Handle a Second Call: Hold, Resume and Mute
Answer a second call without mixing conversations. Learn when to use Hold or Mute, how to return to the right caller and which controls vary across desk phones.
You can keep one person waiting while speaking to another without joining the two conversations. Your extension and phone must allow a second call. If no incoming call appears, do not assume the caller has reached your phone; call waiting and routing may need review.
Hold is not Mute
- Hold: keeps a call connected but waiting until it is resumed. The waiting audio depends on your setup.
- Mute: turns off your microphone while you remain in the active call. You can still hear the other person; it does not free the call for another conversation.
- Resume: returns to a selected held call.
Answer another call safely
- Tell the first caller you need a moment. Use Hold if you need to place that call in waiting before selecting the incoming call.
- Select the new incoming call and answer it. Check its name or number. On documented Yealink T4U and Poly VVX phones, answering a second call automatically holds the active call; controls on other models can differ.
- Keep track of which call is active. Do not choose Conference or Join unless you intend to let both callers speak together.
- To switch back, hold the call you are speaking on if necessary, select the first held call and resume it. Read the display before each switch.
Controls you may see
Yealink T4U and Poly VVX provide Hold and Resume controls. Cisco 8800 Multiplatform also lets you press the held call’s session button to resume it and automatically hold the current call. These are family-specific examples, not one button sequence for every Yealink, Polycom or Cisco phone.
Finish one call, then return to the other
When the active conversation is finished, end that selected call. Locate the remaining held call and resume it; do not assume it resumes automatically. With shared lines, retrieval access may depend on how your business is configured.
If you need a teammate to retrieve a waiting call from another phone, see Call Park. If controls are missing or a second call never appears, contact Zonitel support with your model and extension.