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Create a Paging Group in Admin Console

Updated: 12/12/2024

Objective

Create a pagin group in Admin Console so you can make real-time announcements to a department, team, or work area using the intercom feature on your Poly or Cisco phone.

Applies To

  • Poly Phones
  • Cisco Phones
  • Group Paging

Procedure

Note: In order to access paging functionality, the user must have an activated Poly or Cisco phone and be a member of the paging group. With Poly phones, you can choose normal, emergency, or priority group.
  1. Log in to Admin Console. 
  2. Click Paging.
    2019-08-20_11-53-07.png
  3. Click + Create Paging Group, top right of the page. If you have not created a Paging Group before, click Create Paging Group in the center of the page.
  4. Enter a Name for the paging group and select a Site.
  5. Select a Device Model: Poly or Cisco. Once you select a device model, the field becomes disabled. Only members with that specified device can be added to the paging group.
    • For Poly phones, determine the Priority to deliver paging, such as normal, priority, or emergency. You cannot unsubscribe from a priority or emergency group. A priority page interrupts normal pages or active calls. An emergency page interrupts normal pages, priority pages, and active calls and plays out at near maximum volume even if Do Not Disturb (DND) is turned on. In Cisco phones, only emergency option is available.
    • For Cisco phones, add an Extension number. This option is not available for Poly phones.
  6. Add Members to the group and Save. You can select members from the specified site as long as users have the same device manufacturer, Cisco or Poly.
  7. Click Save.
Note: To edit the device model, you must delete the members first.

Use Group Paging in Poly Phones

After you create a paging group in Admin Console your Poly phone reboots and displays Paging soft key on the display. Follow the instructions below to page. The phone sends a preamble or repetitive set of alert messages that ensure receiving phones are ready to receive the broadcast.
  1. From the main screen, select Paging.
    intercom_1.png
  2. Scroll through the list to locate the group you want to page, then select Page.
    intercom_2.png
  3. Wait while your phone sends the preamble.
  4. After you hear the beep, begin your announcement.
    intercom_3.png
  5. When you are done, select End Page, or pick up the handset.
As the paging receiver, you can terminate an incoming page by pressing the End Page soft key. To make a call during an incoming page announcement, simply begin dialing.

Use Group Paging in Cisco Phones

After you create a paging group in Admin Console, all the Cisco phones in that group are ready to receive pages. For example, to page all the phones in the shipping department, a person at any phone dials the extension number associated with the paging group. The phone sends a preamble or repetitive set of alert messages that ensure receiving phones are ready to receive the broadcast. Follow the instructions below to page.
  1. Dial the paging group extension number from any Cisco phone.
  2. Wait while your phone sends the preamble.
  3. After you hear the beep, begin your announcement. The group members receive the page on their Cisco phones.
  4. When you are done, simply hang up.
The emergency page interrupts normal pages, priority pages, and active calls and plays out at near maximum volume even if Do Not Disturb (DND) is turned on.
Note: We support Cisco phone models 7811, 7821, 7832, 7841, 7861, 8811, 8831, 8841, 8851, and 8861.

Additional Information

Features

  • Paging is included free with Poly and Cisco phones.
  • Create up to 23 normal paging groups in Poly phones. One priority and one emergency group already exists by default.
  • Set priority levels for your pages: Normal, Priority, and Emergency (Poly phones only).
  • Create one emergency paging group with Cisco phones.
  • Set permissions for who can broadcast pages and who can only receive them.
  • You can include a user in multiple paging groups.
  • You need at least one member for every paging group.
  • You need at least one member with Send capabilities for emergency or priority paging.
  • You need at least one member with Send capabilities and one member with Receive capabilities for normal paging.

Limitations

  • Emergency paging interrupts the group member's active calls.
  • The Administrator user creating and editing the Paging Groups needs to have their user profile's Company Directory permissions set to Company.