What is a Call Parking?

Call parking is a method of putting callers on hold so that any team member in your organization can take their call.

Let’s take a closer look at how call parking works, how to use it, and its benefits.

How Does Call Parking Work?

When a person calls a business they can be put into Call Park through a pre-programmed button or a special sequence of buttons. The call is transferred to an unused number and put on hold, compared to being transferred to a direct line. An available team member can then go to that line or channel and manage the call from there.

Difference Between Call Park and Call Transfer

Both call transfer and call park begin with a person calling a business and needing assistance. With call transfer, that person is directed to a specific extension. This is best used when the caller needs to reach a specific person at that business or the general line of a specific department.

Call park puts the caller onto a separate line that anyone in the organization can access. The caller does not need to reach a specific person, but most likely needs general help or customer service. Call park is especially important for companies with a large customer call center or customer service operation that may need to park calls until an agent becomes free.

Benefits of Call Parking

While call parking is not seen as an advanced technology it does provide a wealth of useful benefits to businesses. Let’s look at some benefits:

• With call parking anyone in the business can pick up a call from any phone in the system. This is helpful for large businesses with multiple floors or large square footage, such as grocery stores or big box retailers.
• Any type of phone connected to the VoIP service can pick up the call by simply dialing a code.

• The call is returned to the extension that parked the call if no one picks up the call.
• The held call does not tie up a line for the operator.

How to Use Call Parking

The call parking process is simple and straightforward. An inbound caller will dial your number and an agent – either a traditional operation or an IVR system – will try to direct the call to the most helpful option.

Based on the caller’s needs, the agent or IVR system will press the “Call Park” button. That button is either on their desk phone or through a call application. The call is then transferred to an unused extension that often has a pre-recorded message or music.

A team member can then answer that call on another device. It could be a shared device in a large area, their own desk phone or a mobile phone. This allows the agent to pick up the call wherever is convenient for them. The agent simply dials an extension number to be patched through to the waiting call.

When to Use the Call Park Feature

The call park feature has many utilities. It can be helpful for busy organizations that receive a large number of calls. It can also be helpful for agents who need to switch devices or gather more information before continuing the call.

It can also be helpful for agents who are currently unavailable and want to pass the call on to another agent. Call park can also serve as an alternative to when an agent’s line is busy and the operator wants to give them additional time to finish their current call.

Call Parking FAQs