asterisk users - Sep 2006 - What I always get asked in SME * deployments

When ever we do a roll out of Asterisk in a small business environment
replacing an old key system or legacy PBX the receptionist always asks us,
"How do I know if someone is on a call before transferring them?". My
typical answer is "why do you need to know, just do an attended transfer
and
if they can take the call they will, if they can't just tell the caller the
person is busy". If the receptionist insists on "knowing" we give
them FOP.

Has anyone out there devised a better way to let a receptionist "know if
someone is on a call"?
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Some phones have the BLF feature. You can see on the phone who is and who is not
on the phone. With the polycom's you need to get a side car. With the
snom's you can use the buttons on the phone itself.

  When ever we do a roll out of Asterisk in a small business environment
replacing an old key system or legacy PBX the receptionist always asks us,
"How do I know if someone is on a call before transferring them?". My
typical answer is "why do you need to know, just do an attended transfer
and if they can take the call they will, if they can't just tell the caller
the person is busy". If the receptionist insists on "knowing" we
give them FOP.

  Has anyone out there devised a better way to let a receptionist "know if
someone is on a call"?
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