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Help contents > Using operator features > Using the Codian IP gateway — for operators

Using the Codian IP gateway — for operators

As the operator, you answer the calls one-by-one that arrive in your operator queue. You will speak to callers on your video endpoint and connect their calls.

On this page:

• What does the operator do?
• Operator availability
• Using the Operator home page
• Using your endpoint to connect calls
• What is the auto attendant?
• What are through calls?
• Guidance for operators

What does the operator do?

When you receive a call, it appears in the operator's queue at the top of the Operator home page. You then have the ability to put that call through to any configured endpoint (they appear in a drop-down menu), or you can type the forwarding address (or extension number) of the person to whom the caller wants to speak. The endpoint to which you put through a call can either be a video-endpoint or an audio-only telephone.

Operator availability

You must update the Operator's status at the bottom of your Operator home page when you arrive at work and when you leave. The IP gateway is configured to provide callers with other options when you are unavailable.

To tell the IP gateway if you are available or not:

1. Using your web browser, log in on the IP gateway. (Your administrator will show you how to do this.) When you have logged in, the web browser will display the Operator home page.
2. When you are available and at your desk, click Set as present.
3. When you leave your desk, click Set as absent.

Using the Operator home page

To access the Operator home page:

• Using your web browser, log in on the IP gateway. (Your administrator will show you how to do this.) When you have logged in, the web browser will display the Operator home page.

The Operator list

The Operator list is at the top of the Operator home page.

The number of calls that can appear in the Operator list is dependant on the model of IP gateway.

The caller at the top of the list represents the person to whom you are currently speaking and are about to connect. If you successfully connect this call, it will appear in the Through calls list further down the Operator home page. When you connect the caller at the top of the list, you will be connected to the next caller in the list.

Connecting calls using the Operator home page

Depending on how the IP gateway has been configured, you will connect calls either by choosing a name on the Endpoint list, or by typing a forwarding address (or a combination of the two).

To connect a call by choosing a name:

1. When the caller has told you to whom he wants to speak, make a selection from the Endpoint list drop-down menu. As shown below:



2. Tell the caller you are connecting the call and click Connect. This connects the call.

The endpoints and call groups that appear in this list are configured through the administrator's IP gateway web interface. Note that operators cannot access the TMS address book through the Operator's home page.

To connect a call by typing the forwarding address or extension number:

1. Ensure Endpoint list is set to <Type address>.
2. Type the IP address or extension number in the Forwarding address text box.
3. Depending on how the IP gateway has been configured, you might also need to select the protocol for the endpoint to which you are going to connect (your administrator must provide you with this information). The screen shot below shows an example of an IP address typed into the Forwarding address text box and the dial plan selected as the method of deciding the protocol of the destination endpoint:



4. Tell the caller you are connecting the call and click Connect. This connects the call.

Speaking to the destination before connecting a call

When you answer a call, you can choose to put the caller on hold and speak to the destination before you connect the call. To do this, complete the steps above to connect a call, but do not click Connect, instead click Speak to receiver. When you are speaking to the destination, to connect the caller to the destination, hang up your endpoint or click Connect to <endpoint address>. Instead of connecting the caller to the destination, you can return to speaking to the caller by clicking Return to caller.

Note that if the destination hangs up while you are speaking to them, then you will be reconnected to the caller. If the caller hangs up while you are talking to the destination, a message will appear on the screen: "Caller disconnected".

Using your endpoint to connect calls

When you answer a call on your endpoint, you can connect the call using the interface of your endpoint. This means that you will use the number keypad on your endpoint's controller to select the options on your endpoint's screen.

To connect calls using your endpoint:

1. Answer the call and speak to the caller.
2. Press # (hash/pound) on your endpoint's controller to change the view to picture-in-picture and access your list of options:
• dial a number: You can dial an IP address (in the format 10*12*123*34) or an E.164 number using your number keypad. Press # to go to the next page. The available options on the next page will depend on the configuration of the IP gateway; you might have to select the protocol to cause the unit to dial the number (talk to your administrator about this) or simply select Call. Pressing 1 will enable you to redial.
• the internal address book: Select an entry from the address book or search.
• the TMS address book: Whether or not the TMS address book is availble will depend on the configuration of the IP gateway. Select an entry from the address book or search.

For more information about searching in an address book, refer to Dialing the IP gateway — for end-users.

3. When you select to call the destination, the original caller will be put on hold and when the receiver of the call answers the call, you will be able to speak to them. Then to
   • connect the caller to the receiver, hang up. Note that you can hang up before the receiver answers the call and the caller will be directly connected to the receiver without you first speaking to the receiver
   • return to speaking to the original caller, press # (you will see a menu of options) and then press 1

What is the auto attendant?

On the Operator home page, beneath the Operator list, is the Auto attendant list. This displays a list of callers currently using the auto attendant.

The auto attendant is an interface that provides callers with the ability to connect themselves to endpoints, or directly dial endpoints on your network. Dialing the operator is one method that callers can use to be connected to endpoints on your network; dialing the auto attendant is another method. When callers dial the auto attendant, their call is connected to the IP gateway and their endpoint displays the auto attendant screen. The administrator can configure the auto attendant to provide audio instructions for callers. The auto attendant screen provides options for callers which can include a direct dialing option, the ability to choose an endpoint to which to connect (similar to your Endpoint list as described above), and the option to have the call connected to you (the operator).

Note that as the operator, if a caller is unable to connect successfully via the auto attendant, that caller might be transferred to you and a short reason for the failure of the call will be displayed at the bottom of you Operator home page; you will deal with the call in the normal way, but if the caller mentions a particular problem, it is worth informing your administrator.

What are through calls?

On the Operator home page, the list of through calls appears beneath the Auto attendant list. Through calls are all calls that are currently connected to an endpoint through the IP gateway not including calls in your Operator list and calls in the Auto attendant list.

Guidance for operators

Using the IP gateway might be your first experience of video communications. If so, there are a number of issues to bear in mind to ensure that the experience is a happy one for both you and your callers:

• Think about the positioning of your equipment. You will not want to have to turn your back on your caller, so you will need to be mindful of how your equipment is arranged. Your endpoint will need to be adjacent to the PC on which you access the web interface of the IP gateway.
• Think about your backdrop. Ask your administrator to make a call to you to check that your backdrop is both appropriate and tidy. Callers might be able to see more than you imagine. Also check that there will not be a lot of background noise. For example, is there music playing or a lot of office noise in the near vicinity?
• Remember that you are live on the caller's video screen and can be seen.
• Treat callers as you would treat visitors to your organization. For example, if you are talking to a video caller, it would be impolite to break off to talk to somebody else.
• As you will use a web browser to connect calls on the IP gateway, ensure that you keep one instance of your browser open on the Operator home page at all times.