Three-way calling, also known as conference calling, is a long-time staple of enhanced home telephone service. This ingenius offering allows busy individuals to quickly and easily establish an impromptu conference between two different parties at two different telephone numbers without the need for expensive conferencing stations or additional hardware.
Instructions
1. Establish the first call. Whether you place the first call or someone calls you, you must first be on one call before adding another party to that call. Although you must initiate the second call of the three-way conversation, the service works the same, and with the same outcome, whether you initiated or received the first call.
2. Briefly depress the switchhook to receive another dial tone. When your first call is in progress and you are ready to add another party to your conversation, depress the switchhook (the small, probably plastic, switch on your telephone that pops up when you lift the receiver) for approximately one-half to three-quarters of a second. This very brief disconnect signals the telephone network that you want to make a three-way call, and you should hear a new dial tone after releasing the switchhook. Please note that you must subscribe to your local telephone company's "Three-Way Calling" service in order to receive the second dialtone; if you do not subscribe, you may either get no result or your original call may be disconnected. As an added note, be sure not to depress the switchhook for more than one second, as doing so may disconnect your original call.
3. Dial the telephone number of the second party. When you hear the dialtone after briefly depressing the switchhook, your first call has been placed on hold and the telephone network is ready to place your second call. Simply dial the telephone number (local, local toll, long distance, or international) just as you would dial were you making a traditional telephone call. Wait for the number to ring and the other party to answer.
4. Briefly depress the switchhook again to join the two calls. When your second party answers, inform that person that you will be adding him into a three-way call and get that person's approval before proceeding. Once the person approves, briefly depress the switchhook (holding the hook down for one-half to three-quarters of a second) and release it. When the switchhook is released, both parties should be joined together into one telephone call. You may, as is common practice, confirm that both parties are present by calling their names and waiting for a response.
5. To end the three-way call, briefly depress the switchhook one more time or simply hang up. Ending the three-way call may be done in a couple of ways. If you wish to retain your original call, but disconnect the second party, depress the switchhook (holding it down for one-half to three-quarters of a second) and release it; after the hook is released, the second party should be gone and your first conversation will continue with normal privacy. If you wish to end the entire conversation, simply hang up the telephone and both parties will be disconnected.
Tags: depress switchhook, first call, second party, three-way call, both parties, one-half three-quarters