Conferencing

Conferences can be configured in their simplest form as a direct assignment to a single service number (i.e. the dialled number) without any requirement for the caller to enter a room number or PIN. More complex configurations can include the requirement for delegates to identify a particular conference, which may include host control, conference recording and delegate identification.

Conferences can be configured in the following combinations:

• Simple Conference: This type of conference can be assigned to one or more service numbers, where delegates will join the same conference regardless of which service number they dialled. The delegate does not require a Room ID or PIN.

• Simple Conference with PIN. As above, except the conference is PIN protected.

• Conference with Room ID and/or PIN. Conferences identified by a Room ID can be assigned to one or multiple service numbers, where delegates will join the same conference regardless of which number they dialled. The service number(s) can each support multiple Room IDs (i.e. multiple conferences). For added security, conferences can be PIN protected.

Dynamic Rooms

New in version 1.42, the conference can be configured to use dynamic Room ID and PIN’s. When in this mode the Room ID and PIN’s do not need to be preconfigured. Room ID and PIN must be between 4 and 8 digits.

Delegate Identification

All the conference combinations above require delegates to identify themselves before joining the conference if the conference has been configured to do so. They have five seconds to record their name – any silence on the end of the recording will be trimmed off (subject to relative background noise). Delegates can also press the ‘#’ key to terminate the recording before the five second timer expires.

Music On Hold

The first caller into a conference will hear music on hold. The music genre is customer-defined.

Conference Host

If the conference requires a host, all delegates will hear music on hold until the host logs in by pressing the * key, the host is then required to login (using a PIN of between 4 and 8 digits), all delegates will join the conference, with the host’s name announced to all delegates.

As subsequent delegates arrive into the active conference, all other delegates will hear the delegate’s name recording. If two or more delegates arrive or leave at the same time, only the last delegate’s name will be heard. The host can leave once the conference is underway - the conference will continue.

The host can request a roll-call by pressing the 1 key – this will announce to all delegates the names of the attendees in the order in which the delegates arrived.

If the Passive Conference feature is enabled, only the host can be heard by all other delegates.

Conference Limits

The number of delegates in a conference is limited to either the specific conference ‘maximum caller’ limit, or the overriding limit set at account level for multiple conferences belonging to one account.