[asterisk-users] How to park calls on a specific extension

[John Novack]

Tom Rymes wrote:
> On Nov 30, 2006, at 8:55 PM, Brad Templeton wrote:
>
>> On Thu, Nov 30, 2006 at 02:50:21PM -0500, Tom Rymes wrote:
>>> for example: In your example above where they can't figure out how to
>>> transfer, why don't you edit features.conf and define the transfer
>>> key as # or something. Then, when they have a call for "Bill" across
>>> they way, they can do this:
One of the basic flaws in the current Asterisk, which has been mentioned 
before, is Transfer. Asterisk seems to have been designed on an obsolete 
PBX model that has been obsolete for the last 20 years, where users had 
a POTS phone and most everything was done with flash and feature codes.
In a modern phone system, attended transfer and blind transfer are not 
different functions
In most hybrid business systems one does NOT place a call on hold, but 
begins a transfer, either a specific function button or intercom button 
which automatically places the call on hold, gives a new dialtone and 
another extension is dialed. IF the called party answers, the 
transferrer can announce the call, and if the called party wants to 
accept the call, they simply hang up. Blind transfer is done the same 
way, but the transferrer doesn't wait for the called party to answer. If 
no one is home, the call goes to VM in the prescribed amount of time.
Problem with all of this is lack of line or loop keys, so if the 
transferrer needs to get back to the original party, there isn't a real 
way. Asterisk doesn't yet support what is called a shared line appearance.

Parking a call could work with a little training, and many hybrid 
systems support that as well. Put a call into a park orbit, announce the 
call and move on. IF the call stays in orbit for a period of time, does 
the call come back to the person who parked it?


Users really don't care if it is an Open Source effort or not. Users 
want something easy to use and reliable. Users want buttons and lights
Developers want new wiz bang features. They don't want to go back and 
fix or document what they have done
Look at your old Legend, Partner, Panasonic and NEC for models of a 
decent hybrid system, and build on that.

JMO

John Novack