Conference Bridge

Contents

A Conference Bridge (also called a conference room) allows multiple inbound callers to share a single phone line. All callers can hear and speak to each other (if allowed by the moderator).

You must create a Conference Bridge in order to have a conference call.
A bridge consists of a Conference Number (Name), Password, Moderator settings, and system generated ID.
Multiple bridges can be created per Customer Account (Hosted PBX).

A Conference Hub is essentially a system container that holds all the bridges you create.

You don’t explicitly create a Conference Hub; it exists by default as soon as you create a Conference Bridge.
There is only one Conference Hub per Hosted PBX, and all Conference Bridges are automatically placed into it.

An Attendee is a user who is participating in (or joining) a conference call.

The number of outside Attendees will be restricted to the number of available call paths at the time of the call.
The number of internal Attendees is unlimited because extensions do not use call paths.

A Moderator is essentially an Attendee with additional privileges.

By default, each Conference Bridge includes a Moderator.
Moderators can start and end conference calls, and mute/unmute Attendees.
Moderator controls are global (apply to all Attendees).

NOTE: Individual Attendee controls and information such as Caller ID is available via Dashboard.

Creating a New Conference Bridge

1. Click the Services tab in the Main Menu.

2. Click Conference Bridge in the left side menu.

3. Click New Conference Room. The new conference bridge detail screen will be displayed.

4. Enter a Conference Number.

Participants (attendees) will be prompted to enter this number (followed by #) to “join” a Conference Call.

Tip: Don’t confuse the Conference Number with an Extension Number. It is a completely separate system entity and isn’t related to existing (Standard or Cloud) Extensions.

Enter any number or group of numbers that are not currently being used for another Conference Bridge (e.g., 225, 8, 1564, etc.).
The Conference Number will be displayed in the Name column of the Conference Bridges list screen.

5. Enter an Attendee Password.

After entering the above Conference Number, participants will be prompted to enter the password.
Passwords must meet the following criteria:
Numeric only
Minimum length of four digits
Adjacent digits must be different. For example, numbers such as 223, 4335, or 6711 are not allowed; however, 232, 4353, or 6171 are acceptable.
Cannot match Conference Number

NOTE: Passwords are automatically entered for mobile app attendees. Mobile users will only be prompted to enter the Conference Number.

Moderator Settings – The following Moderator settings are enabled by default for a new bridge.

6. If needed, change default settings.

Enable Moderator Controls – If this is selected:
Conference calls cannot begin until the Moderator joins. Attendees will be able to join a call but cannot hear each other without the Moderator.
Enter Moderator Password – This is required if Moderator Controls are Enabled.
Follow Attendee Password rules for the Moderator Password.
Disable Moderator Controls – Deselecting the box will remove all Moderator controls from this bridge.
Attendees will be able to join and speak at will, and nobody will have mute capability

End Conference When the Moderator Leaves – If this is selected, all Attendees will be disconnected when the Moderator hangs up.
Deselect this checkbox to allow attendees to continue speaking among themselves after the Moderator hangs up.

Audio Settings

NOTE: Attendee Muting options are only selectable if Moderator Controls are Enabled.

7. If needed, change the default Attendee Muting option. Every conference call (using this bridge) will start off with the mute setting specified here.

NOTES:

The Moderator can (globally) mute/unmute all Attendees at any time during the call.
Individual call controls are only available through the Dashboard Widget (Step 9).
The remaining three Audio Options can be turned on or off, regardless of whether Moderator Controls are enabled for the bridge.

8. If needed, change the default Audio options. Every conference call (using this bridge) will start off with the settings specified here.

NOTE: The Moderator cannot control these settings during a call. They can only be turned on/off by editing the Conference Bridge.

Enable Music On Hold – Hold music will play until the Moderator joins the call.
Play Enter/Exit Sounds – An audible tone will be heard when a participant enters or exits the bridge.
Announce Attendee Count – As each caller joins, they will hear a greeting indicating the number of Attendees currently on the call.

User Group Assignments – Complete this section only if you want users to manage the Conference Bridge in Dashboard.

Once you “assign” a Group, all Group members will be able to:

View Conference Bridge availability
Mute, unmute, and disconnect individual Attendees
View Attendee CID information and participation time

NOTE: Group members do not need to “join” the call in order to view the information.

9. If needed, assign a Group to the bridge:

Select a Group from the Available box
Click Add to move the group to the Assigned box.

NOTE: To remove Groups from the bridge, select them from the Assigned box and click Remove.

10. When all selections have been made, scroll down and click Add Conference Bridge.

The Conference Bridges list screen will be refreshed and the new bridge will be added to the bottom of the list.

Alert! The Conference Bridge is not useable until you route a Phone Number (DID), Standard or Cloud Extension, Auto or Virtual Attendant to the hub or bridge. See Conference Call Routing.

Editing a Conference Bridge

1. Click the Services tab in the Main Menu.

2. Click Conference Bridge in the left side menu. The Conference Bridges list screen will be displayed.

3. Click on the Conference ID link for the bridge you want to edit. The Conference Bridge detail screen will be displayed.

Tip: If you don’t see the bridge, click x in the Search box to refresh the screen.

4. Edit fields as needed per instructions in Creating a New Conference Bridge (above).

Alert! Make sure to notify end users if you change the Conference Number, Attendee Password, or Moderator Password.

5. When all changes have been made, scroll down and click Update.

Searching for a Conference Bridge

NOTE: Search criteria will only be applied to the Name (Conference Number) column.

1. From the Conference Bridges list screen, enter all or part of the Conference Number in the Search box.

2. Click Search.

3. Click x in the Search box to refresh the screen.

Deleting a Conference Bridge

1. From the Conference Bridges list screen, click on the Delete icon for the bridge you want to remove.

2. Click Delete in the confirmation box.

Conference Call Routing

Conference Call Routing Options – In order to use a bridge, a routable resource (i.e., DID, Standard or Cloud Extension, Auto or Virtual Attendant) must be routed to either the Conference Hub or to the Conference Number.

Routing to a Conference Hub – This is the recommended method.

Using this method, the Attendees and the Moderator can call a resource that is routed to the Conference Hub and are then prompted to enter the (Attendee) Conference Number and Password.

NOTE: The login sequence and password are different for Moderators and Attendees. See Using a Conference Bridge.

This is the only way that a Moderator can access a bridge.
It is recommended because all participants (Attendees and Moderator) can access the bridge the same way.

Routing to a Conference Number

Using this method, Attendees can call a resource that is routed directly to a Conference Number and are only prompted for the Password.

Warning! A Moderator cannot access a bridge using this method.

Routing for Internal and External Attendees – Your routing strategy should provide a way for individuals outside of the company as well as internal users to access the bridge.

External Attendees – Usually an Auto Attendant button or Phone Number (DID) is routed to the Conference Hub.
The number of External Attendees will be restricted to the number of available call paths at the time of the call.
Internal Attendees – Usually a Standard or Cloud Extension is routed to the Conference Hub.
The number of Internal Attendees is unlimited because extensions do not use call paths.
Tip: Routing a Cloud Extension is generally preferred because it doesn’t require a physical device, and doesn’t incur the cost of an additional Standard Extension.

NOTE: Routing is not configured in the Conference Bridge detail screen.

You must individually edit each entity being routed (i.e., Phone Number, Standard or Cloud Extension, Auto or Virtual Attendant) and specify a routing destination of Conference Hub.

Using a Conference Bridge

After Conference Bridge is created, and both internal and external routing is set up, the bridge is ready for use.

Permissions

No special Profile Permissions are required for Attendees or Moderators to use a conference bridge.
Attendees and Moderators do not need a SwitchConnex user account to use a conference bridge.
Users who are managing the Conference Bridge in Dashboard will need access to Account Manager.
Users with the default Administrator Profile have permission to View, Create, Update, and Delete Conference Bridges. If needed, these permissions can be added to Profiles for Standard users.

User Access – Provide the Moderator and Attendees with the number to dial, Auto Attendant option if needed, Conference Number, and Password.

Examples

If the Moderator will be conducting a call from the office, they need the extension number (routed to the Conference Hub), the Conference Number, and Moderator Password.
External Attendees will need the DID or Auto Attendant phone number and option (routed to the Conference Hub such as call 215-244-3000 and press 7). They will also need the Conference Number and Attendee Password.

Attendee Instructions

Joining the Call

Dial the Conference Hub number (per the designated routing method).
Enter the Conference Number followed by the # (pound sign).
Enter the Attendee Password followed by the # (pound sign).

NOTE: Passwords are automatically entered for mobile app Attendees. Mobile users will only be prompted to enter the Conference Number.

The Attendee will hear a greeting, and the preselected Audio Settings for the bridge will be in effect until changed by the Moderator.

Ending the call

Attendees can hang up at any time.

Moderator Instructions

Joining the Call

Dial the Conference Hub number (per the designated routing method).
Enter the Conference Number followed by the * (asterisk).
Enter the Moderator Password followed by the * (asterisk)..

NOTE: Passwords are automatically entered for mobile app Moderators. Mobile users will only be prompted to enter the Conference Number.

Muting Controls

The preselected Audio Settings for the bridge will be in effect when the Moderator joins.

Press 5 to mute all Attendees.
Press 6 to unmute all Attendees.
See Dashboard Controls (below) to mute individual Attendees.

Ending the call

The Moderator can hang up at any time:
All Attendees will be disconnected if End Conference When the Moderator Leaves is selected.
If it is not selected, Attendees can remain on the call as long as needed.

Dashboard Widget Instructions

NOTE: These controls are only available to users who belong to the Group assigned to this bridge. Group members do not need to “join” the call in order to manage the bridge.

Determining Bridge Availability