Line Appearances (on Yealink Android Phones) - Pros/Cons

[DanD]

Greetings all. Getting familiar with 3CX and have a question about the current guidance on Line Key appearances. I read here that in the past the templates always assigned two Line Keys on every phone, but that this is now optional (but still recommended for Snom and perhaps other phones).

I've bought a bunch of Yealink T56A and T58A phones, which are all Android-based. I noticed when I set them up on extensions that no Line keys are provisioned, which led me to find the above webpage via google. I'm aware I can add them easily but I'm also realizing that there are "only" 27 DSS keys (yes, I know that's a lot, but between BLFs, Speed Dials, Shared Parking spaces, Intercom and some other things I'm thinking that I'll have no problem filling up all 27 keys).

Since Line keys aren't mandatory now it seems that users must be able to work fine without them (at least on most phone models), but I wanted to ask some of the gurus to weigh in on if there are any situations where Line Keys are needed or helpful. From the limited testing I've done so far with the Yealink T5 phones I haven't yet come across a situation where I needed one--transferring, conferencing, intercoms etc. all seem to work fine.

But it's completely possible I'm overlooking something. So if anyone would be willing to weigh in on whether they still add Line Keys (especially as it pertains to the more modern/powerful Yealink phones) and why/why not I would appreciate hearing peoples' opinions.

 

[leejor]

Does a user spend a lot of time on the phone, and do they want to be able to put the first call on hold, then answer a second call? This is assuming that these are direct calls, and not queue, or ring group calls. Some people are quite happy with calls going to their voicemail, if they are engaged.

If that is the case, then one line key appearance will probably be just fine, for that user. Every situation is different.

 

[DanD]

Does a user spend a lot of time on the phone, and do they want to be able to put the first call on hold, then answer a second call? This is assuming that these are direct calls, and not queue, or ring group calls. Some people are quite happy with calls going to their voicemail, if they are engaged.

If that is the case, then one line key appearance will probably be just fine, for that user. Every situation is different.

Thanks for the reply. Sounds like you're saying that there needs to be at least one line appearance on each phone. But from 3CX's guidance, it sounds like you don't necessarily even need one. That's what I'm trying to confirm (especially as it pertains to these Android-based phones, which may work a bit differently than other Yealinks and other brands). By default no line buttons are created. And I've been able to make and receive calls, hold, park, transfer and conference without having a line button.

But I'm just trying to find out if there is some gotcha with having no line buttons that I'm not considering.

 

[leejor]

If there was only one line key, and a second call came in, as long as the setting were in place, the user would probably be notified by a call waiting tone. Some users are used to, or prefer, a second key flashing to indicate another call. Put the first on hold, then take the second call. They may also wish to put the first caller on hold, then consult (place a call), on the second line.
As I said, it all come down to user preference, and if there is a "spare" key to assign to a line.

 

[DanD]

If there was only one line key, and a second call came in, as long as the setting were in place, the user would probably be notified by a call waiting tone. Some users are used to, or prefer, a second key flashing to indicate another call. Put the first on hold, then take the second call. They may also wish to put the first caller on hold, then consult (place a call), on the second line.
As I said, it all come down to user preference, and if there is a "spare" key to assign to a line.

Sorry if I'm being unclear but I'm talking about having ZERO line keys. According to 3CX they are considered optional.

 

[leejor]

Sorry, I assumed you were talking about keys beyond one.

 

[JohnS_3CX]

For those phones you could be fine without it. They allow you to start a new call even if you have two calls on hold for example.

 

[DanD]

Thank you JohnS_3CX. It seemed that way but I just wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking something.