Understanding and Configuring Cisco IP Phone Call Forwarding

Cisco IP phones offer a feature called call forwarding, which allows you to forward incoming calls to another phone number.

Call forwarding can be configured on a Cisco IP phone using the phone's menu system or through the Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) interface.

To enable call forwarding on a Cisco IP phone, navigate to the phone's settings and select the "Call Forwarding" option.

There are several types of call forwarding, including no answer call forwarding, busy call forwarding, and forward all call forwarding.

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To activate the forward feature, you'll need to select the Call Forward All option from your phone's menu. This feature is also known as Cisco Call Forwarding Unconditional.

You can activate Call Forward All by following a series of steps, starting with selecting the Call Forward All option. Press the Select soft key to proceed.

Next, you'll need to dial your dial out digit, which is either 8 or 9, followed by 1 and the 10-digit number you want to forward calls to. For example, if you want to forward calls to 555-123-4567, you would dial 8 1 555-123-4567.

Press the Submit soft key to complete the activation process.

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Cisco IP phones support an extensive set of call forwarding features, which can be roughly categorized into three types.

Call Forward All, also known as Cisco Call Forwarding Unconditional, is the most commonly used feature. It automatically redirects calls to another number with no conditions associated with the call forward action.

This type of forwarding is sometimes referred to as call forwarding unconditional because it's unconditional, meaning it happens every time.

Cisco Call Forwarding Conditional is another feature that allows you to set specific conditions for call forwarding.

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To configure call forwarding on your Cisco IP phone, you'll need to select the Call Forward All option and press the Select soft key.

You can also configure call forwarding to forward calls to another number when you're not available. This is done by dialing your dial out digit (8 or 9), then 1 and the 10 digit number.

For exceptional situations, such as when the WAN connection is not available or there is insufficient network capacity, you can configure Call Forward No Bandwidth, Call Forward No Coverage, or Call Forward Unregistered.

To restrict call forwarding to certain numbers, you can configure partitions and calling search spaces. Partitions are logical groupings of directory numbers and route patterns, while calling search spaces determine the partitions that calling devices can search when attempting to complete a call.

You can also configure call forwarding to forward calls when a hunt list is exhausted or the hunt timer expires. This is done by configuring the Hunt Pilot and setting the Call Treatment Settings.

Here are the steps to configure call forwarding when a hunt list is exhausted or the hunt timer expires:

You can also configure other call forwarding types, such as Call Forward All, Call Forward Busy, Call Forward No Answer, and Call Forward Unregistered. To do this, you'll need to configure the Call Forwarding and Call Pickup Settings fields in the Directory Number Configuration window.

In addition to unconditional call forwarding, there are also Cisco call forwarding features which only redirect calls in case of specific, pre-configured conditions, such as Call Forward Busy and Call Forward No Answer.

Call Forwarding Settings can be configured to suit various needs, including exceptional situations. Call Forward No Bandwidth forwards calls when the actual destination cannot be reached due to insufficient bandwidth.

You can also configure partitions to restrict call forwarding to certain numbers. Partitions facilitate call routing by dividing the route plan into logical subsets based on organization, location, and call type.

To create a new partition, follow these steps:

Call Forwarding allows detailed control over how calls are extended when a called party fails to answer or is busy. This includes configuring the destination to which the call gets forwarded when the hunt list is exhausted or the hunt timer expires.

To configure call forwarding when a hunt list is exhausted or a hunt timer expires, you'll need to access the Hunt Pilot Configuration window. From Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose Call Routing > Route/Hunt > Hunt Pilot.

A list of configured Hunt Pilots is displayed after clicking the Find button. Choose the pattern for which you want to configure call treatment when hunting fails.

The Hunt Pilot Configuration window is displayed after selecting the desired pattern. Configure the fields in the Hunt Pilot Configuration for the Hunt Call Treatment Settings area.

For more information on the fields and their configuration options, see Online Help.

When naming partitions for call forwarding, it's essential to keep it short and sweet. The maximum number of partitions in a calling search space is limited to 1024 characters.

Partition names that are too long can quickly eat into this limit, so it's crucial to keep them concise. If you have partition names of fixed length, use the following table to determine the maximum number of partitions you can add to a calling search space.

For example, if you have partition names that are 4 characters long, you can have a maximum of 204 partitions in your calling search space.

To activate the Forward All feature, you'll need to select the Call Forward All option and press the Select soft key. This will allow you to redirect calls to another number.

To dial the number externally, you'll need to dial your dial out digit (8 or 9), followed by 1 and the 10-digit number. For example, if your dial out digit is 8, you'd dial 8 1 ###-###-####.

Call Forward All, also known as Cisco Call Forwarding Unconditional, is the most commonly used Cisco Call Forwarding feature.

Call Forwarding Fields involve specific settings that determine how calls are handled. To set up call forwarding, you'll need to access the Hunt Call Treatment Fields.

The Forward Hunt No Answer field specifies the destination to which a call gets forwarded if it's not answered within a specific period of time. If queuing is enabled, both Forward Hunt No Answer and Forward Hunt Busy are automatically disabled. Conversely, if either of these fields is enabled, queuing is automatically disabled.

To choose a destination for the Forward Hunt No Answer field, you'll select one of the available options. If hunting exceeds the number of hops specified by the Forward Maximum Hop Count service parameter, hunting will expire before the 30-minute maximum hunt timer value, and the caller will receive a reorder tone.

Here are the options for the Forward Hunt No Answer and Forward Hunt Busy fields:

Directory Number Fields are crucial in Call Forwarding. You can configure them to suit your needs.

The Voice Mail field allows you to forward calls to voicemail. If you check this box, Unified Communications Manager ignores the values in the Destination and Calling Search Space fields.

You can also configure the AAR Destination Mask to determine the AAR destination to dial instead of using the external phone number mask.

The AAR Group field lets you choose an AAR group from the drop-down list. This provides prefix digits that are used to route calls that are otherwise blocked due to insufficient bandwidth.

If you choose None, the server does not attempt to reroute the blocked calls. You can also configure this value in the Precedence Alternate Party Timeout service parameter from System > Service Parameters.

Retaining the AAR destination in the call forwarding history is also an option. By default, the directory number configuration retains the AAR leg of the call in the call history, which ensures that the AAR forward to voicemail system will prompt the user to leave a voice message.

Here are the Directory Number Fields in a concise format:

Hunt Treatment Fields are an essential part of Call Forwarding, allowing you to determine what happens to a call if it's not answered or if the line is busy.

You can choose to forward the call to a specific destination, but be aware that if queuing is enabled, both Forward Hunt No Answer and Forward Hunt Busy are automatically disabled.

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To forward a call that's not answered, select the Forward Hunt No Answer field and choose one of the available options.

If you're dealing with a busy line, the Forward Hunt Busy field comes into play, specifying the destination for the call.

Here are the options for both fields:

If hunting exceeds the number of hops specified in the Forward Maximum Hop Count service parameter, hunting will expire before the 30-minute maximum hunt timer value, and the caller will receive a reorder tone.

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Call Forwarding Restrictions can be a bit tricky to navigate, but don't worry, I've got the lowdown.

Call Forwarding is supported, but it's not the only game in town. Immediate Divert is not supported when Call Forward All (CFA) and Call Forward Busy (CFB) are activated.

Intercom calls can't be forwarded, so if you're trying to forward an intercom call, it won't work.

If you're using SIP phones like the 7906, 7911, 7941, or 7961, and you're logged into hunt groups with Call Forward All activated, the call will be presented to the phone. But if you're using 7940 or 7960 IP phones, the call will be skipped and the next phone in the line group will be rung.

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Logical partitioning handling doesn't take place in certain circumstances.

Here's a breakdown of the restrictions:

If your Cisco IP phone is not forwarding calls correctly, check that call forwarding is enabled on your phone. This can be done by accessing the phone's settings and looking for the call forwarding option.

Make sure you have entered the correct forwarding number and that it is a valid phone number. If the forwarding number is incorrect, the call will not be forwarded.

Verify that the call forwarding service is active on your account. This can usually be checked by contacting your service provider.

Call forwarding can be a bit of a hassle, especially if you're dealing with a non-intuitive system like Cisco's.

You have to manually invoke call forwarding via the keypad of the desktop telephone, which can be confusing. For example, on a Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series, you need to select the line, press the soft key 'Fwd all', and then dial the number you want to forward to.

The process is not automated, so you can't configure call forwarding to automatically activate when you leave your desk. This can be a problem if you're away from your desk for an extended period.

The Call Forwarding No Answer feature is available, but it only redirects calls after the No Answer Ring Duration interval has passed. This means the caller may hang up before the forwarding functionality is triggered.

You have to manually configure call forwarding for each line, which can be time-consuming and prone to errors.

The RSconnect solution is a game-changer for those who struggle with call forwarding. It's a smart client application that can be installed on your computer or laptop.

The application works by recognizing when your computer is active or inactive. When your computer is on, incoming calls are routed to your desktop phone or Jabber client.

Here's how it works: the application monitors the state of your computer, so when it's switched off, standby, or dormant, calls are forwarded to your mobile, voicemail, or another destination number.

You can configure this once and it will always work like this, eliminating the need to activate Call Forward All every time you leave your desk or deactivate it when you come back.

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Configuring call forwarding on your Cisco IP phone is a straightforward process that can be done through the phone's graphical user interface (GUI). To start, navigate to the line where you want to enable call forwarding and press the Forward softkey.

You can choose to forward all incoming calls to a specific number by dialing it and pressing the Call softkey. This will display the phone number with a forwarding sign on the screen, indicating that all calls will be forwarded to that number.

To disable call forwarding, simply press the Clr fwd softkey. Alternatively, you can configure call forwarding settings through the User preferences menu by navigating to Call preferences and setting Call forwarding to On.

To configure call forwarding via the web-based utility, start by logging in to the web-based utility of your IP phone and clicking Admin Login > advanced.

You'll then see the Call Forward area, where you can choose Yes from the Cfwd Setting drop-down menu.

If you want to forward all incoming calls, enter the phone number where all calls will be forwarded in the Cfwd All Dest field.

For example, if you enter 705, all calls will be forwarded to that number.

If you want to forward calls only if the line is busy, enter the phone number where the calls will be forwarded in the Cfwd Busy Dest field, as in the example where calls are forwarded to 705.

To forward calls only if not answered, enter the phone number where the calls will be forwarded in the Cfwd No Ans Dest field.

In the Cfwd No Ans Delay field, enter the number of seconds that the call should remain unanswered before it will be forwarded to the number, such as 20 seconds.

Once you've made all your changes, click Submit All Changes to save your new call forwarding settings.

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Configuring Call Forwarding via GUI is a straightforward process that can be completed in a few steps. You can access the Call Forwarding settings through the phone's GUI.

To begin, navigate to the line where you want to enable call forwarding and press the Forward softkey. This is the same line used in example 8, where the line used is 8861.

Dial the number where you want to forward all incoming calls and then press the Call softkey. For example, all incoming calls for line 8861 will be forwarded to 705.

The screen should display the phone number with a forwarding sign on it, indicating that all calls will be forwarded to the specified number. You can verify this by checking the screen for the indication that all calls will be forwarded to the number you have set.

If you wish to disable Call Forwarding to the specified line, press the Clr fwd softkey.

Alternatively, you can access the Call Forwarding settings through the User preferences menu. To do this, navigate to User preferences and press the Select softkey.

Choose Call preferences and press the Select softkey, then press the Navigation cluster right button to set Call forwarding to On. You can also configure the Forward all number field, Forward busy number field, and Fwd no answer number field to forward calls in special situations.

In the Fwd no answer delay field, enter the number of seconds that the call should remain unanswered before it will be forwarded to the number. For example, you can enter 20 seconds to forward the call after 20 seconds if not answered.

By following these steps, you should now have successfully configured call forwarding on your Cisco IP Phone through the GUI.