Make a paging call

The paging feature is used to spread announcements to all phones in the same call system.

If your administrator configures your phone as a member of a paging group. In the paging group, your phone automatically answers a paging call from other Cisco IP phones in the same network.

Each paging group has a unique number associated with it. Your administrator gives you the configured paging group numbers. When your phone receives an incoming paging, you can hear three short beeps. The phone immediately establishes a one-way audio between you and the phone that called you. Therefore, you can't decline the paging call. When you're on an active paging, your microphone is muted automatically.

As a paging sender, you can dial the paging group number to spread your announcements to all phones in the same paging group.

Before you begin

Your administrator has configured the paging feature on your phone.

1

Dial the number of the paging group, and make the paging call.

You can hear one short beep, and the Paging one-way audio icon Outgoing page message appears.

If you're on an active call when you make a paging call, the active call ends automatically.

If a paging group number is configured as a speed dial on a line, you can use the line to make a paging call directly. The action button (red button on top right of the phone) can also be configured with a paging group number.

2

Select End when you finish the call.

Answer a paging call

When someone in your paging group initiates a paging call, your phone might answer the call automatically with mute activated. In the meantime, you can hear three short beeps, the Pagiing announcement icon Incoming page message and mute notification appear on the phone screen.

1

Listen for the announcement from the paging initiator.

According to the priority of paging calls, the behavior might be different:

  • (Top priority): Your active call will be put on hold automatically.
  • (Default priority): You can hear the mix of the paging and your active call.
  • (Lower priority): You will be alerted with the paging tone, the incoming paging will be answered when you put the active call on hold or end the call.
  • (Lowest priority): Your phone ignores the incoming paging when you're on an active call.

If you want to change the priority of paging calls, contact your administrator for support.

2

(Optional) If you want to switch between the home screen and the paging window, do the following:

For 9841, 9851, and 9861 phones Press Home to go to the home screen; press Paging to show the paging window.

Icon for 9871 and 8875 for common topics Tap Hide to go to the home screen; tap The soft button of "Incoming page" window for 9871 and 8875 (at the bottom right of the home screen) to show the paging window.

3

Select End when you finish the call.

XML application and paging

If your phone is part of a paging group with an XML application configured, when you receive an incoming paging from a phone in the same group, your phone answers the paging automatically with mute activated. In addition, your phone screen displays the images and texts fetched from the XML application.

During a paging call, phones in the paging group have the following behavior:

  • Phone (sender) that initiates the paging doesn't display any XML application message.
  • Phones (receiver) that receive paging displays an XML application message (image and texts) on their screen when the paging starts, if your administrator configures the XML service.
  • If your administrator configures a timeout for the XML application, you may still see the XML application message on the phone screen until the timeout is reached, even though the paging has ended. However, if there is no timeout configured, the XML application closes when the paging ends.

Similar to the multicast paging feature (without XML application), your administrator gives you the paging group number. You can make a paging call by using the number to the other phones in the same paging group. If your administrator configures paging with an XML application, the paging message contains images and texts.

As a receiver, if you don't want to view the XML application message, press Exit (on 9841/9851/9861) or tap Back (on 9871/8875) to leave from the current screen.

Webex meeting and paging

When you're in a Webex meeting, you might leave the meeting automatically due to an incoming paging (with top priority). For other lower-priority paging, the paging notification doesn't display until the meeting ends. Therefore, the paging will be answered automatically after the meeting ends.

You can't be on a paging and in a meeting simultaneously. If there is an active paging and you want to join a meeting, select End from the incoming paging window.