Voicemail: Guidelines

Your mailbox personal greeting should:

1. Identify you or the service being provided to callers at your extension.
2. Accurately reflect the present circumstances. Don't advise callers that you'll respond to their message within 24 hours if you are away on leave for three weeks. Changing your greeting is a simple procedure facilitating frequent change to reflect your changing circumstances.
3. Encourage the caller to leave a detailed message rather than simply asking you to return their call. The information content of messages has a great impact on the value of Voicemail.
4. Indicate when you will respond to messages left.
5. Where possible and appropriate give callers options in addition to leaving messages.

Changing secretarial role

The introduction of Voicemail will generally allow the typical message taking secretarial role to be significantly reduced. Staff whose extensions transfer to secretaries or assistants should generally set up their Voicemail giving callers the option to leave a message or to transfer their call to the same secretary or assistant.

Leaving messages

Messages left via Voicemail should be brief but informative. You should clearly identify yourself and indicate what action you expect the recipient to take. If appropriate, indicate a convenient time for you to receive a call in response.

Responding to messages

Ensure that you listen to and respond to messages promptly. If you are not able to provide a complete response promptly, advise the caller of what action you are taking and when they can expect a completed response.

Answering calls

Incoming calls should be answered directly whenever practical, rather than letting them drop through to Voicemail. Where it is critical that you are not disturbed by incoming calls your extension should be directly diverted to Voicemail for the period (#926026). At the same time your personal greeting should be changed to reflect the situation.

Key ahead in anticipation of Voicemail prompts

Once familiar with commonly used procedures, you may anticipate the Voicemail offered options and continuously enter the necessary sequence of digits to get to the required point in a dialogue. For example:

• To listen to new messages: dial 26026, as soon as an answer is apparent, key:
  # [Mailbox number] [password]1.
• To re-record your personal greeting: dial 26026, as soon as an answer is apparent,
  key # [Mailbox number] [password] 3 1 3 2,
  speak your new greeting at the tone, key 2 6 to review it, key 5**** to save it and exit.

Navigating within Voicemail Subscriber Options
(# for help, the * to step back)

The Voicemail Quick Reference Guide details the dialogue available to a subscriber having dialled in to Voicemail (26026). The following text highlights the use of the # and * telephone keypad keys in navigating whilst within Voicemail.

While in the system you are presented with options at different stages of a call. The options presented at each point are the options relating to basic Voicemail usage - listen to your messages, leave a message etc. In using the Help key (#) at any point in the dialogue all of the options available are offered including both the basic options and additional ones; e.g. whilst listening to a message, pressing # will interrupt the replay and advise you of the full range of options available during message replay including replay advance, skip to next message etc. Frequent use of the Help key (#) during early use of Voicemail will allow you to familiarise yourself with those aspects of the facility which suit you.

The * on your telephone keypad allows you to step back within the Voicemail dialogue to the previous level; e.g. pressing * whilst recording a message will cancel the message being recorded and will present the basic options to listen, record or access personal options.

Whenever leaving the Voicemail system dial **** to exit. This ensures that the Voicemail port occupied by your call is released as soon as possible.

Voicemail and Telephone Diversions

The university telephone system provides a number of different opportunities for calls to be diverted from an original target extension. These include diversions programmed centrally and those that can be applied at the extension via facility codes.

With the introduction of Voicemail a new automatic diversion takes effect for Voicemail activated extensions. Generally calls direct to such extensions which are not answered will divert to Voicemail (26026) connecting the caller with the associated Voice Mailbox. Calls may also be diverted to Voicemail by the immediate diversion facility code at an extension (#926026) or by the divert on busy facility code at an extension (#0#26026). The connected Voice Mailbox will be that associated with the original target extension of the call irrespective of the type or number of diversions that have taken place before the call reaches Voicemail. To undo divert on busy lift the receiver and key in ##0#. To clear immediate diversion key in ##9.

If no Voice Mailbox exists for the original target extension the caller will be advised, "Invalid Subscriber."

See Quick reference guide for all options.
Use "*" to cancel the present option and return to previous menu.
Use "#" to list all options available to you.

To change your message:
dial voicemail 26026 key security code then 3 1 3.

To change security code:
dial voicemail 26026 key current security code then 3 1 4.

To change your name:
dial voicemail 26026 key security code then 3 1 5.

Options during playback:
4 delete (discard)
5 save
6 review
0 date time and caller information

Voicemail and Hunt Groups

If your extension is a member of a Hunt Group, a Distribution Group, an Agent Group or an Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Group, calls to the group pilot number which ring at your extension will not be diverted to Voicemail. Only calls direct to your extension number or diverted to your extension number rather than the group pilot number will be diverted to Voicemail and callers will access the appropriate mailbox.

A call to a group pilot may also be diverted to Voicemail with the caller accessing a mailbox associated with the group. This can only occur if the group has been programmed for divert on busy or is closed.

If you experience difficulties establishing the service, please submit a request through the Servicedesk or call ext 50556