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Voice Mail Service
- Additions to Basic Voice Mail
- Basic Voice Mail Features
- How to Order Voice Mail Service
- How to Retrieve Your Messages
- Introduction to Voice Mail
- Other Services
- Personalizing a New Mailbox
- Voice Mail Flow Chart
Introduction to Voice Mail
San Diego State University’s voice mail service is available to any faculty or staff member with an extension on the campus telephone system. Standard installation is one mailbox per extension, but for offices where more than one person shares an extension, multiple mailboxes can be installed. For more complex configurations, please contact Telecommunications & Network Services (TNS) at 4-3500 or voicewo@mail.sdsu.edu.
Basic Voice Mail Features
| Feature Description | Parameter |
|---|---|
| Greeting length (max.) | 1:00 min |
| Incoming message length (max.) | 3:00 min |
| Total number of messages (new, saved and future) | 35 |
| Total number of days messages kept | 14 days |
| Extended absence greeting allowed | Yes |
| Future delivery of messages | 45 days |
| Number of distribution lists | 15 |
| Number of destinations per list (max.) | 25 |
The standard faculty/staff voice mailbox has the following features:
Additions to Basic Voice Mail Service
- Transfer to a live person (no charge)
The voice mail system can be programmed so callers can press “0” to be transferred to a live person. Referred to as a “zero out point”. - Notification (of voice mail message) to pager or cell phone, see rates below.
The voice mail system notifies users by pager or cell phone, based on the user-programmed schedule. If notification is to a cell phone, then messages are played back at that time. - Voice Mail On Line (VMOL) is not offered at this time.
- Vacation Service (no charge)
Our “vacation special,” in combination with an extended absence greeting, blocks callers from leaving a message in the mailbox once the greeting is played.
Other Services
- Password/Mailbox Reset, see rates below.
TNS cannot recover a forgotten password but can reset the password. If a new employee is using a telephone extension with an existing mailbox, we recommend completely resetting the mailbox. - “Enhanced” Mailbox, see rates below. In situations where basic voice mail service is not sufficient (e.g. the mailbox greeting needs to be longer than one minute or a high volume of messages will be left in the mailbox at any given time), TNS has larger voice mailboxes available. Please contact TNS at 4-3500 or e-mail voicewo@mail.sdsu.edu.
- TDD/TTY Mailbox
TNS offers a mailbox that recognizes Baudot tones used by a Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD). Mailbox prompts are in Baudot tones, allowing hearing-impaired users to use a TDD to access voice mail. Mailbox greetings can be recorded with voice, Baudot tones, or both. - Other Specialized Mailboxes, see rates below.
- Timer boxes—divert calls to different destinations based on time of day and day of week. For example, divert to voice mail after business hours or in certain circumstances only.
- Caller menus—give callers a list of different options to select. Versatile enough to be used in large caller applications (see below) or in multi-person faculty offices with one extension.
- Announcement boxes— Will play an informational message to callers but will not accept messages.
- Voice forms—act as audio forms, asks callers for specific information and records the responses in order, allowing for easy transcription.
- Caller Applications (also known as Caller Menus or Phone Trees)
Using a combination of the specialized and basic mailboxes, TNS can create caller applications to direct calls to the appropriate office or give specific information to callers. Please contact TNS at 4-3500 or e-mail voicewo@mail.sdsu.edu, see rates below. - Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Group
Sometimes telephone applications are used witl an Automatic Call Distribution group. ACD groups are “smart” hunt groups that route calls between available agents. Calls only ring on available agents’ phones. - System Distribution Lists, see rates below.
Departments and on-campus organizations can have a system distribution list set up containing their employees’ or members’ mailbox numbers. Messages sent to the distribution list will be copied into all mailboxes on the list. - System-wide Broadcast Announcement (no charge)
The system-wide voice mail broadcast announcement is distributed to every voice mailbox including those belonging to students in the residence halls. It is used only when the entire campus must be notified of an emergency situation or for campus-wide events. The message length for this type of announcement is one minute or less. For non-emergency announcements, prior approval is required. A copy of the announcement should be sent to voicewo@mail.sdsu.edu at least three business days before the requested date of the announcement.
How to Order Voice Mail Service
Complete a TNS Telephone Service Request. The online form will prompt you to provide all the imformation we need to complete your request. Indicate whether the request is to add, change or delete voice mail.
| Service | Monthly Rate | Installation Charge | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Voice Mail | $3.50 | $10.00 | |
| Notification | $0.50 | $10.00 | |
| Password Reset | $10.00 | ||
| Enhanced VMS | $5.50 | $10.00 | |
| TDD/TTY | $3.50 | $10.00 | |
| Timer boxes | $3.50 | $10.00 | |
| Caller menus | $5.50 | $10.00 | |
| Announcement boxes | $3.50 | $10.00 | |
| Voice Forms | $5.50 | $10.00 | |
| Caller Applications | varies | $40.00/hour | Monthly rate varies based on how many mailboxes are used. Installation includes training. |
| ACD | Prices depend on number of lines, queue spaces and agents. |
Activating a New Voice Mailbox
Before a new voice mailbox can receive messages, it has to be activated. To activate, follow these steps:
| Action | System Response |
|---|---|
| Dial 4-7444 to access the voice mail system. | The system will start playing a tutorial. |
| At the prompt, enter the assigned temporary password. | The system will prompt you to change the password. |
| Enter your permanent password and press #. The new password must be between five and 15 digits, cannot be sequential and cannot be the same as your campus extension. | The system will ask you to record your name. |
| Say your first and last name, and then press #. | The system will play back your recorded name, giving you the option to rerecord or save it. |
| Press * to rerecord you name or # to save the recording. | The system will prompt you to choose a Standard or Personal greeting. It is preferable to have a Personal greeting. |
| Press 1 to choose a Standard greeting. or Press 2 to choose a Personal greeting |
The rest of the tutorial will play and then your mailbox is ready to take messages. You are now finished. The system will prompt you to record a greeting. |
| Press 2 to record your greeting. After you finish recording your greeting, press #. Press # again to save. | The rest of the tutorial will play and then your mailbox is ready to take messages. |
| Action | System Response |
|---|---|
| Dial 4-7444 (or press the flashing message waiting light on a digital set.) | The system will play the recorded name for the mailbox and ask you to enter your password. |
| Enter your personal password and press # | The system will tell you how many messages are waiting. |
| Press 1 twice to listen to your new messages. | The system will play each message in order of receipt. |
| Press 7 to delete or 9 to save at the end of each message. | See the Voice Mail Flow Chart for all the options available both during message playback and at the end of each message. |
- To access your voice mailbox from another campus number:
- Dial 4-7444
- Press *
- Enter your five-digit extension
- Enter your personal password and press #
- To access your voice mailbox from off-campus:
- Dial 619-594-7444
- Press #
- Enter your five-digit extension
- Enter your personal password and press #
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