Auto Provision Function Keys for Phones

Function keys turn the programmable buttons on an extension user’s IP phone (and in the Cloud Voice App) into shortcuts. Depending on the key type, a button can monitor the live status of another extension, trunk, or queue, or launch a common action such as parking a call, dialing a saved number, or checking voicemail. This page explains the key types you can assign and how to push them to phones through Auto Provisioning, both one phone at a time and in bulk with a template.

Supported key types

You can assign any of the following key types to an extension.

Key type	What it does
N/A	No function assigned.
Line	Sets up a line key.
BLF	Monitors and acts on another object. BLF stands for Busy Lamp Field. Depending on the value you choose, a BLF key can watch an extension to show its call status, Do Not Disturb (DND) presence, and default outbound caller ID (DOD), place or pick up its calls, and set its DOD as default; an extension group (call status of members; pick up the first ringing call); a trunk (its status; seize it to dial out); or a queue (an agent’s pause status). See Provision a BLF key.
Speed Dial	Dials a frequently used number or extension.
Set Presence	Switches the extension to a chosen presence status. See Switch Extension Presence by Function Key.
Check Voicemail	Shows the voicemail indicator and opens the mailbox to review messages.
Check Group Voicemail	Shows the indicator for a shared group mailbox and opens it to review messages.
Park & Retrieve	Shows the status of a parking slot, parks a call to it, and retrieves a parked call from it.
Intercom	Places an intercom call to a monitored extension to make an announcement.
DTMF	Sends a preset DTMF (touch-tone) sequence instead of keying the digits by hand each time.
Agent Login/Logout	Shows login status for a queue and logs the agent in or out of it.
Agent Pause/Unpause	Shows service status for a queue and pauses or resumes call delivery from it.
LDAP Directory	Opens the LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) phonebook to look up contacts. Available on IP phones only.
Boss-Secretary Feature	For a boss extension, monitors the secretary’s call status; for a secretary extension, monitors the boss’s call status.
Call Forward	Turns call forwarding on or off. Available on IP phones only. See Forward All Incoming Calls to Another Destination by BLF Key.
Action URL	Sends an HTTP GET request to a URL you specify to report an event. Available on IP phones only.

Note

If the key you need isn’t in this list, create a custom Auto Provisioning template and apply it to the provisioned phone.

Before you start

• The IP phone must already be connected to the system and tied to an extension through Auto Provisioning. If you haven’t done this yet, see Auto Provision IP Phones Remotely via RPS Method or Auto Provision IP Phones Remotely with Proxy.
• Some key values are built from feature codes. Have the relevant codes on hand from Call Features > Feature Code.

Provision a BLF key

The steps below use a BLF key as the example, since it is the most configurable type. Set the key on the extension, then reprovision the phone so the button takes effect.

Step 1. Configure the key

1. Sign in to the management portal and go to Auto Provisioning > Phones.

2. Click the edit icon () next to the phone you want to change. The settings page for the extension assigned to that phone opens.

3. Open the Function keys tab and configure a BLF key for the object you want to monitor, using one of the patterns below.

   Monitor an extension

   Watch a specific extension in real time, and place a call to it or pick up its ringing calls with one press.

   

   • Type: Select BLF.
   • Value: Choose the extension to monitor from the drop-down list.
   • Label: Optional. Text to show next to the key on the phone screen.

   Monitor an extension’s default DOD

   Show whether a given DOD (default outbound caller ID) is currently set as the extension’s default, and switch it to the default with one press.

   Note

   First get the DOD Prefix feature code from Call Features > Feature Code > Set DOD.

   

   • Type: Select BLF.
   • Value: Enter the feature-code string in the format DOD Prefix feature code + extension number + * + DOD short code/specific DOD number. For example, to monitor DOD number 5503301 (short code 123) on extension 2001, enter *0852001*123 or *0852001*5503301.
   • Label: Optional. Text to show next to the key on the phone screen.

   Monitor an extension group

   Watch whether any member of an extension group has a ringing call, and pick up that call with one press.

   

   • Type: Select BLF.
   • Value: Select the extension group the extension belongs to.
   • Label: Optional. Text to show next to the key on the phone screen.

   Monitor a trunk

   Watch a trunk’s status and seize it to place an outbound call with one press.

   Caution

   To dial out over the trunk with the key, the extension must have permission to use that trunk for outbound calls. Without that permission, the key cannot seize the trunk to place the call.

   

   • Type: Select BLF.
   • Value: Enter the name of the trunk to monitor.
   • Label: Optional. Text to show next to the key on the phone screen.

   Monitor an agent’s pause status

   Watch a queue agent’s pause status for a specific pause reason.

   Note

   First get these feature codes:

   • Pause feature code, from Call Features > Feature Code > Queue > Pause/Unpause
   • Pause Reason feature code, from Call Features > Feature Code > Pause Reason

   

   • Type: Select BLF.
   • Value: Enter the feature-code string in the format Pause feature code + extension number + * + queue number + pause reason feature code. For example, *071001*6400*01.
   • Label: Optional. Text to show next to the key on the phone screen.

4. Click Save.

Step 2. Reprovision the phone

1. Go to Auto Provisioning > Phones.
2. Click the reprovision icon () next to the phone.
3. In the confirmation window, click OK.

The phone applies the change automatically, and the BLF key begins showing the live status of whatever it monitors.

What the BLF LED shows

Once the key is provisioned, its LED reflects the state of the monitored object. The colors mean different things depending on what the key watches.

Monitoring an extension

• Solid green: The extension is being monitored and is idle.
• Solid red: The extension is placing or on a call, or its presence is set to DND.
• Flashing red: The extension is ringing.
• Off: The extension isn’t registered, or it has been deleted from the system.

Note

On Fanvil phones that support a distinct DND indicator, DND shows as solid yellow rather than solid red.

Press the key to place a call to the monitored extension, or to pick up its incoming call when Extension Pickup is enabled under Call Features > Feature Code > Call Pickup > Extension Pickup.

Monitoring an extension’s default DOD

• Solid green: The DOD number is currently the extension’s default outbound caller ID.
• Solid red: The DOD number is not the extension’s default outbound caller ID.

Note

Press the key to set the specified DOD as the extension’s default.

Monitoring an extension group

• Solid green: No members of the group have an incoming call.
• Flashing red: At least one member is ringing.

Note

Press the key to answer the first ringing call when the Group Call Pickup feature code is enabled under Call Features > Feature Code > Call Pickup.

Monitoring a trunk

• Solid green: The trunk is being monitored and is idle.
• Solid red: The trunk is busy.
• Off: The key configuration failed.

Note

Press the key to seize the trunk, then dial a number after the dial tone to call out.

Monitoring an agent’s pause status

• Solid green: The agent is not in the specified pause status.
• Flashing red: The agent is in the specified pause status.
• Off: The key configuration failed.

Provision function keys in bulk with a template

If you manage many phones and want the same key layout on all of them, build a function key template once and apply it to a group of extensions.

Step 1. Create a function key template

1. Sign in to the management portal and go to Extension and Trunk > Extension.

2. Click Function Keys Template.

   

3. Click Add, then fill in the template.

   

   Caution

   The number of programmable keys differs by phone model. If a template defines more keys than the phone has, the extra keys don’t take effect, unless the phone has an expansion module attached, in which case the overflow keys are placed on the module.

   1. In Name, enter a name that identifies the template.

   2. (Optional) In Remark, add a short description.

   3. In the key list, set up each key:

      • Type: Choose the key type.
      • Value: Set the value for that key type.
      • Label: Optional. Text to help users recognize the key.

   4. Click Save. The template appears in the list.

      

4. Click OK.

Step 2. Apply the template to extensions

1. On the extension list, select the extensions you want, then click Edit.

   

2. On the Function Keys tab, select Bulk Edit, then click Apply Function Keys Template.

   

3. In the pop-up window, choose the template, then click Apply.

   

4. Click Save.

Step 3. Reprovision the phones

1. Go to Auto Provisioning > Phones.

2. Select the phones you want, then click Reprovision.

   

3. In the confirmation window, click OK.

The phones apply the changes automatically. Check the keys on the phones to confirm the layout took effect.