FAQ: phone calls

The pop-up is a compact call control window that lets you mute or end an active call, and is useful if you want to keep those controls on top of your desktop without 8x8 Work for Desktop obstructing the rest of your windows. To quickly return to the advanced call controls in the application's active call screen, simply double-click the floating call control window.

If you find the call control window unnecessary, for example when using 8x8 Work alongside 8x8 Contact Center, you can disable the call control window; in 8x8 Work for Desktop go to either Call using or Settings > Audio & Video, and disable the Enable call control window setting.

During calls, low speaker or microphone volume can cause frustration and communication problems. Most of the time, these problems come from improper settings at the level of the operating system. When the Show device issues alerts setting (under Call using or Settings > Audio & Video) is enabled in 8x8 Work for Desktop, the app displays alerts when audio device issues are detected.

• Low speaker volume alert: During calls, when the app detects that your selected speaker volume is less than 10%, the app prompts you to increase the volume from your operating system controls.
  
  • On Windows: From the bottom of your screen, open your system volume controls and increase the volume as needed.
    
  • On Mac: From the top of your screen, open your system volume controls and increase the volume as needed.
    
• Low microphone volume alert: During calls, when the app detects that your microphone volume is less than 20%, the app prompts you to increase the volume from your operating system controls.
  
  • On Windows: Go to Settings > System > Sound > Input > Device Properties, and slide the microphone volume between 80-100% depending on your microphone sensitivity.
    
  • On Mac: Go to System Preferences > Sound > Input, select the device input for your used microphone, and slide the Input volume between 80-100% depending on your microphone sensitivity.
    

Your calls might be going to voicemail for two reasons:

• You might have enabled Do Not Disturb for your user profile. Make sure that your presence status is not set to Do Not Disturb, and check that you have not set yourself to DND by entering a key shortcut in your desk phone.
• You might have enabled a call forwarding rule that forwards all incoming calls to voicemail. Disable call forwarding, or change your call forwarding rules to ensure that calls reach you when you are available.

You can enable pop-up notifications for missed calls under the Calls section of Settings > Notifications:

Known limitation: At this time, as a Virtual Office Classic user, you must use a workaround to log in or out of your call queues in the new interface.

To log in or out of your call queues in the new interface:

1. Ensure that your call audio goes through your computer.

   By default, you make and receive calls in 8x8 Work for Desktop using your computer microphone and speakers. By opening the Call using menu, you can switch your calling device or number, or add another number to call from.
   

   To switch calling device:

   1. Open the Call using menu.
   2. In the menu that opens, you can select:

      • Computer: Use your computer to make calls, and choose which microphone and speakers to use for call audio. To test your speakers, click Test audio . If you are using a headset, please refer to our details on call control via headset.

        Note: If you want 8x8 Work for Desktop to always use the audio devices selected in your operating system settings, select the microphone and speaker options labeled as Default in 8x8 Work for Desktop.
        
        

      • Desk phone: Use your desk phone to make calls; even if you dial a number or click to call from 8x8 Work for Desktop, the call will be placed from your desk phone.
        • To automatically send the call from the desk phone once the number is dialed from 8x8 Work, enable Auto Off-Hook for outbound calls.
        • To send the call from the desk phone by picking up the receiver manually once the number is dialed from 8x8 Work, disable Auto Off-Hook for outbound calls.
        • If your desk phone also supports incoming call management for 8x8 Work, enable Device supports Answer.
      • Custom number: You can add other numbers to the list to call from as needed, such as your mobile number.
   3. Close the menu to apply your changes.
2. Create two personal contacts to log in and log out of call queues.

   1. Go to Contacts > My Contacts.
   2. Click New Contact and select Add new contact to start creating a new contact.
   3. Enter the contact details. You can name the contacts to indicate their purpose (such as LogOutCallQueue).
      1. For the contact used to log in, list the phone number as <557,,1>.
      2. For the contact used to log out, list the phone number as <557,,3>.
      When you are finished with a contact, click Save contact. The personal contact now shows up under Contacts > My Contacts.
3. For quick access, mark the two contacts as favorites from their contact screens. Call them whenever you need to log in or out of your call queues.

You can configure your settings to notify you via email whenever you receive a voicemail; notifications are sent to the email address associated with your user profile. Depending on whether your organization is an X Series, Virtual Office Editions, or Virtual Office Classic customer, your settings are found in different locations:

• If your organization is an X Series or Virtual Office Editions customer, all available settings are found under your Settings .
• If your organization is a Virtual Office Classic customer, you can access some of your older settings under Settings > Account settings. In addition to setting up call recording and voicemail settings, you can select the music that plays for a caller that you put on hold.

To set up voicemail notifications as an X Series or Virtual Office Editions user:

1. Go to Settings > Account settings to open your account settings in a browser page.
2. Under Voicemail settings, you can set:
   • Your email address to receive voicemail notifications.
   • Whether or not you receive an email notification.
   • Your voicemail password (password length is limited to six digits).
   • Whether callers who reach your voicemail can choose to be redirected to another number you specify.

To set up voicemail notifications as a Virtual Office Classic user:

1. Open your 8x8 Account Settings app to access your account settings.

   Note: If you do not have the 8x8 Account Settings app downloaded, go to Settings > Account settings and open the download page for the app.

2. Under My Services > Voicemail Settings, you can select:
   • Your email address to receive voicemail notifications.
   • The information you want included in emailed voicemail notifications, such as:
     • A link to a web page where you can access your voicemails, and an attachment containing the voicemail.
     • Only an attachment containing the voicemail.
     • Only a link to a web page where you can access your voicemails.
     • Only a written notification that the voicemail was received.
     • No email notification.
   • Your voicemail password (password length is controlled by your administrator).
   • Your time zone.

When you open the dial pad from your Calls list, you can use dial pad key shortcuts (also called star codes) to perform various actions.
For details on Barge-Monitor-Whisper shortcuts (labeled as BMW), please refer to our Barge-Monitor-Whisper Quick Reference Guide.

Let's say you are on an 8x8 Work call on your mobile device but your battery is running low, or that you are on a call on your desk phone but want to switch to your laptop for advanced call management capabilities; you can flip your call to any device associated with your 8x8 Work extension without the other party on the call even realizing that you have flipped the call to a different device!

If you want to flip a call:

• To 8x8 Work for Desktop, 8x8 Work for Web, or 8x8 Work for Mobile: Open your dial pad and dial *88, or simply click Flip call in the banner notification that pops up when 8x8 Work detects a call on another device! The app you flip the active call to receives the call, and automatically answers it.

  

  Note: If you have Call using deskphone enabled when selecting your calling device, the call flip banner does not show up in your desktop or web app. Instead, the active call is labeled as active via your desk phone.

• To your desk phone: Dial *88 from your dial pad. Your desk phone receives the active call and automatically answers it.

To click to call a contact in 8x8 Work and call using your desk phone, you can switch your calling device to your desk phone from the Call using menu.

By default, you make and receive calls in 8x8 Work for Desktop using your computer microphone and speakers. By opening the Call using menu, you can switch your calling device or number, or add another number to call from.

To switch calling device:

1. Open the Call using menu.
2. In the menu that opens, you can select:

   • Computer: Use your computer to make calls, and choose which microphone and speakers to use for call audio. To test your speakers, click Test audio . If you are using a headset, please refer to our details on call control via headset.

     Note: If you want 8x8 Work for Desktop to always use the audio devices selected in your operating system settings, select the microphone and speaker options labeled as Default in 8x8 Work for Desktop.
     
     

   • Desk phone: Use your desk phone to make calls; even if you dial a number or click to call from 8x8 Work for Desktop, the call will be placed from your desk phone.
     • To automatically send the call from the desk phone once the number is dialed from 8x8 Work, enable Auto Off-Hook for outbound calls.
     • To send the call from the desk phone by picking up the receiver manually once the number is dialed from 8x8 Work, disable Auto Off-Hook for outbound calls.
     • If your desk phone also supports incoming call management for 8x8 Work, enable Device supports Answer.
   • Custom number: You can add other numbers to the list to call from as needed, such as your mobile number.
3. Close the menu to apply your changes.

Not all desk phones support in-depth call management for incoming 8x8 Work calls. If your desk phone is not supported, you can continue to make outbound calls using your desk phone (and enable Auto Connect in the menu that allows you to call using your computer or desk phone), but you must disable Device supports Answer.

Let's say you commonly call an organization such as a large office or pharmacy, you are familiar with that organization's IVR menu: "For sales, press 1. For billing inquiries, press 2. To return to the main menu, press *..." You can save time and avoid long menus by creating a contact for repeated use, or by adding your choices while dialing a number in 8x8 Work for Desktop.

To add IVR menu choices to a contact:

1. Go to Contacts > My Contacts.
2. Click New Contact and select Add new contact to start creating a new contact.
3. Enter the contact details.
4. Type in a comma when you need to insert a pause for the IVR menu. The pause you entered is indicated by a comma in the phone number.
5. Insert your IVR menu choice numbers, each separated by a pause. For example, if you want to save the phone number <555-5555>, with IVR option <1> followed by IVR option <2>, the number would appear as <555-5555,1,2> when complete.
6. When you are finished, click Save contact. The contact with your IVR choices now shows up under Contacts > My Contacts.

To add IVR menu choices while dialing:

1. Open Calls .
2. Click Dial pad to bring up the dial pad.
3. While dialing a number, you can enter your IVR menu choices by typing in a comma before the number that indicates the IVR selection.
   Similarly, you can enter a plus for international calls by typing in a plus before the phone number.

The in-call keypad is distinct from a standard dial pad you access while not on a call. When you enter a number in the dial pad, you must call the number manually once it is entered, but when you enter a digit from the keypad, the digit is sent instantly as an audible DTMF tone (touch-tone). To access the keypad, click Keypad while on a call.

8x8 Work for Desktop only pulls information from your company directory and personal contacts, but 8x8 Work for Mobile can pull information from your device contacts as well, if permitted. If you use 8x8 Work to call contacts that are listed on your device, call logs with device contacts will be more detailed on mobile than on desktop.

1. Open Contacts .
2. Go to Favorites, Company, or My Contacts.
3. Hover over the desired contact, and click the More option that appears to open a drop-down menu.

4. From the drop-down, select Contact info to display the contact details. If available, you can find the contact’s department and title, their email address, their phone, fax, and extension numbers, and more.
   From the contact details, you can call, message, or fax the contact.

   Note: You cannot edit the information associated with company contacts; you can only customize your personal contacts, found under Contacts > My Contacts.

To see your missed calls, go to Calls > Calls or Calls > Missed. Calls are labeled as missed , incoming , or outgoing to indicate the direction of the call.

Do you find yourself answering spam calls on your work number? No need to worry; if your organization is an X Series or Virtual Office Editions customer, you can simply block spam callers from your list of call logs or voicemails!

Note: If your administrator has not enabled the option to block spam callers, the option appears grayed out.

To block spam callers:

1. Open Calls .
2. From a call log or voicemail, hover over the number of a spam caller, and click the More option that appears to open a menu.
3. From the menu, select Block caller to block the spam caller.
   

Note: You still can block/unblock a spam caller directly from the contact card. First, you have to search for the blocked number.

To unblock spam callers:

Note: If your administrator has not enabled the option to block spam callers, the option appears grayed out.

1. From the navigation menu, select Search and type the number you wish to unblock.
2. When located, hover over the number, and click Calls .
3. From a call log or voicemail, hover over the number of a spam caller, and click More that appears to open a menu.

4. From the menu, select Unblock caller to unblock the spam caller.

   

Note: You still can block/unblock a spam caller directly from the contact card. First, you have to search for the blocked number.

To further streamline your calling experience:

• To dial phone numbers in emails or web pages with a single click, you can use 8x8 Web Dialer.

• To start a call within the 8x8 Work for Desktop and 8x8 Work for Web apps, you can use the click-to-call tel:// links protocol in your browser. Click any number within a browser to place a call from the 8x8 Work apps.