Mac

Using FaceTime on your Mac for Conference Calls with Webex, GoToMeeting and GlobalMeet

If like me you’re generally plugged into your laptop with a headset when working in a nice comfy place and dislike using your cellphone’s speaker and mic or apple headset for calls but instead prefer to take calls on your laptop using the Calls From iPhone feature.

This enables you to easily transition from what you were doing on your laptop – for example, listening to Apple Music, watching YouTube or whatever and flawlessly pick up a call or make a new call directly from your laptop. The benefits here are that you don’t need to take off your headset and continue working without switching devices or changing audio inputs for those with Bluetooth connected headsets.

But have you noticed that the FaceTime interface on OSX has no keypad? This is a problem when you need to pick up a call from the call-back function from Webex for example. Webex asks you to press ‘1’ on the keypad to be connected to the conference. Likewise, if you need to dial into a conference call with Webex, GoToMeeting or Globalmeet, you’ll need to use a keypad to enter the correct input followed generally by ‘#’ to connect. This is a little difficult if there is no keypad right?

If you tried to open up the keypad on your iPhone whilst connected to a call on your Mac, then the audio will transfer from your Mac to your iPhone and you cannot transfer it back.

Luckily there is a workaround. Well two actually, one will enable you to use the call-back functions from conference call systems and the other will enable you to dial into the meeting room directly.

When you receive a call-back call from Webex for example, and are asked to enter ‘1’ to continue, press the Mute button, then use your keyboard’s keys to provide the necessary inputs – press Mute, press 1, press #, then unmute as necessary.

The second workaround involves using direct-dial by just typing/pasting the conference number and attendee access codes directly into FaceTime before making the call. A comma ‘,’ sends a pause to the call, enabling you to enter the attendee access code and any other inputs that you need.

I find that both these work very well for me, mute works for call-back functions and direct-dial works very well when I need to join a call directly. The mute workaround is also very effective when using an IVR phone system too, think banking, customer services systems.

I hope this helps!