In the business world, there too are many acronyms to try to remember them all. The same goes for electronics. But there are a few that will make your workday so much easier. One is “BLF” which stands for Busy Lamp Field on your IP business telephone. While it doesn’t sound very sexy, the BLF indicator just might be your new BFF (Best Friend Forever). The BLF has been around for quite some time but is more useful now than ever on cloud-based phones.
On most modern telephones, the BLF is usually a small Light Emitting Diode (LED). Great, another acronym! The light is either red or green, depending on what’s going on with a particular call.
You no doubt already know that the Busy Lamp Field lets you know if when someone is on a call and busy. After all, it’s in the name! But the BLF is so much more than just a “busy” light. It has many purposes. Let’s take a look.
Speed Dial
Often referred to as “Buddy Buttons,” once programmed the BLF speed dial feature allows you to simply push the button and directly dial the extension linked to the key. Typically, you wouldn’t set up a speed dial for every one of your contacts, just the ones you need to access quickly or keep an eye on. Because many IP phones can program well over 20 of these “Buddy Buttons,” it wouldn’t streamline the process.
Call Pickup
Call pickup using BLF can be very helpful for a receptionist or specific groups in a company. Let’s say a co-worker has an incoming call, but they are not responding or are not at their desk. You can pick up their extension by simply pressing the BLF key when you can see it showing as red and ringing.
Quick Transfer
If you answer a call that needs to be transferred to someone for which you have designated a BLF key on your telephone, just push the key and automatically transfer the call. Of course, you will first want to check their status. If call waiting is on, they will be able to pick up. Otherwise, your transfer will be sent to their voicemail message.
Call Parking
If you need to answer a call from another phone location, you can park a call. By using call park along with BLF, it makes this task easier. For instance, you can set the parking function up so your receptionist can park a call, and announce over the intercom for someone to pick up that line. From a different phone with the parking BLF keys, the parked line would light up, allowing it to be answered.
BLF Call List Groups
If your IP phone has a smaller set of function buttons, BLF call list groups can be useful. The phone can be set up to monitor a list of extensions and the BLF key will signal if any of them in the group are in use. This feature will frequently work in conjunction with the display so it can highlight the extension(s) that are in use on the display.
That is just a brief list of one feature available on your IP phone. Making the BLF your new BFF is just the beginning! With over 150 different features available to customize, you can truly set up your workflow to fit your business needs. If you would like to learn more about the BLF or any other functions available, you can click on the chat button in the bottom left corner of your screen or call us at (336) 544-4000.