These days we use our smartphones for pretty much everything but calling. When you do have to make a call, especially to a business, you will likely have to go through the automated switchboard and enter extension numbers just to get the person you want. This can be a pain, especially if you call the same person and have to go through the same process on a regular basis. If you have an iPhone, there is a way around this however.
Here’s how you can add number extensions to your iPhone contacts:
Open Contacts and either press the ‘+’ for a new contact, or select the contact’s number you would like to add the extension to and press Edit.
Enter the new contact’s normal number without the extension under the Mobile, Work or Home field. If you are editing a contact’s number, press on the number you would like to edit and tap on the end of the number.
- Press the ‘+*#‘ button located at the bottom-left of the dial pad.
- Select Wait. You’ll notice a ‘;’ at the end of the number.
- Add the contact’s extension. It should look something like this: 123-123-4567;321 (if the contact has a three digit extension).
- Press Done and the contact’s number will be saved or updated.
- If the number was entered correctly, you should see a secondary button under the contact information when you call that person. It will say something like Dial-321. Pressing this after the line has engaged will dial the extension and connect you to that person. This is useful if you don’t know how long you will have to wait to be able to dial the extension, but you will have to hit the Dial button on your phone to enter the extension.
You can automate this further by replacing the semicolon (;) with a comma (,). The comma tells the switchboard to pause, and then enter the number after the comma. This will often connect you directly to the person without having to press an extra button. The number should look something like this: 123-123-4567,321
If you use an iPhone for your business communication and call clients who are behind switchboards this is a nifty time-saving feature. For more information on how the iPhone can help power your business, please contact us today.
