Many telephone systems offer a feature by which calls to desk phones also ring cell
phones so that employees can receive workplace calls, even when they are out of the
office. In essence, the mobile devices become an extension of the telephone system.
Using this feature, callers can reach staff members—perhaps a sales representative
who is out on the road—by dialing the same number as the office phone. They don’t
have to try two numbers or know when the person is out of the office. When the desk
phone is called, both the cell phone and the desk phone ring. The displays on the cell
phone and the desk phone show the phone number and name of the calling party, if that
service is available from the carrier. If the person to whom the call is directed does not
answer, the call is forwarded to the telephone system’s voicemail.
