[asterisk-users] automatic call pickup

[Vieri]

Hi,

Currently I'm using Asterisk 1.2 and 1.4 in different setups. When a user wants to pick up a call within his/her pickup group, *8 must be dialed (or whatever you define in features.conf).

However, these users were used to another behavior when they had a commercial PBX (Bosch). When a phone of the pickup group rang all the user had to do to grab the call was to pick his/her phone up (no dialing required). I tried to explain the "advantages" of "deciding" if you want to pick up the call or not by pressing *8 but I understand that in a very busy environment, dialing *8 (or whatever) makes you "lose" a second or two...

Making the phones ring at the same time (for the same call) isn't an option (Dial(SIP/101&SIP/102)). Extensions within a pickup group must ring one at a time.

They are all using standard analog phones connected to a multi-port ATA.

I was thinking of configuring some sort of "auto speed dial" of the pickup code (*8) whenever the user picks the phone up but it seems that these phones don't support that.

I know this is a weird question but has anyone dealt with this "issue" in Asterisk 1.2/1.4/1.6?

Or has anyone come up with a "custom solution"?

Thanks,

Vieri