Use the Action button on Cisco Desk Phone 9800 Series
The Action button is the red button located on the top right of your Cisco Desk Phone 9800 Series. It provides easy and quick access to the designated services.
Your phone’s Action button can do different things depending on how it’s set up. It might work as an emergency call button, open an app, or even handle multiple services. The way you access a service with the button depends on its trigger settings.
Use the Action button
Once your phone is set up for the first time, an on-screen guide will show you how to use the Action button. The trigger can be one of the following:
- Single press—Pressing the button once
- Long press—Holding the button down for at lease two seconds
- Press three times—Quickly pressing the button three times in a row
If a timeout is set, you'll see a pop-up after pressing the button, showing the countdown timer and the service you're about to access. You can select Call now or Send now to skip the timer.
We strongly recommend reading the instructions from your IT team to understand how to use the Action button properly, especially if it’s linked to emergency services.
Silent emergency call
If the Action button on your phone is set to initiate an emergency call, it may be placed as a one-way call if your IT administrator has enabled the Silent Emergency Call feature. In this case, the recipient can hear you, but you won't hear them. Depending on the phone model, your screen may freeze or go black during the call to avoid drawing attention and protect the caller in discreet situations.
If the Silent Emergency Call Retrieval feature is enabled, pressing any key on the phone will restore normal operation while keeping the call silent. You can then press the Volume Up key to hear the other end.
Configuration error
When you see an error icon in the phone screen header, it means the Action button isn't
properly configured. We recommend reaching out to your IT team for assistance. You can also
find the error message under Issues and diagnostics in the
Settings menu.