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Initiating / hosting conference calls w Sonic Fiber Voice -- and recommended cordless phone model?

Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2019 7:55 pm
by wmw123
Hi,

I am very happy Sonic Gigabit Fiber customer and I need to initiate / host conference calls -- i.e. call 1st person, place on hold, call 2nd person, merge the 2 calls -- and, ideally, be able to then call a 3rd person and merge them into the conference, so I have a 4-way conference call.

I bought a cordless Panasonic phone with several handsets, whose specs said “Conference Call Capability: 3-way” -- only to find out that by “3-way” they meant “2 [of your own] handsets + 1 [single] outside line” … i.e. it has absolutely no features that support an actual 3-way call.

(I am reminded that “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy defines the marketing division … as ‘a bunch of mindless jerks who'll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes’ ...”)

I just found out that to Sonic’s credit, the Sonic Voice service supports 3-way calling even when your phone does not -- this is described here: https://help.sonic.com/hc/en-us/article ... ay-Calling

That functionality is great but it is limited (at least from the phone I have) -- you have to enter the 2nd phone # when calling (can’t use the phone’s saved numbers), cannot place either call on hold after you have joined them, cannot host 4-way call.

I have 2 questions:

>> 1. Can someone recommend a good model of a cordless phone that i.) supports hosting a 3-way call easily (and ideally a 4-way call), and ii.) preferably has a standard, 2.5 mm headset jack in the handsets?
(The iPhone has an awesome interface that supports easily making up to a 5-way call -- I am trying to find a phone that works as easily but goes over the Sonic Voice service to get better connection + have a backup to using my iPhone.)

>> 2. If I get the right phone that supports 4-way calling, would the Sonic Voice service support that (i.e. allow my phone to maintain 3 outside calls simultaneously)?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Re: Initiating / hosting conference calls w Sonic Fiber Voice -- and recommended cordless phone model?

Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2019 9:29 pm
by virtualmike
The "bridge" for conference calling is located in Sonic's telephone switch. Like most telephone company systems, it only supports thee parties on a call. Generally, business class calling is required for more than that.

A phone that supports the bridging internally must support multiple phone lines--one for each party on the call. That gets a bit unwieldy unless you regularly use the additional phone lines.

I have a Panasonic KX-TG7731 cordless system (with standard, 2.5 mm headset jack in each handset), and I can add a second party to call using the phone book, but it's not obvious how to do so. The process is:

1. Be connected on one call (it doesn't matter who called whom)

2. Press the "Call Wait/Flash" button; you should hear a dial tone

3. Press the "Menu" softkey (in my case, it's the middle button under the handset display)

4. Use the down button to scroll to Phone Book (in my case, I get there after 2 presses)

5. Type the first letter of the contact to be dialed

6. Use the down button to scroll to the correct entry

7. Press the "Call" softkey (in my case, it's the middle button under the handset display)

8. Wait for the other party to answer

9. Press the "Call Wait/Flash" button again and all three parties will be connected

To have more than three parties on the call, I'd recommend using one of the many free conference calling services that you can find through a web search. Most have pretty good voice quality. Since there's no cost, you can try multiple ones until you find one you like.

Re: Initiating / hosting conference calls w Sonic Fiber Voice -- and recommended cordless phone model?

Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2019 10:51 pm
by wmw123
virtualmike, thank you very much! Super helpful!

Re: Initiating / hosting conference calls w Sonic Fiber Voice -- and recommended cordless phone model?

Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 8:01 am
by cmeisel
virtualmike wrote:The "bridge" for conference calling is located in Sonic's telephone switch. Like most telephone company systems, it only supports thee parties on a call. Generally, business class calling is required for more than that.

A phone that supports the bridging internally must support multiple phone lines--one for each party on the call. That gets a bit unwieldy unless you regularly use the additional phone lines.

I have a Panasonic KX-TG7731 cordless system (with standard, 2.5 mm headset jack in each handset), and I can add a second party to call using the phone book, but it's not obvious how to do so. The process is:

1. Be connected on one call (it doesn't matter who called whom)

2. Press the "Call Wait/Flash" button; you should hear a dial tone

3. Press the "Menu" softkey (in my case, it's the middle button under the handset display)

4. Use the down button to scroll to Phone Book (in my case, I get there after 2 presses)

5. Type the first letter of the contact to be dialed

6. Use the down button to scroll to the correct entry

7. Press the "Call" softkey (in my case, it's the middle button under the handset display)

8. Wait for the other party to answer

9. Press the "Call Wait/Flash" button again and all three parties will be connected

To have more than three parties on the call, I'd recommend using one of the many free conference calling services that you can find through a web search. Most have pretty good voice quality. Since there's no cost, you can try multiple ones until you find one you like.

Like this one for example:
https://www.uberconference.com/pricing

Free for up to 10 and works well. There is also zoom (limited to 45 min in free mode)