code — see Horizon star codes.

Three-way conference

1. During a call, press Conference (or Conf).
2. Dial the third person and wait for an answer.
3. Press Conference again to join everyone together.

Park and pick up a call

• Park a call so anyone can pick it up: dial *68 then the extension to park it on.
• Retrieve a parked call from any phone: dial *88 then the extension.
• Pick up a colleague’s ringing phone: dial *98 (your pick-up group) or *97 followed by their extension.

Do Not Disturb

Press DND on the phone, or dial *78 to turn it on and *79 to turn it off. Calls follow your “busy” rules, usually to voicemail.