Jabber Phone

Archived - This information is for archival purposes.  As a result, information and links may no longer be valid.

Jabber is software (often referred to as softphone software) that allows you to make and answer phone calls, access voice mail, and create contact lists --- all from your PC or mobile device.  Plus...

  • If you make a call from your mobile device, your mobile phone number is masked and it appears as if your call is coming from your office phone number --- a plus when you’re working remotely and don’t want someone to know your personal phone number.
  • If you choose to use a headset (or earbuds), which you’ll probably want if you share an office with multiple people, you can also stream music to those devices as well. And, you can use the headset/earbuds to listen to video conferences and recordings. So if you currently use a phone headset and a PC headset, you’ll no longer need two.
  • And before you even make a call, you can see if that person is available or not since Jabber ties in with the Office 365 calendar.

Installation

Request Jabber

*** You must request Jabber before you can use it on your desktop or smartphone. ***

  1. Submit a Service Now ticket to request Jabber for your office phone.  To do so, visit "Jabber at Penn State" (link removed; page no longer exists). Under the "Getting Started" section, click on the link for Penn State Telephony Cisco Jabber Request form.
  2. For the question regarding clients, select the appropriate desktop choice (Windows computer or Apple computer) and/or smart device (iOS or Android).  You may select up to 3 clients.

Desktop Installation

Install Jabber software on your desktop via Microsoft's Software Center.

  1. In the search box (next to the Start Menu in the bottom, left corner of your screen), type:  Software.
  2. From the menu, select:  Software Center.
  3. In the search box (top, right corner of the screen), type:  Jabber and press the Enter key.
  4. Click on the icon:  Jabber from Cisco 12.5.0.
  5. Click the Install button.

SmartPhone Installation

*** You must have previously selected a smartphone as a client when you completed the Jabber Request form. ***

  1. Launch the App Store or Google Play.
  2. Search for:  Cisco Jabber.
  3. Install Jabber on your phone.

Resources

Headsets

BITS recommends the following headsets:

Handsets

We are currently testing handsets to find models that are compatible with our system.

Hints

Here are some helpful hints regarding the use of the Jabber softphone.

Jabber Client (Cell Phone)

  • There is no need to accept:  "record audio" or "record pictures/video" in order to use Jabber (unless you wish to do this).
  • You need to sign out of Jabber when done or you can configure Jabber to automatically sign out after a pre-determined time.
    • To sign out, tap the circle with your initials (top, left corner) and then click "Sign Out".
    • To automatically sign out, tap the circle with your initials (top, left corner), then "Settings > Status > Automatic Sign-Out", and select desired time increment. 

Receiving Calls

  • If you are playing music on your PC, you can configure Jabber to pause the music for an incoming call.
  1. Open Windows Control Panel.
  2. Select: Hardware and Sound.
  3. Select: Sound.
  4. Click the Communications tab.
  5. Choose: Mute all other sounds.

Jabber Dashboard

  • The Jabber dashboard can be accessed at any time from the Windows taskbar.
  • If you mouseover the dashboard, you can quickly change your status to any of the following:  Available (green dot), Away (amber dot), Do Not Disturb (red dot).

Headsets

  • Don't forget to charge your headset before you leave at the end of the work day.
  • To adjust the volume, press the volume control button on the headset.