Cisco CallManager System Guide, Release 3.1(2)
Call Pickup and Group Call Pickup

Table Of Contents

Call Pickup and Group Call Pickup

Understanding Call Pickup and Group Call Pickup

Using Call Pickup Features with Partitions to Restrict Access

Call Pickup Guidelines and Tips

Call Pickup Configuration Checklist

Updating Call Pickup Configurations

Where to Find More Information


Call Pickup and Group Call Pickup


Two features, call pickup and group call pickup, allow users to answer calls that come in on a directory number other than their own. The "Understanding Call Pickup and Group Call Pickup" section describes the differences between call pickup and group call pickup.

This section covers the following topics:

Understanding Call Pickup and Group Call Pickup

Call Pickup Guidelines and Tips

Call Pickup Configuration Checklist

Updating Call Pickup Configurations

Where to Find More Information

Understanding Call Pickup and Group Call Pickup

Cisco IP  phones provide two call pickup types:

Call pickup—Allows users to pick up incoming calls within their own group. Cisco CallManager automatically dials the appropriate call pickup group number when a user activates this feature from a Cisco IP phone.

Group call pickup—Allows users to pick up incoming calls within their own group or in other groups. Users must dial the appropriate call pickup group number when activating this feature from a Cisco IP phone.

The same procedures apply for configuring both of these features. Group call pickup numbers apply to lines or directory numbers.

Using Call Pickup Features with Partitions to Restrict Access

You can restrict access to call pickup groups by assigning a partition to the call pickup group number. When this configuration is used, only the phones that have a calling search space that includes the partition with the call pickup group number can participate in that call pickup group. Make sure the combination of partition and group number is unique throughout the system.

If call pickup group numbers are assigned to a partition, only those phones that can dial numbers in that partition can use the call pickup group.

If partitions represent tenants in a multitenant configuration, make sure the pickup groups are assigned to the appropriate partition for each tenant.

A multitenant configuration provides an example of using partitions with call pickup groups. Assign the pickup groups to the appropriate partition for each tenant, and the group number will not be visible to other tenants.

Call Pickup Guidelines and Tips

The following guidelines and tips apply to using call pickup and group call pickup features:

You do not need to reset phones to reflect changes related to call pickup groups, but you must update the database.

Although different lines on a phone can be assigned to different call pickup groups, Cisco does not recommend this setup because it can be confusing to users.

Call Pickup Configuration Checklist

Table 27-1 provides a checklist to configure call pickup.

Table 27-1 Call Pickup Configuration Checklist

Configuration Steps
Related procedures and topics

Step 1 

Configure partitions if you will be using them with call pickup or group call pickup numbers.

Adding a Partition, Cisco CallManager Administration Guide

Using Call Pickup Features with Partitions to Restrict Access

Step 2 

Configure a call pickup group number. Make sure the number is a unique integer.

Adding a Call Pickup Group Number, Cisco CallManager Administration Guide

Step 3 

Assign the call pickup group number that you created in Step 2 to the directory numbers associated with phones on which you want to enable call pickup:

Only directory numbers assigned to a call pickup group can use the call pickup feature.

If partitions are used with call pickup numbers, make sure that the directory numbers assigned to the call pickup number have a calling search space that includes the appropriate partitions.

Assigning Directory Numbers to a Call Pickup Group, Cisco CallManager Administration Guide

Step 4 

Add a call pickup or group call pickup button to the phone templates, if needed.

You only need to do this for older Cisco IP Phone model 12 SP, 12 SP+, and 30 VIP.

Modifying Phone Button Templates, Cisco CallManager Administration Guide

Step 5 

Notify users that the call pickup feature is available.

Refer to the phone documentation for instructions on how users access call pickup features on their Cisco IP phone.

Updating Call Pickup Configurations

The following notes apply to updating call pickup configurations:

When you delete a call pickup group number, you disable the call pickup feature for all directory numbers assigned to that group. To enable call pickup again for those directory numbers, you must reassign each number to a new call pickup group.

When you update a call pickup group number, Cisco CallManager automatically updates all directory numbers assigned to that call pickup group.

You do not need to reset phones to reflect changes related to call pickup groups, but you must update the database.

Where to Find More Information

Related Topics

Phone Button Template Configuration, Cisco CallManager Administration Guide

Cisco IP Phone Configuration, Cisco CallManager Administration Guide

Partition Configuration, Cisco CallManager Administration Guide

Call Park Configuration, Cisco CallManager Administration Guide

Additional Cisco Documentation

Cisco IP Phone Administration Guide for Cisco CallManager

Cisco IP Phone user documentation and release notes (all models)