How can I get the phone number to the elevator?

Question

I think the elevator in my company has a common number that can be called from an ordinary phone. A coworker has mentioned that a salesman called one day, and was quite amused to tell him that he was calling an elevator. Today, reports are that the phone was ringing again. I've read, and it seems that the elevator normally operates on a closed circuit, so how is this possible?

Answer 1

Our elevator is hooked up to an outside line independent of our PBX so it has a different prefix and everything just to guarantee that the call will get out in an emergency situation.  If you call it, the phone doesn't ring but it instantly connects so you can hear inside the elevator and talk to whoever is in it.  If you're in the elevator, there's only a call button and it dials a preprogrammed number, i.e. 911, security, etc.  Ours has just a standard phone connector plugged into it.  You could unhook it, plug in an el cheapo hand phone and dial out to 1-800-444-4444 and it will tell you the number you're calling from.  Of course, you could dial your cell too and check the caller ID.  So in our case, it's on just a regular phone line.  I think your case may be different where you have a phone that rings.  If you pick up the elevator phone, does it ring (outgoing) right away or can you hear it dial a number first?  It might have a closed outgoing circuit but you can usually still call phones like this.  My university had phones that would connect you right away to a local cab company and I've heard them ring before so incoming wasn't restricted although outgoing was.  If the elevator is on a dedicated outgoing line like that you'll have to guess the number or make friends with whoever it calls and see if they'll give you the number.

Answer 2

Make a call from that phone to your cell phone. Hope it has caller ID.

Answer 3

It's easy.  Walk down to the front desk and ask the building superintendent for the phone number.

Or you could do it the hard way.  Ride the elevator with your cell phone calling all the numbers after your main number.  For example,if your business phone is 555-2300, start by calling 555-2301, 555-2302, etc. until the elevator phone rings.  

And be ready to explain why you need this phone number.