How do I use my Cisco 8800 Series IP phone?

In This Article:

• Overview
• Main Screen
• Buttons
  • Line Buttons
  • Session Buttons
  • Function Buttons
• Soft Keys
• Back of the Phone
  • Sidecar
• Call Basics
  • Status lights
  • Answering a Call
  • Ending a Call
  • Switching Between Calls
  • Placing a Second Call While Connected
  • Redial
  • Call Forwarding
• Callback
• Conference Calling
• Directories
• Call History
  • View All Calls
  • Clear Call History
  • Clear an Individual Call from History
• Other Tasks
  • Edit Call Details
  • Shared Lines
  • Group Pickup
  • Changing the Ringtone

Overview:

This article includes instructions for all phones in the 8800 series: the 8811, 8841, 8851, 8861, and 8865. Except where noted, the instructions in this artcle are the same for all models. Instructions for using other Cisco phone models can be found in the following articles:

• How do I use my Cisco 7841 IP Phone?
• How do I use my Cisco IP 8831 Phone?
• How do I use my Cisco 8845 model IP Phone?
• How do I use my Cisco IP Phone model 7800?

Main Screen:

The phone’s screen displays the following information by default:

1	Date and time
2	Your phone number
3	Your name / caller ID
4	Soft key functions
5	Phone functions

Note: The 8811 phone has a grayscale screen. All other models have a color screen.

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Buttons:

All 8800 series phones have three main groups of buttons.     

Line Buttons:

On the left side of the display are five line buttons.

Each connected phone line can have a button associated with it. You can connect up to four lines to one phone. If there is only one connected line on the phone, the rest of the line buttons do nothing. 

Session Buttons:

On the right side of the display are five session buttons.

These perform various functions, such as beginning a call, dialing voicemail, and displaying call history.  

Function Buttons:

1	Return	Go back to the previous menu.
2	End call	End the current call.
3	Voice mail	Dial your voice mail box.
4	Applications	Launch applications that perform specific tasks.
5	Directories	Access directory numbers.
6	Hold	Place a call on hold.
7	Forward	Send the current caller to another number.
8	Conference	Connect two or more calls together into a single conference.
9	Speaker phone	Transfer call audio to the speaker phone.
10	Headset	Transfer the call from the handset to a connected headset.
11	Mute	Silence all audio.
12	Navigation pad	Scroll up or down through menu options.
13	Select button	Press to make a selection.
14	Volume	Increase or lower the call volume.

 

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Soft Keys:

Beneath the main screen are a series of “soft keys,” whose function changes depending on what you’re currently doing.

The four default key settings are:  

1	Redial	Automatically dial the last number called.
2	New Call	Press to make a new call.
3	Fwd All	Forward all calls to another number.
4	More	Shows more functions.

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Back of the Phone:

You can find the following on the back of the phone. Please note that the ports are slightly different depending on what model you have.  

1	DC power input	Connect additional DC power if required.
2	USB charging port*	Supplies power to charge a phone or tablet.
3	Ethernet in port	Connects the phone to an Ethernet network.
4	Ethernet out port	Connect to a client to provide network access.
5	AUX port	For connecting an external headset.
6	Mic in / audio out ports*	Connect an external microphone and speakers.
7	Headset connector	For connecting an external headset.
8	Handset connector	Connects the handset.

  * Only available on the 8861 and 8865.      

Sidecar:

The 8861 and 8865 will accept a sidecar, which holds additional speed dial numbers. If your phone supports a sidecar, the connector is located on the phone’s right side:  

   

To install the sidecar, line up the ports on both devices, then gently push the sidecar in until it stops. To remove the sidecar, gently pull the unit away from the phone until it detaches.  

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Call Basics:

Status Lights:

When a new call is received:

1. The red light on the handset will flash.
2. The line button next to the incoming call flashes orange.
3. A ringing call icon appears next to Caller ID.

When a call is in progress, the line buttons will turn green. 

   

Answering a Call:

You can answer a call in four ways:

1. Pick up handset.
2. If you have a headset connected, press the Headset button to transfer the call to it.
3. Press the line button next to the line in use.  
4. Press the “Answer” soft key.

If you do not pick up the handset, the call is placed on speaker by default. (You can still use the handset after answering.)  

Ending a Call:

You can end a call in four ways:

1. Put down handset.
2. Hang up the headset.
3. Press the line button next to the line in use.
4. Press “End Call” soft key.

Switching Between Calls:

If you receive a second call while on the line, that caller’s ID will display briefly.

     

The top bar on the display will show call count (call # of #).  

To switch between calls:

1. Use the navigation pad to select the second call.
2. To accept the call, press the “Answer” soft key. The first call is placed on hold.
3. To decline the second call, select it and press the “Decline” soft key.

Placing a Second Call while Connected:

To place another call while another call is active:

1. Press the Hold button.
2. Press the “New Call” soft key. The current call will be placed on hold.

Redial:

To automatically dial the last called number, press the “Redial” soft key.  

Call Forwarding:

This function allows you to forward your phone to another number.   For your primary line, you can set up Call Forwarding on your phone. For all other lines, or to access Call Forwarding remotely, log into the Self Care portal at https://voice.uidaho.edu  

To begin forwarding calls from the phone:

1. Press the “Fwd All” soft key.
2. Enter the forwarding number (where calls will go to), as you would dial it on your phone. Include 8 to dial an outside line.

3. On the main screen, the display will show “To <forwarding number>”.
4. To cancel the forward, press the “Fwd Off” soft key. The phone will display “Forwarding Off”.

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Callback:

If you try to reach someone and receive a busy signal, voicemail, or the call is not answered, the Callback feature can alert you when that person is available to talk. If enabled, Callback appears on your phone as a feature button or a soft key.   To use callback:

1. While listening to the busy tone or a ring sound, press Callback.
2. A confirmation screen displays on the phone. Press Exit to exit the confirmation screen.
3. When the line becomes available, you will receive an audio and a visual notification on your phone when the line is free.
4. Press Dial to place the call again.

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Conference Calling:

Use the Conference feature when you want to connect multiple callers.  

To begin a new conference:

1. While on a call, press the “Conference” key.
2. Enter a participant’s phone number.
3. After the phone begins to ring, press the “Conference” key again to begin the conference call. You can also use the soft keys to initiate and connect a conference call.
4. When the conference call has begun, the phone display will show “Conference” instead of caller ID.

5. To add more participants to the conference call, repeat steps 1-3.

  To combine multiple calls already in progress.

1. While on an active call, verify that you have at least two connected calls.
2. Press the “Conference” hard key or soft key, and the line button for the calls on hold.
3. Press the Conference button or soft key. Then, press the “Active calls” soft key to choose from the calls in progress.

1. Select the call to add to the conference.
2. Press the Conference button or soft key to begin the conference.

To view and remove conference participants during a conference, press the “Details” soft key. To remove a participant from the call, highlight a name and press “Remove”.  

The conference ends when all participants hang up.

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Directories:

You can view and search for contacts using the Personal and Corporate directories. To view these directories:

1. Press the Contacts button.
2. The Personal Directory will allow you to access your Personal Address Book and Fast Dials. You can set up and maintain your Personal Directory using your phone, or by using your User Options webpages.
3. The Corporate Directory will allow you to access employee names and phone numbers. You can search for a co-worker’s name and number, and then dial that number from the Corporate Directory.

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Call History:

View All Calls:

To view all recent calls:

1. Press the “Applications” button and select “Recents”.
2. Depending on how your phone is configured, you can select “All Lines” to show the last 150 calls received on all configured lines; or select an individual line to view its history.
3. To view only missed calls, press the “Missed” soft key.

Clear Call History:

To clear your entire call history, either for all lines or for a specific line:

1. Press the “More” soft key, then “Clear”
2. Confirm you wish to delete the list by pressing the “Delete” soft key again
3. Removing individual calls from history

Clear an Individual Call from History:

To remove an individual call from history:

1. Highlight the call to be removed. Select the “More” soft key, then “Details”
2. To remove the call, press the “Delete” soft key
3. Confirm that you wish to delete the call by pressing “Delete” again.

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Other Tasks:

Edit Call Details:

You may need to edit an existing number to add an outside line number or long distance access code.

1. Press the “Edit|Dial” soft key.
2. To view details for a call, highlight the call and press the “Details” soft key.

Shared Lines:

If you share a line with a co-worker or an Administrative Assistant, you share a phone number.

• Either you or your co-worker can answer a ringing call on the shared line.
• When your co-worker has a call on the shared line, your shared line button is solid red.
• When your co-worker puts a call on hold, the session button on your phone pulses red. Either you or your co-worker can resume the call.  
• The second person can also “barge” a call that you are handling on the shared line. “Barging” means joining your call by turning the call in to a conference. You will typically hear a beep and your phone screen will change to display conference details.  

To prevent call barging, use the “Private” feature button:

1. To verify that Privacy is enabled, look for the “Private” enabled icon next to an amber line button. This will block others who share a line from you from being able to barge in on your shared line call.
2. Press the “Private” feature button again to disable.

Group Pickup:

To answer a call that is ringing on another extension within your group:

1. Press an available line button.
2. Press the “More” soft key and the “PickUp” soft key. The call now rings on your phone. 

  To answer a call that is ringing on another extension outside of your group:

1. Press an available line button and the “Group PickUp” soft key.
2. Enter the call group pickup code number provided by your system administrator. The call now rings on your phone.

Change Ringtone:

You can select from several ringtones for your phone. To change the ringtone:

1. Press the Applications Button.
2. Select “Preferences,” then select “Ringtone.”
3. If there is more than one line on the phone, select the line you want to change the ringtone for. Otherwise, scroll through the list and select the desired ringtone.
4. A clip of each tone will play when selected. To apply the changes, click the “Set” soft key.

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