# Manage Guest Calls

Front desk staff often need to act on guest calls in real time, such as moving a call to a different room, holding a call while they track down a guest, or steering an incoming call to the right department. The Operator Panel in the Cloud Voice App gives you a live, single-screen view of active calls and the controls to manage them, so you do not have to juggle handset button sequences.

To get started, open the Cloud Voice App on desktop or in the browser and go to **Operator Panel**.

![Operator Panel showing active guest calls and available call controls](/images/pbx/operator-panel.png)

The actions you can take depend on the privileges your hotel manager has assigned to you. The tasks below reflect the default front desk privileges.

:::note
These instructions assume the default front desk privileges. If your hotel manager has granted you additional operator privileges, more call-handling options will appear in the Operator Panel than the ones described here.
:::

## Redirect a call

Redirect a ringing call to another destination *before* it is answered, so the guest reaches the right room or department without waiting on the front desk first.

1. Find the ringing (not yet answered) call in the Operator Panel.
2. Choose **Redirect** on that call.
3. Select the extension, room, or destination you want the call to ring at instead.

![Redirecting an unanswered guest call to another destination](/images/pbx/redirect-call.png)

:::tip
Redirect and transfer are easy to confuse. Redirect moves a call that is still ringing (nobody has picked it up yet). Transfer moves a call that is already connected and being spoken on. Pick the one that matches the call's current state.
:::

## Transfer a call

Transfer a call that is already connected to another extension or room. Use this when a guest is speaking with the front desk and needs to be moved elsewhere.

1. While on the connected call, choose **Transfer** in the Operator Panel.
2. Select the target extension or room.
3. Complete the transfer to hand the guest over.

![Transferring a connected guest call to another extension](/images/pbx/transfer-call.png)

## Drag and drop to an extension

For a quick transfer, drag the active call and drop it onto the target extension shown in the Operator Panel. This does the same thing as a transfer, without opening a separate dialog.

![Dragging an active call and dropping it onto a target extension](/images/pbx/drag-and-drop.png)

:::tip
Drag and drop is usually the fastest way to move a live call during a busy shift, because the extension list is already on screen. Aim for the correct extension before releasing the mouse: dropping on the wrong extension sends the guest to the wrong place.
:::

## Park a call

Parking places a call on hold in a shared parking slot instead of on your own line. The call waits there until someone retrieves it, which is useful when you need to locate a guest or free your line briefly. Because the slot is shared, the call can be picked up from any extension, not just yours.

1. On the active call, choose **Park**.
2. Note the parking slot the call is placed in, so you (or a colleague) can retrieve it.

![Parking an active call in a shared parking slot](/images/pbx/park-call.png)

:::caution
A parked caller stays on hold and cannot hear you until the call is retrieved. Do not park and forget: pass the parking slot to whoever will pick the call back up, and retrieve it promptly so the guest is not left waiting.
:::

## Retrieve a call

Retrieve a parked call to reconnect to it and continue the conversation.

1. Locate the parked call or its parking slot in the Operator Panel.
2. Choose **Retrieve** to reconnect to the caller.

![Retrieving a previously parked call to resume it](/images/pbx/retrieve-call.png)