What Is a Call Parking? Benefits And How To Use It

Did you know that implementing a call parking system is one of the best ways to handle high call volumes?  

Call parking is a standard business phone system feature that allows businesses to manage multiple inbound and outbound calls simultaneously. It improves call center teamwork, reduces wait times, and boosts client experience. 

This blog provides a detailed overview of call parking, including its benefits and use cases. So, let’s get started. 🚀

What is Call Parking?

Call parking is a business phone system feature that helps the agent put someone on hold in the cloud so that anyone in the organization can take the call. Such features allow the business to handle high call volumes effectively and improve first-call resolution. 

It is a useful tool for busy call centers, providing them with the flexibility they need. Both inbound and outbound calls can be parked. With call parking, you can allow your caller to talk to a human instead of brushing them off to voicemail every time. 

How Does Call Parking Work?

Call parking that operates over a private network is only available to authorized users. It is frequently hosted in the cloud, allowing multiple users to access and retrieve the call. 

Call parking is a business phone system feature beneficial for companies handling high call volumes. It efficiently distributes calls based on agent availability, ensuring better call center teamwork. It also provides the flexibility to park calls directly, transfer them while you’re already on another call, or park them after you’ve answered them, improving the customer experience. 

In the absence of call parking, callers’ calls are forwarded to voicemail. Moreover, the agents need to place the current call on hold to answer a new one. These issues lead to long wait calls and interruptions. 

In general, you have three alternatives if you are on the phone and an incoming call comes in without a call park.

• Provide a busy signal for the incoming caller to hear.
• Keep a record of the incoming call. 
• While you answer your new call, put the recipient you now have on hold.

How To Park A Call?

Call parking is a unified communication platform that efficiently handles multiple phone calls, improving employees’ productivity. Thus, it has become an efficient feature for companies. 

Follow the simple steps to park a call easily. The steps include: 

Step 1: An agent answers a call that comes into your business.

Step 2: During a conversation, the agent hits the Call Park button on the desk phone or software to park the call.

Step 3: An inactive extension and the company’s cloud are reached via the call. The caller will hear taped messages or on-hold music while they are on hold.

Step 4: The agent will decide whether to get further information before picking up the phone or whether to carry on the conversation with another agent.

Step 5: An agent will call the extension number to reclaim the call and resume the conversation.

What are the Benefits of Call Parking?

The benefits of call parking include:

1. Enables VoIP Service

Any phone connected to a Voice Over Internet Protocol provider can access a parked call. This allows the business agent to accept multiple calls at the same time from any location. 

2. Effective return call feature

The call park feature allows you to put a call on hold at a specific extension so that it can be retrieved later. After about five minutes, the call will start ringing at the extensions involved, making it easier for service representatives to manage incoming calls within an organization.

3. Minimizes Voicemail Destinations

Call parking increases the number of agents available to handle incoming calls. This significantly reduces the number of calls that go to voicemail and increases the chances of speaking to a live person.

4. Effective Return Call Feature

When you use the call park function, you can put a call on hold and then retrieve it from the same extension later. If the agent being transferred to is unavailable, the original receiver will answer the call to make sure the caller is not ignored.

It is predicted that the call will pause for five minutes before ringing the relevant extensions again.

5. Easy to Use

The call parking system is user-friendly, and the concept is very simple. Customer representatives can park a call with just a few clicks, which helps avoid the inconvenience of a cold transfer. Other staff members can view the parked call along with any notes or information, enabling them to prepare before responding.

6. Facilitates Sponsored Content

The agents will have the option to play friendly messages or service updates while holding a caller on hold. Such messages are crucial to keep them interested and educated about the offer you provide during their waiting period without charging extra. 

7. Minimizes Wait Time

Call parking streamlines call queue management and reduces wait times by enabling any available agent to take a parked call. However, only the agent who parked the call can retrieve it. This feature guarantees that calls are handled by the most qualified person, saving customers time and ensuring they receive prompt assistance.

8. Integrates with IVR or the Routing System

You can incorporate a call park feature in your routing menu or incoming IVR system. This ensures that unanswered calls are parked until a team member is available to take them, improving customer experience and reducing wait times.

9. Enhances Customer Satisfaction

Companies ensure that callers always speak with a live agent, demonstrating a commitment to exceptional customer service. This approach builds trust and loyalty, benefiting the company’s reputation and financial results.

10. Flexibility

Anyone with access can pick up a parked call from any extension.  This level of flexibility allows your team to work together more effectively and address any issues promptly. With this feature, communication and problem-solving become more seamless within your team.

11. Manages Multiple Calls

Call parking is a useful feature for sales and support teams, especially in large contact centers. It helps to direct incoming calls to the right departments while handling multiple calls at the same time. This ensures that calls are promptly answered by the right agents, who can help ensure smooth operations.

How Can Callers Retrieve Parked Calls?

It is very easy to retrieve a parked call. If you run into any problems, see the user manual or ask our IT support for help. Here are the simple guided steps. 

Step 1: Place your mouse pointer over a parked call in the parking extension list or in the inbound and internal calls panel.

Step 2: Right-click on the call and choose Retrieve. The system routes the parked call to your extension.

Step 3: Answer the call to get the call park back.

Call Park vs Call Hold: What’s the Difference?

Let’s discuss the difference between the call park and call hold in detail. 

Common Use Cases for Call Parking

The common use cases of call parking include:

• Transferring Calls: Call Parking is a great feature that allows for a seamless transfer of calls within a team. It guarantees that clients don’t have to endure the inconvenience of repeatedly dialing and getting transferred.
• Multi-Location Access: Picture a big office where people are constantly moving around. If you park a call, anyone in the office can pick it up from any phone, so it’s easy to manage calls no matter where you are.
• Handling High Call Volumes: It smoothly manages high call volumes, improving customer satisfaction and contributing to business success. It allows agents to park calls and ensures that all calls are handled in the correct order, preventing any calls from being overlooked or waiting too long.
• Managing Interruptions: In case of an urgent matter, you can place a call on hold and resume it later. Alternatively, if you are unable to continue, you can transfer it to a colleague. This flexibility ensures that important calls are appropriately handled and not missed, contributing to effective communication within your team.
• Collaborative Work: With call parking features, you can pause the call, talk to your colleague for advice, and then resume where you left off or hand it over to your coworker if necessary. 
• Support Desk: Call holding helps the agent perform multiple tasks. It enables the agent to pause the conversation with callers or supervisors, handle the issue, and then get back to the customer with the information they need.
• Receptionist and Switchboard: If you’re a receptionist and need to transfer a call to the right department, you can put the caller on hold, so they aren’t kept waiting and can reach the right person quickly.

How to Park a Call Manually on a Deskphone?

To park a call manually on a desk phone, you can follow the simple provided steps. The steps include: 

Step 1: To place a call on hold, simply press the hold button.

Step 2: To access the Call Park feature, click the Call Park button or dial the Call Park code, typically a system-specific number or code. 

Step 3: Park the call and follow the instructions to place it in an available slot or extension.

Step 4: Notify the intended recipient that the call has been parked and provide them with the extension number or park slot.

When to Use the Call Park Feature?

When you need to step away from your phone or change locations without wanting to end the call, call parking can be quite useful.

Call parking is useful in common scenarios such as:

• When joining a meeting or appointment running late, you can pause the ongoing call without disconnecting the caller. This helps you transition smoothly without dropping anyone.
• When you receive a call while away from your desk, consider parking the call to allow yourself enough time to return to your desk before continuing the conversation.
• Allow others to join or take over the call with the park feature. 
• Transfer calls between your office and mobile phone by parking the call on your office phone for hands-free communication while on the move.
• You can temporarily put a call on hold during lengthy processes by parking the call instead of making the customer wait on hold.
• Calls can be parked in one place and retrieved in another when moving between buildings or remote workplaces.

Final Words

Call parking is a fantastic tool for companies who want to increase productivity, maintain customer satisfaction, and handle calls better. Agents can use it to manage calls more easily and reduce wait times by putting calls on hold and picking them up later from any phone. Assuring that each call is handled promptly and competently, this function is especially beneficial for busy call centers and businesses that receive a high volume of calls.

Frequently Asked Questions

What features should I look for in a call parking system?

The features you should look for in a call parking system are:

1. Integration with IVR
2. Call return feature
3. Integration of VoIP service

How many calls can be parked at once?

Businesses can use the call parking feature to hold an unlimited number of calls simultaneously. When a call comes in, agents can choose to park it by selecting an available agent and clicking the “park” option. The parked call can then be retrieved and handled by the available agent.

How can callers retrieve parked calls?

Follow the steps to retrieve parked calls. The steps include:

Step 1: Hover your mouse over a parked call in the inbound and internal calls panel or parking extension list. 

Step 2: Right-click on the call and select retrieve. The system will send the parked call to your extension. 

Step 3: Retrieve the call park by responding to the call. 

What is the difference between call park and call hold? 

One kind of call holding is call parking. When you put a call on hold, you can only pick it up from the same phone that you put it on hold with. This is how traditional Hold and Park differ from each other. Using Call Park, you can select the call back from ANY phone in the system.

Can I use call parking with mobile phones? 

Call parking is mostly utilized in settings such as offices with VoIP or landline systems. Mobile phone integration might differ depending on the system and supplier.