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PBX Admin Guide - Working with Conferences

5. Working with Conferences

Your SkySwitch WEB Centrex system includes a Conference Bridge that allows people inside and outside your company to participate in a conference call.

  • Displaying the Conferences Page
  • Adding Conferences
  • Editing Conferences
  • Deleting Conferences
  • Joining a Conference
  • Viewing Conference Statistics

Displaying the Conferences Page

All conference tasks are performed from the Conferences page. To display this page, click the Conferences icon  on the menu bar:

The following figure shows an example of the Conferences page. The button at the top-right side of the page refreshes the information on the page.

From the Conferences page, you can:

  • Add conferences.
  • Edit conferences.
  • Delete conferences.
  • Join a conference.
  • View conference statistics.

Adding Conferences

The following procedure describes how to add conferences. When adding a conference, we recommend you require a leader to start the conference; otherwise, anyone with your participant code can use your bridge.

  1. From the Conferences page, click the Add Conference button. The Add a Conference pop-up window appears.
  2. Complete the fields (see Table ‎ 5-1 below).
  3. Click Save.

Table ‎ 5-1. Adding/Editing a Conference

Setting
 Description
Name Enter a name for this bridge. The name should allow you to differentiate this bridge from other bridges you configured.
Type Select the conference type. Choices are:
  • Dedicated conference bridge = a shared bridge on its own dedicated extension.
  • Owned conference bridge = a bridge associated to a user on the system (for example, the bridge for user 1013).
Extension Adding a conference: select the extension used to join this conference.
Editing a conference: read-only field that shows the extension.
Direct Phone Number Select the phone number used to join the conference.
Owned bridges also have a direct dial field, which is the number internal users can dial to access the bridge.
Direct Dial An option  that appears when Owned Conference Bridge is selected and allows for dialing directly into the conference bridge, similar to dialing a user’s extension.
Leader PIN Enter the personal identification number (PIN) that the leader will use to authenticate access when joining the meeting. This PIN is private and should be known by internal staff only.
Participant PIN Enter the PIN that participants will use to authenticate access when joining the meeting. Distribute this PIN to all guests of the meeting.
Max Participants Use the slider to select the maximum number of participants that can join the conference.
Important Note: Although the Max Participants slider can be set to Unlimited, please be advised that exceeding 500 callers on a conference bridge may impact the quality of the service.
Minimum participants to start Select the minimum number of participants that must attend the conference before it can start.
Options Select the following options:
  • Require a Leader to start: When checked, the system requires a leader to start the conference. If unchecked, the conference call will start when the first participant joins, regardless of whether a leader is present.
  • Prompt all participants for their name: When checked, the system prompts users for their name when they call in to the conference call.
  • Announce participant arrivals/departures: When checked, the system either beeps or announces when a participant joins or leaves the conference.

Editing Conferences

There might be times when you need to edit conferences. For example, you might want to change the leader or participant PIN.

  1. From the Conferences page, either:
    – Click a name
    OR
    – Click the icon at the far right of the conference entry. For example:
    Either step displays the Edit pop-up window. For example:
  2. Complete the fields (see Table ‎ 5-1 above).
  3. Click Save.

Deleting Conferences

If you no longer need a conference, you can delete it from the system.

  1. From the Conferences page, hover over the conference, and then click the icon at the far right of the row. A confirmation prompt appears.
  2. Click Yes to delete the conference or No to retain it.

Joining a Conference

There are several ways to join a conference.

  • Phones in your system can dial a dedicated bridge via the extension of the bridge. An owned bridge can be dialed by using the configured Direct Dial code.
  • Set a Direct Inward Dial (DID) number to the bridge for inside and outside callers (see Working with Inventory).
  • Participants can call your main number, and then be transferred to the bridge, or the bridge can be an option of the auto-attendant.

When joining, the system prompts you for your password (either the leader or participant PIN, depending on your role).

Viewing Conference Statistics

You can display historical information about your bridge.

  1. From the Conferences page, hover over the conference, and then click the icon at the far right of the row.
    A pop-up window shows statistics about the selected conference.
  2. For more information about participants, click the hyperlink under the Participants column.
  3. When you finish viewing the information, click Close to close the pop-up window.
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