Voicemail

What is Voicemail?

Voicemail is a technology that extends the power of the phone system. It allows you to:

  • use your phone as an answering machine
  • listen to your messages,
  • take an incoming recorded message and forward it to someone else in the University
  • send the same recorded message to a number of different people
  • pre-record a message that you want sent to someone at a predetermined time, e.g., tomorrow at 3:00pm

Voicemail at the University of Canberra

Our Voicemail system at the University of Canberra is called CallXpress3, marketed by Call Processing Systems. All phones on campus are connected to this Voicemail system. Every telephone number has a mailbox attached. Your mailbox number is simply your 4-digit extension number (e.g., 5522).

Accessing Voicemail

The Voicemail system can be accessed by dialling 2233 (or 6201 2233 if dialling in from off campus). When Voicemail answers, you will be asked to enter your security code. (If checking your mailbox from another extension, dial *# as soon as Voicemail answers to receive the 'please enter your mailbox number' prompt. External users will be prompted without doing this.) Once you have learnt the basics of the system, recorded instructions will take you through all the available options. The system is divided into three main categories:

  1. Listen to messages
  2. Record and send a message
  3. Use the Phone Manager

Getting started

Before you can effectively use the Voicemail system four things must be customised:

  1. Security code (like a PIN)
  2. Personal greeting (your answering machine message)
  3. Your name
  4. Call forward options for your phone

NOTE: Our Voicemail system has a special "tutorial" feature that walks new users through this customisation. If you would like to use the tutorial, contact the Switchboard Manager on extension 5101 and she will initialise this feature on your phone.

Changing your security code

Initially everyone's security code is set to "0000" (four zeroes), but it would be wise to change this as soon as you start using the system. If you don't change it, anyone on campus can listen to your messages and delete them without your knowledge. The security code can be anywhere from four to fifteen digits. The easiest way to change it is to:

  • Ring the Voicemail system on 2233 and log on with your security code
  • When the voice starts telling you your options, interrupt by typing 314 and then follow instructions
  • When the voice says your security code has been changed, press the star key (*) a few times to exit the system and hang up.

Recording a personal greeting

If you're going to use your telephone as an answering machine, you need to record a message, or personal greeting, that your callers will hear when you're away. There are two types of greetings - standard and out of office. Standard is the everyday greeting you would use. Out of office is used when you are away for extended periods. When out of office is in use, the system reminds you each time you call in and tells you how to switch it off. Once switched off, your standard greeting will be played.

Ring Voicemail on 2233 and enter your security code. When the voice starts listing your various options, interrupt by entering 313 and then follow the instructions. Exit by pressing the star key (*) a few times.

Helpful hint 

Most of us tend to get a little flustered when "talking into a microphone". You may want to write down what you wish to record and practice it once or twice before ringing Voicemail to record it. If you're not happy with your recorded message, you can change it at any time.

Recording your name

While not essential, it's a nice idea to record your name for the Voicemail system so that whenever someone sends a Voicemail message to your number, the system tells them to whom the message will be sent and it tells them in your own voice.

  • Ring Voicemail on 2233 and enter your security code
  • When the voice starts listing your various options, interrupt by entering 315 and then follow the instructions
  • Sign off by pressing the star key a few times.

Note that when it asks for your name, state your name clearly.

Setting your call forward options

We recommend you set one of the call forward options and leave it set permanently. This is Call Forward (no answer). It reroutes your incoming calls to another extension (e.g., 2233) whenever the call is not answered after a specified number of rings (currently six rings).

Call forward (no answer) -- *3

Pick up your phone, dial *3, wait a second, dial the Voicemail access number (2233), wait for a tone and then hang up. Whenever your phone rings six times and no one answers it, the phone system will automatically route the call to the Voicemail system and your caller will hear your personal greeting and be given a chance to leave a message.

Call Forward (all) -- *1

When you are away from your office for an extended period of time, you can set Call Forward (all) to Voicemail.

Pick up your phone, dial *1, wait a second, dial the Voicemail access number (2233), wait for a tone and then hang up. When anyone rings your extension, the phone system will automatically route the call to the Voicemail system and your caller will hear your personal greeting and be given a chance to leave a message.

To cancel either of these settings (*1 or *3), pick up your phone, dial the same number preceded by a hash sign (#1 or #3) and hang up.

Helpful Hint

If you set Call Forward (all), don't forget to dial #1 when you return to your desk. Otherwise you will only hear an occasional single ring when people try to call you - as a warning to you that your phone is set to Call Forward (all). When you try to answer the phone, the call will have already been transferred to Voicemail.

Using Voicemail

Most of the recorded messages you receive will have been generated while your phone was on Call Forward, but anyone on campus can send you Voicemail messages at any time, regardless of the status of your phone. Check from time to time to see if you have messages.

How do you know if there are messages waiting?

Depending on the type of phone you have, one or more of the following will be true:

  • You may have a red indicator light (do not rely on this) that goes on when you have messages.
  • You will have a special message on the display screen (Dterm phones).
  • You will hear a different dial tone when you pick up your handset (true for all campus phones).

Listening to your messages

Dial Voicemail, enter your security code and Voicemail will tell you if you have any messages. To listen to messages, follow the instructions. The system will also tell you what to do in order to save a message (if you want to listen to it again in the future) or discard it.

Exiting Voicemail

You can exit the system at any time by pressing the "star" key ( * ) several times in quick succession. The recorded instructions will thank you for calling and then you can hang up.

Please take care to exit properly after each session. Just hanging up keeps a line busy for an extended period of time and there are a limited number of lines available.

Handy tips for using Voicemail

At any point while using the Voicemail system you can press the hash key ( # ) and listen to a replay of the options available to you.

To cancel the Voicemail activity you are currently engaged in, press the star key ( * ). Voicemail stops whatever it's doing and takes you back to the previous menu options.

Once you have experience with the system, you need not wait for the voice instructions to finish each time before typing your response. When you know where you want to go in the system, you can type several digits consecutively and go directly to a particular function. This is called "typing ahead".

Summary of Phone Codes

Most of these are not directly related to Voicemail, but you will find them useful in your daily use of the telephone system.

Outside line [ 0 ]
Operator  [ 9 ]
Extensions  [ 2xxx, 3xxx, 5xxx, or 8xxx ]
Call forward (all calls) [ *1 plus desired extension ]
Cancel  [ #1 ]
Call forward (no answer)  [ *3 plus desired extension ]
Cancel [ #3 ]
Call pick up (same group) [ #4 ]++
Call pick up (direct) [ *4 plus extension that is ringing ]
Automatic call back [ TRF or RECALL plus *0 ]
Cancel [ #0 ]
Place call on hold [ TRF or RECALL plus *6 ]
Retrieve call (same phone) [ #6 ]
System speed calling [ *7 plus 000 to 999 ] #

For Help or Additional Information

Help requests or more information can be obtained by contacting the Switchboard Manager, Ann Harvey on extension 5101.

+Note that the Voicemail system works with different tiers of instructions. If you choose, to change your security code you can first type 3 and wait for the next tier, then type 1 and wait for the next tier, and finally type 4 and then follow the additional instructions.

++Requires prior arrangements with Switchboard.

#For calling commonly used off-campus numbers without having to punch in a long string of digits. Complete directory of current "speed numbers" available from Switchboard.