Multi-Line Support Using Virtual Lines

Introduction

Daily phone users, like agents in contact centers, may need to communicate on multiple lines to support their organization’s high-volume calls. This is made possible by Webex Calling's multi-line feature. Users are able to manage their busy days better because it is simple to place and receive calls using various assigned directory numbers.

Common use cases of virtual lines are:

• Users in support roles who manage a high-volume of incoming calls across multiple queues and hunt groups.
• Regional workers who desire phone numbers in multiple local area codes.
• Administrative staff who manage calls for executives on shared lines.
• An executive who needs separate private and public lines.

The prerequisites to configure a virtual line are:

• You must be either a full administrator or a user and device administrator.
• Virtual lines can be assigned only to users with Webex Calling professional licenses.

Benefits

Virtual line offers multiple benefits for both administrators and end users.

For administrators:

• Full flexibility to assign, change, and delete the line easily at any time as it’s not tied to any specific user or device.
• No additional license, user ID, or email is required to create a virtual line.

For end users:

• Access to multiple lines to organize the busy day much more efficiently.
• Handle calls from any device at any time when the same line is assigned to multiple devices.
• Easily access all the assigned lines in one place with the flexibility of choosing the line to place a call.
• Get a visual indication for all missed calls and voice messages next to the line numbers to track them easily.
• Access all the mid-call features, such as call transfer and call forward, for the additional line similar to the primary line.

Limitations

The following are known limitations of the virtual line:

• Virtual lines can't be assigned to a workspace device.
• Virtual lines can't be assigned to an Executive to be used for Executive-Assistant functions.
• Virtual lines can't be associated to a workspace device as a hoteling guest.
• Virtual lines can't be configured to monitor other numbers or call park extensions.
• Calls to virtual line numbers can't be recorded.
• A user from the Webex Settings user portal can't manage call settings of virtual lines.
• Call center soft keys show only if the virtual line is part of a call queue.

Creation

Administrators can create a virtual line manually or through a bulk-upload.
Manual configuration is ideal if adding only a few lines, while bulk-upload is for adding many lines.

Manual Creation:

1. From Control Hub, go to Services and click Calling. Select Virtual Lines.
2. Click Create if creating the virtual line for the first time, or click Manage, then Add new.  

3. Enter the following details:

• First name and Last name—Used as the line name.
• Display name—Populated based on the entered first name and last name. You can also change the display name. The display name appears in the contact directory (if Directory Search toggle is enabled) and the caller-ID.
• Location—Choose the location for the line.
• Phone number—Appears only after choosing the location. Choose the Direct Inward Dial (DID) number from the location where the line is created.
• Extension—Allows you to add the extension to the line.

4. Click Save.

5. The virtual line is created with default call settings under the Virtual Lines tab. You can modify the call settings of the line and continue adding the lines by repeating the steps.
   You can Edit, delete, and view the created lines from the same page.

Bulk-Upload

1. From Control Hub, go to Services and click Calling. Select Virtual Lines.
2. Click Bulk Upload if you're creating the virtual line for the first time, or click Manage, then Upload CSV.
3. Perform one of the following:

• To add the new virtual lines in a blank CSV template, click Download .csv template.
• To edit the existing data and to add new lines, click Virtual Lines from the drop-down list and click Download Data.

4. In the spreadsheet, fill first name, last name, display name, location, phone number, and/or extension. In the Outgoing column, add TRUE to enable the outgoing calls and FALSE to disable them.
5. Upload the CSV file by dragging, dropping, or clicking Choose a file.
6. Click Upload. You can click View import history/tasks to view the import and export status.

The virtual line is created with default call settings. You can modify the call settings of the line any time.

Assignment

1. From Control Hub, go to Services and click Calling. Select Virtual Lines.
2. Choose the virtual line that you want to assign to a device.
3. Click Devices, then click Assign Device.          

4. Click the Select device field and select or search the device that you want to assign the virtual line for.    

You can search using the user's name to get all the devices, including the Webex App assigned to that user, or you can search using the primary line number.           

5. Select the device and click Assign.

   The next page displays the list of configured lines that are already assigned and the newly added virtual line for the specific device. You can also change the order of lines by simply moving the rows up and down. The line order appears in the user's device as per your changes.

6. Click Save.

The Devices tab now shows the details such as assigned to, location, device name, and device status.
You can continue adding the devices by clicking the Assign Device option.
To delete the assigned device, select the line and then click Devices > Actions > Delete.
Once you've configured it, the users can access the virtual line from the footer of the Webex App, from or separate line keys on MPP.

Please note: If you've changed or deleted the assigned virtual line, you must Apply Changes (select Device > Actions > Apply Changes) for the phone to pick up the changes. The Webex App users must restart the App for the changes to be applied.

Configuration

The configuration of call settings for a virtual line is similar to the configuration of settings for a user. You can configure the various call settings, such as Caller ID, emergency callback number, voicemail, call forwarding, etc.

1. From Control Hub, go to Services and click Calling. Select Virtual Lines.
2. Choose the virtual line that you want to configure the settings for and click Calling.
3. From here, you can configure the settings for the line in the same way as you configure the settings for a user.

For users to configure certain call settings for the virtual line, they can use FAC or soft key from the MPP phone for the assigned corresponding line key.

Please Note: Administrators and end users can't configure the settings for the virtual line in the Webex Settings user portal or Calling User Portal.