Soft keys are buttons on your desk phone that provide extra features and functionality but change their behavior based on the state of your phone (i.e. Is the phone off-hook? Are you in the middle of a call?). They are the opposite of "hard keys" which are buttons that have only one funciton that never changes.
This article provides information about where to find soft keys, some of their limitations, and a list of what soft keys are available to users with NEC desk phones.
About Soft Keys
Four soft keys are located just below the phone's primary display (Where you typically see date and time information or Caller ID). They have no physical label (like Hard Keys such as Speaker) but instead have digital labels found on the bottom row of the phone's primary display. For most users, the digital label REDIR can be seen when the phone is idle and on-hook. If a soft key has no label, pressing it will do nothing. The Help and Exit keys found on either side of the soft keys can be used to see simple information about each programmed soft key. Simply press the Help key followed by the soft key you wish to know about. Information about the current soft key function will be displayed and the ">>>" and "<<<" soft keys can be used to scroll through the text. Press the Exit key to quit.
Some soft key features are enabled or disabled by pressing the button relating to that feature. For example, pressing the Mute soft key during a call will mute your microphone. However, with only the soft key programmed, there is no indication to the user that Mute is enabled. Pressing the soft key again will disable the feature, but, as before, there will be no indication to the user that the feature is now disabled.
The following is a list of soft keys users may encounter during regular phone usage and a brief description of the function provided by the key:
While Phone is On-Hook or Ringing
- HDSET - Enable/Disable headset, if applicable.
- Only available by request to users with a headset and no remote activation mechanism
- REDIR - While phone is ringing, redirect the call to your Forward No Answer destination (typically, this destination is voice mail. This function is the same as denying a call on a personal cell phone)
While Phone is Off-Hook
- MIC - Enable/Disable speakerphone microphone
- HDSET - Enable/Disable headset, if applicable.
- Only available by request to users with a headset and no remote activation mechanism
During A Call
- HDSET - Enable/Disable headset, if applicable.
- Only available by request to users with a headset and no remote activation mechanism
- MUTE - Mute/Un-mute headset or speakerphone microphone.
While Calling, Before Called Party Answers
- HDSET - Enable/Disable headset, if applicable.
- Only available by request to users with a headset and no remote activation mechanism
After Transferring A Call, Before Hanging Up
- HDSET - Enable/Disable headset, if applicable.
- Only available by request to users with a headset and no remote activation mechanism
- CONF - Initiate 3-way conference call.
- For more information on this feature, see the section on Three-Way Conference in our Common Phone Features article.
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