How to Place a Caller on Hold or Park a Call
If your business phone service uses Webex Cloud Calling, you can place a caller on hold or park a call from your Cisco desk phone or the Webex App.
Hold and park are similar, but they are not the same thing. Use hold when you plan to return to the caller from your own phone. Use park when you or someone else needs to pick up the call from another phone. (Note: Park may not be setup on all phone systems. Ask your phone administrator.)
Hold vs Park
Place a Caller on Hold
Placing a caller on hold keeps the call on your phone. The caller remains connected, but they cannot hear you while the call is on hold.
Use hold when you need to:
- Look up information
- Ask a quick question
- Check availability
- Pause the conversation briefly
- Return to the caller yourself
Park a Call
Parking a call places the caller into a temporary holding spot so another person can retrieve it from another phone.
Use call park when:
- The caller needs a specific person
- The person is away from their desk
- You need to announce the call over an intercom or messaging system
- Another employee needs to pick up the call from a different location
- You do not want to transfer the call directly to voicemail
Basically, hold is for you. Park is for someone else to retrieve. Tiny difference, big office consequences.
How to Place a Caller on Hold from a Cisco Desk Phone
The exact button names may vary by phone model, but the general process is:
- While on an active call, press Hold.
- The caller is placed on hold.
- To return to the caller, press Resume.
If you have multiple calls on the phone, make sure you select the correct held call before pressing Resume.
How to Place a Caller on Hold in the Webex App
To place a call on hold in the Webex App:
- While on an active call, select Hold.
- The caller will remain connected but will not hear you.
- Select Resume when you are ready to return to the call.
If you switch devices or close the app while a caller is on hold, the call may disconnect depending on your setup.
How to Park a Call from a Cisco Desk Phone
Call park must be enabled and configured for your organization. If call park is available, the general process is:
- While on an active call, press Park, Call Park, or the available call options button.
- The phone system will place the call in a park location or provide a park extension.
- Write down or remember the park location shown on the screen.
- Tell the person who needs to retrieve the call where it is parked.
- The other person can retrieve the call by dialing the park location or using the configured pickup method.
Menu names and behavior may vary depending on your Cisco phone model and Webex Calling setup.
How to Retrieve a Parked Call
To retrieve a parked call, the receiving user usually dials the park extension or pickup code provided when the call was parked.
Depending on your setup, the parked call may also appear on a shared line, button, or call park group.
If you are not sure how call park is configured for your company, contact your internal phone system administrator or MCC.
How Long Does a Call Stay Parked?
Parked calls usually remain parked for a limited amount of time. If no one retrieves the call, the system may return the call to the person who parked it or follow another configured call route.
Do not park a call unless someone knows to retrieve it.
When to Use Hold Instead of Park
Use hold when:
- You are coming back to the caller yourself
- You only need a short pause
- You are checking information
- You are asking someone a quick question
- The caller does not need to be picked up by another person
When to Use Park Instead of Hold
Use park when:
- Another employee needs to pick up the call
- The person is not at their desk
- You need to announce the call
- The caller should not go directly to voicemail
- The call needs to be retrieved from a different phone
Common Hold and Park Issues
Hold or call park may not work as expected if:
- The phone is not connected properly
- The call park feature is not enabled
- The user does not have permission to park calls
- The park button is not shown on the phone
- The parked call location was not communicated clearly
- The parked call timed out before it was retrieved
- The call is part of a queue or shared line with special call handling rules
- The user is trying to retrieve the call from a phone that does not have access to that park group
When to Contact MCC
Contact MCC if:
- The hold button does not work
- Calls disconnect when placed on hold
- The park option is missing
- Parked calls cannot be retrieved
- Calls are returning unexpectedly after being parked
- Users do not know which park location to use
- Call park needs to be configured for a group or department
- The issue affects multiple phones or users
For urgent phone system issues, call MCC rather than relying only on email.
What to Include in Your Request
When requesting help with hold or call park, include:
- Business name
- User’s name
- User’s extension or direct number
- Desk phone model, if available
- Whether the issue happens on the desk phone, Webex App, or both
- Whether the issue affects one user or multiple users
- What happens when the call is placed on hold or parked
- Any error message shown on the phone or app
- Whether the call is part of a call queue, shared line, or department line