Adding Participants to a Call

Add Participant is a CxEngage feature that allows you to add multiple participants to a call and have individual controls for each. This can be used for functions such as:  

  • Speaking with each participant individually, as a consultation
  • Ending the interaction for one of the other participants to disconnect them from the call
  • Merging all participants together, as a conference
  • Transferring the caller to one of the other participants, as warm transfer
If you want to cold transfer a caller immediately to another number, queue, or transfer list item without waiting and speaking with the new participant, refer to Transferring Calls.

Add Participant is available for adding:

  • Agents
  • Queues
  • Transfer list endpoints configured for warm transfers, and
  • External numbers

Initiating Add Participant

Add participants to an active call using either the transfer menu or dial pad, depending on the type of contact you are calling.

To add a new agent, queue resource, or transfer list endpoint resource to an active call: 

  1. Click the Transfer Menu (Image of the transfer menu icon)
    Image of the Transfer Menu from the Agent Toolbar
    The Transfer Menu expands. The menu includes tabs for Agents, Queues, and any Transfer Lists.
  2. Select the tab that you want to add a participant from.
    Image of the Transfer and Add Participant columns from Agent Toolbar transfer menu
  3. Click the Add Participant icon (Add Participant icon image) for the list item that you want to add.

All other participants are automatically placed on hold when you are connecting to the new participant.

To add an external telephone number resource to your active call: 

  1. Click the Dial Pad (Dial Pad icon image).
    Image of the Dial Pad menu from Agent Toolbar
  2. Click the Add Participant icon (Add Participant icon image).
  3. Enter the full telephone number that you want to add to your call in E.164 format. You can enter the telephone number by using your computer keyboard, or clicking on the numbers on the dial pad.
    The Add button is disabled until a valid telephone number is entered.
    Image of adding a participant using the dial pad in Agent Toolbar
  4. Click Add.

All other participants are automatically placed on hold when you are connecting to the new participant.

Once the new participant is connected, you can speak to them, transfer the caller to them, disconnect them, or merge everyone together. For more Information on the available call controls, see Add Participant Call Controls.

The Participant icon switches to a group icon and indicates the number of participants involved with this interaction. The participant menu expands, showing individual details such as current state and length of time in that state as well as individual controls for the caller and the participant that you're calling.

Screen image of waiting for Add Participant to connect in the Agent Toolbar

Add Participant Call Controls

Once you are connected to an additional participant on your call, Agent Toolbar shows you how many participants are in the conversation with a Participants icon, next to the customer's phone number located above the activity timer. The icon will show a face for one caller, and change to a group icon if there additional participants.

Toolbar image showing 2 participants

Toolbar image showing more than 2 participants

Clicking the Participant icon shows the list of participants, whether they are an internal or external contact, how long they have been participating in the conversation, and individual phone controls for each such as:

  • Transfer (Transfer icon image) to send the caller to that specific participant, which completes a "warm transfer" .
  • Hold (Hold icon image) to place that participant on hold, leaving the other participants to talk. The hold icon will appear active or illuminated if a participant is currently on hold. In the image below, the caller is on hold.
  • End (Disconnect icon image) to remove that participant from the interaction.

Image of Agent Toolbar with Participant List

Individual participant call controls will only appear for applicable participants. For example: 

  • The caller does not have a transfer option, as you can't transfer the caller to themselves.
  • The agent does not have any controls, as they can use the Toolbar controls directly.

You can have separate conversations with participants by: 

  1. Putting a current participant on hold, if applicable
  2. Taking the participant that you want to speak to off of hold
  3. Repeat as necessary

You can take all of the participants off hold and merge them into one conversation by clicking on the Merge icon (Merge icon image).

Once participants are merged, you are still part of the interaction and have call controls.

A warm transfer is when you speak to the new participant before merging them with the caller. You can complete a warm transfer to your new participant by: 

  1. Providing the new participant with any necessary information
  2. Returning to your caller by taking them off of hold and sharing any information
  3. Clicking the transfer icon (Transfer icon image) next to the participant that you are transferring the caller to.

Once the transfer is complete your call is ended. The other participants are connected and part of a separate conversation.

You can disconnect one of the participants from your call but continue an active conversation with the remaining participants by clicking the End icon (End icon image) next to the participant that you want to remove.

You can remove all of the participants and end the call for everyone by clicking the End icon (End icon image) for your interaction in the Agent Toolbar before participants have been merged.

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