A call transfer is a

telecommunications Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

mechanism Mechanism may refer to: *Mechanism (economics), a set of rules for a game designed to achieve a certain outcome **Mechanism design, the study of such mechanisms *Mechanism (engineering), rigid bodies connected by joints in order to accomplish a ...

that enables a user to relocate an existing

telephone call A telephone call, phone call, voice call, or simply a call, is the effective use of a connection over a telephone network between the calling party and the called party. Telephone calls are the form of human communication that was first enabl ...

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 A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

" 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 i ...

Types of call transfers

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 Employment, employee taking an office or Business administration, administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting room, waiting area such as a Lobby (room), lobby or front office desk of an organ ...

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 {{telephony-stub