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More Slacht Features...  Call Waiting: While on a call, you can receive a tone indicating that another call is waiting for attention. A flash-hook can be used to change between two simultaneous calls. When the phone is being used and a second call comes in, the user hears a beep alerting them to a new call. The user can ignore the call or switch over to it. In most cases, the user would hit the Flash button, or very quickly press and release the on-hook switch. This will switch to the new call, leaving the original caller on hold. This method can be used to switch back and forth between the two calls. If the currently connected call is complete and the user hangs up, the phone will ring to signal the user that other caller is still waiting. When the phone is picked up, it will be connected to the remaining conversation. Depending on the equipment and service being used, Caller ID may work as well. In this case, the caller hears the beep signally the second incoming call, and the name and/or number is displayed on a caller ID interface. Caller ID: Represents the digits passed from the carrier (or PABX) to the end user device (or between PABXs) that identify who the caller is. Also known as CLI (Calling line identification) or ANI (Automatic Number Identification). Generally, a user can turn off CID sending from their own phone by dialing a feature code. Most corporations block CID or send one common CID for all the phones in their network. Conference Bridging: Conferencing is done using the Meet Me application. The Meet Me Bridge is fully integrated into Asterisk and supports features essential for business conferences, saving the Asterisk user from what was once a huge expense. The Conference Chairperson can select a "listen only" or "talk and listen" conference. When the Chairperson hangs up, the other parties are disconnected. Conferences may be securely accessed only through a predefined PIN. Many companies have also created chat services based on Asterisk Meet Me, with many chat rooms that users can transfer between. Dial by Name: Assuming voicemail is set up correctly, Dial by Name allows an outside caller to get help in finding the extension number of the person they wish to call as long as they know the person's name. Dial Out Reporting: Real time billing can be used to keep track of how much is being spent on outbound VoIP calls. Management and administration staff can also attain call statistics and information on telephone calls and activities. Direct Inward Dialing (DID): DID (or DDI) was created as a way to re-use a limited number of physical phone lines to handle calls to different published numbers. In a business, DID signally is used to identify the number they are about to connect to the business's PBX. For example, each extension may have a fixed four- or five-digit prefix. Someone who knows the internal extension of his/her correspondent can dial the seven-digit number and be connected directly to the person called, bypassing the operator or the PBX auto attendant. Direct Inward System Access (DISA): Allows an outside caller to have full access to PBX functions, which is normally reserved for internal-only access. DISA is commonly used by home-based workers or those working on the road: they can call into your PBX and make free outbound long distance calls, also appearing to be at your physical location. Distinctive Ring: Asterisk can allow you to change the ring frequency (and sometimes tones), usually based on the Caller ID of the incoming call, but can be set based on other variables. A useful feature for call-screening. Do Not Disturb (DND): DND functionality is the ability of a phone or client to ignore any incoming calls. This can be implemented in several ways. Ringer Off or Ringer Mute: The call rings as normal but does not alert the user. The call is then handled by the method programmed in the no-answer event, such as sending the call to the voice mail system after 20 seconds of ringing.
Busy Mode: The phone is taken off the hook or sends a signal to the PBX stating it is busy, and not available for calls. The call is then handled by the method programmed in the busy event, such as forwarding to another free extension or to voice mail.
Mixed Mode: Some phone and PBX systems implement a priority calling functionality. DND is activated on the phone. When a normal call comes in, it is handled by the Ringer Off or Busy Mode as discussed above. Other users have the ability to mark a call as Priority, bypassing the DND mode and forcing the extension to ring. An example of where this would be used is when a user is in an important meeting. He/she places his/her phone in DND mode, as not to be disturbed by everyday calls. A situation comes up where it is urgent to get in touch with him/her, even though he/she is using DND. The person attempting to call hits the Priority Call button, which bypasses the DND and rings his/her phone. This does not turn off DND, and any other normal calls are still treated as such.
Activate DND mode: *78 Deactivate DND mode: *79 Follow Me: Follow Me is like call forwarding, but from the destination extension. Let's say for example, a user's extension is 220. If the user moves to a different workstation but forgets to forward their phone, it is possible to pick up their current phone, dial the Follow-Me feature code, their original extension number and password. This will divert all calls to extension 220 to the user's currently used extension. The Follow-Me settings are similar to those of a small ring group, except that it is tied directly to your extension. Its configuration is the same as that of a ring group; it includes the option to use an announcement to alert people that their call is being transferred to somewhere else.
Follow Me configuration allows the user to change such things as the ring time, the announcement to be added if any and the destination to divert the call to if the desired extension is not reachable. It also gives the option of adding multiple numbers and ring strategies when some one tries to call that number. Interactive Voice Response (IVR): Asterisk's flexible IVR capability allows a user to interact with a database using a menu of prerecorded voice-clips. Using MySQL and other popular databases, Asterisk can interact with the caller through touch tone inputs, record responses, query databases and utilize AGI scripts to perform specific tasks. Record the messages you want and upload them onto the system. Using the GUI, assign different announcements to different extension numbers or different situations. Least Cost Routing (LCR): This system provides the ability to send calls to different lines based on the phone number, this can be useful in cases where more than one provider is being used and the cheapest route is desired.
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