A call transfer is a
telecommunications
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...
mechanism that enables a user to relocate an existing
telephone call
A telephone call is a connection over a telephone network between the called party and the calling party.
First telephone call
The first telephone call was made on March 10, 1876, by Alexander Graham Bell. Bell demonstrated his ability to "ta ...
to another phone or
attendant console, using a transfer button or a
switchhook flash and dialing the required location. The transferred call is either announced or unannounced.
If the transferred call is announced, the desired party/extension is notified of the impending transfer. This is typically done by putting the caller on hold and dialing the desired party/extension; they are then notified and, if they choose to accept the call, it is transferred over to them. Other terms commonly used for an announced transfer include "attended", "consult", "full-consult", "supervised" and "
conference" transfer.
On the other hand, an unannounced transfer is self-explanatory: it is transferred without notifying the desired party/extension of the impending call. It is simply transferred to their line by way of a "transfer" key on the operator's phone or by keying in a string of digits which achieves the same function. Other terms commonly used for an unannounced transfer include "unsupervised" and "blind".
Unsupervised call transfer can be either warm or cold - depending on moment when B-leg is disconnected. ''See also
Call forwarding
Call forwarding, or call diversion, is a telephony feature of all telephone switching systems which redirects a telephone call to another destination, which may be, for example, a mobile or another telephone number where the desired called party ...
''
In the Call Center space, the following type of call transfers can be undertaken and take on a slightly different meaning:
* Warm transfer: (also known as a live or hot transfer) the call center operator dials a number and talks to the person who has picked up the call before transferring the caller over to them. This could also be a three-way conference before the call center operator drops-off.
One common example of a warm transfer is when a
receptionist
A receptionist is an employee taking an office or administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting area such as a lobby or front office desk of an organization or business. The title ''receptionist'' is attributed t ...
or virtual receptionist takes a call for the business and notifies the party attempting to be reached who the person is and the nature of their call.
* Tepid transfer: This involves the call center operator dialing a number and transferring the caller on to the called number without conferencing or speaking to the third party. Tepid transfer usually applies when a transfer is being made to a number where queue management has been implemented in some capacity (multiple lines or hunt groups, IVR, voicemail, callback facility etc.)
* Cold transfer: This transfer is in reality not a transfer, but a pass-on of information for the caller to call a particular number after they hang up the current call. However, in certain instances a cold transfer may be implemented by calling the desired number on behalf of the caller, the original call handler/operator then drops-off without waiting for the called number to be picked up, whether or not the dialed number had queue management implemented or not.
References
Calling features
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