Telephony
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Please note that the Cisco Webex combined with the telephone system may currently have errors in addition to the communication potential. If you come across an error, please let us know: [email protected]
The workplace phone is extended by the telephony functionality of Cisco Webex (softphone), so that telephone calls (image & sound) are no longer only possible from the workplace. In this way, a business phone is always available in mobile work situations (business trips, home office) as well as in conferences/meetings or in the lecture hall with Cisco Webex. You will find important details on handling and the options in the following paragraphs on this page:
- Differentation - Students & Employees
- Hardwarerequirement - The right equipment for telephony
- Interaction - Workplace phone & Cisco Webex
- Chosing the telephone call - Reachability & Channel selection
- Call situations - Where does it ring? Where not?
- Functions - Advanced options
- Call settings - Where should it ring?
- Webex with VPN - Interaction & compromises
- Applications - Smartphone & Tablet
- UP TO DATE: The future of the telefony at the TH OWL
Differentiation
The full telephony functionality, i.e. making calls via a telephone number (work address), is only available to university employees with a work telephone number. Students can only use Cisco Webex to make so-called Webex calls via their e-mail address.
- Employees with a work telephone number can use Cisco Webex for landline calls (including availability) and Webex calls.
- Students can only use Cisco Webex for Webex calls.
The additional settings required for this are explained under Procurement - Setup (telephone).
- Linking - How to recognize and use the different call types Telephone call or Webex call is explained below in the section Selecting the telephone call - Accessability or Channel selection.
Hardwarerequirement
To be able to use Webex telephony, employees must be equipped with the appropriate hardware. Depending on the telephony quality requirements, there is a wide range of possible equipment.
- Minimum: Laptop with built-in webcam, loudspeaker and microphone
- Better: Laptop or desktop computer with wired headset and built-in webcam
- Ideal: Laptop or desktop computer with Bluetooth headset and external HD webcam
To enable the organisational units to better estimate the costs, the S(kim) will submit concrete proposals for the above categories in a timely manner.
Interaction
The interaction between your workstation phone and the Cisco Webex softphone can be configured individually. All devices currently logged on (workstation phone and Cisco Webex) always ring when a call comes in, so that the answering system on the respective end device decides where the call is made.
Interactions with apps - Cisco Webex can also be used on mobile devices (smartphone, tablet) and can also be setup (telephone) on these devices for employees with a work telephone number. However, if several devices (computer, tablet, smartphone) are configured at the same time, only one device will be the active ringing device in parallel to the work phone.
Forwarding? - The workstation phone and Cisco Webex (softphone) can be forwarded to another device via the university's phone portal. For this scenario, please bear in mind that this will incur costs for the university (e.g. forwarding to a smartphone) and whether such forwarding is still necessary when using Cisco Webex (computer, tablet, smartphone).
Dismantling - If other softphone solutions such as Cisco Jabber are set up for the business phone number in addition to the Cisco Webex software, incoming calls can quickly become confusing, as several apps and devices ring at the same time. If these programs also generate additional system messages (e.g.: incoming text messages) and forward them to the smartphone, it becomes complicated and confusing. Please uninstall Cisco Jabber and deactivate call forwarding for your business phone number. Cisco Webex offers full accessibility even without these products.
Chosing the telephone call
Channel selection
University employees have two options for making a telephone call:
- Telephone (classic) - To do this, switch to the tab of the same name
- Cisco Webex (new) - To do this, switch to the index card of the same name
Good to know: Only the Cisco Webex (new) option is available to students.
Call situations
Due to the link between the phone and Cisco Webex, in certain situations it may not be possible to make a call. Perhaps the other party has not installed the Cisco Webex software or the software has not been started. With this in mind, you will find all possible call combinations of workstation phone, Cisco Webex softphone, external call partners and students displayed here so that you can quickly see where it rings and where it may not:
Use your workstation telephone to dial the telephone number of the person you are calling. If your call partner has their workstation telephone active (logged in), it will ring and your number or telephone name will be displayed (e.g. "SKIM A. Mustermann").
- Rings: Workplace phone, forwarded number if applicable (cell phone, private phone), Cisco Webex
- Silent: Cisco Webex if not installed or not started
Use your work phone to dial the telephone number of the person you are calling. If the person you are calling has installed and started the Cisco Webex software on a computer or mobile device (smartphone/tablet), the phone rings and your number or name is displayed (e.g. "Anton Mustermann").
- Rings: Cisco Webex, work phone, possibly forwarded number (cell phone, private phone)
- Silent: Cisco Webex if not installed or not started
Use the Cisco Webex software to initiate a call by selecting a call partner (search, history) and then selecting whether the call should take place via image & sound (button with camera) or only via sound (button with handset). Then select the "Phone number & work" setting. If the person you are talking to has their work telephone active (registered), it will ring and your number or telephone name will be displayed (e.g. "SKIM A. Mustermann").
- Rings: Workplace phone, possibly forwarded number (cell phone, private phone), Cisco Webex
- Silent: Cisco Webex if not installed or not started
You initiate a call via the Cisco Webex software by selecting a call partner (search, history) and then selecting whether the call should take place via image & sound (button with camera) or only via sound (button with handset). Then select the "Call via Webex" setting. If the person you are calling has installed and started the Cisco Webex software on a computer or mobile device (smartphone/tablet), it will ring and your number or name will be displayed (e.g. "Anton Mustermann").
- Rings: Cisco Webex
- Silent: Workstation phone, possibly forwarded number (cell phone, private phone)
Dial the telephone number of your external call partner via your workstation phone. If your external call partner has a functioning terminal device (telephone) behind the dialled number, this will ring.
- Rings: External telephone
- Silent: only in the event of an external error
You initiate a call via the Cisco Webex software by selecting a call partner (search, history) and selecting whether the call should take place via image & sound (button with camera) or only via sound (button with handset). Then select the "Phone number & work" setting. If your external call partner has a functioning end device (telephone) behind the dialed number, it will ring.
- Rings: External telephone
- Silent: only in the event of an external error
Use your workstation phone to dial the telephone number of the person you are calling. If the person you are calling has installed and started the Cisco Webex software on a computer or mobile device (smartphone/tablet), the phone rings and your number or name is displayed (e.g. "Anton Mustermann").
- Rings: External Cisco Webex software
- Silent: External Cisco Webex software if not installed or not started
You initiate a call via the Cisco Webex software by selecting a call partner (search, history) and then selecting whether the call should take place via image & sound (button with camera) or only via sound (button with handset). Then select the "Call via Webex" setting. If your external call partner has installed and started the Cisco Webex software on a computer or mobile device (smartphone/tablet), it will ring and your number or name will be displayed (e.g. "Anton Mustermann").
- Rings: Cisco Webex
- Silent: External Cisco Webex software if not installed or not started
Students who have communicated their telephone number can call you directly with Cisco Webex by entering the telephone number. If the students have also installed and configured the Cisco Webex software with their TH user account, you can reach the students by entering their e-mail address or searching there.
Webex with VPN
The VPN client is not necessary for the operation of Cisco Webex. It is recommended to terminate the VPN connection, especially in the case of poor connections in web conferences. Without a VPN connection, however, depending on the type of conference, there may be a lack of access rights for documents on internal university drives or similar (e.g. MS OneNote or similar).
- Good to know: When changing to a VPN dial-in to the university network from the Internet, but also when deactivating the VPN dial-in (consciously / unconsciously), the connection from Cisco Webex to the telephone system may be interrupted. This is signaled in Cisco Webex at the bottom right by the text "Connection to telephone services interrupted". To reconnect, the software must be restarted once.
Applications
The Cisco Webex app is available for mobile devices (smartphone/tablet) and therefore also offers the option of telephony. This means that the mobile device can be used as an additional telephone device for the business telephone number. How you can obtain these apps is described in the Procurement - Mobile Apps for Smartphone and Tablet section.
- Good to know: In order to be able to call external numbers on clients on mobile devices, employees must currently request this service from S(kim). Simply send us an e-mail to
The future of telephony at TH OWL
University telephony is about to change. In future, telephone calls will no longer begin with picking up the phone, but with picking up a headset. Although there may still be a few desk phones, the majority of calls will be made via the Webex communication tool in future. This applies to both internal university communication and calls with external parties.
Please take five minutes to watch the video presentation on the right so that you can understand the reasons for the upcoming changes to telephony.
Hint: This video is only available in German
What happens next?
- Home - Navigate back to the home page of this documentation
- Procurement - Procuring and setting up Cisco Webex
- Telephony - Cisco Webex as a mobile business phone
- Conferencing - Cisco Webex for web conferences/lectures
- Chat - Cisco Webex for short messages
- Networking - Cisco Webex for contacts and calendar appointments
- AddOns - Cisco Webex and additional software
- Design - Planning an online event
- Kompact - Cisco Webex Dos & Don'ts