Frequently Asked Questions about Voicemail

Below you will find some frequently asked questions relating to the voicemail upgrade. As we approach the upgrade date of April 19th 2007 if you are a voicemail user you will be sent more details on what you will need to do to ensure your new mailbox gets created.

What is Unified Messaging (UM)?
Unified messaging is voicemail that makes it possible to receive voice and fax messages in a single mailbox that’s accessible through a user’s desk phone, cell phone, computer, e-mail or Internet-enabled personal digital assistant. It is provided by a company called Unified Arts.

How will I retrieve my voicemail with UM? You will have several options to retrieve your voicemail:

• Phone
• Email
• UM Web Site

Why do we have to replace the current voicemail system?

• The current systems need a major upgrade just to provide reliable voicemail
• The current  systems have been installed for about 15 years and are no longer supported by the vendor.
• 50% of the current systems are at 80% capacity

UM FEATURES

What features are available with a basic UM mailbox?

• Fax (incoming)
• Find Me/Follow Me
• Call whisper
• Ability to schedule different greetings depending on time of day
• Ability to forward voicemails to 3 different email accounts
• “0” Attendant
• Change password/PIN
• Personal Profile
• Recognize me
• Message Notification (.wav, MP3 or notification-only)
• Directory Information

How many messages can be saved?
All mailboxes will have the capacity of 30 messages and will be saved in the UM mailbox for 14 days. All deleted messages will be available in the “trash” folder for 3 days after they are deleted. However customers may choose to save (download) any voicemail file to their computer. Files sent to email may be held there as long as you want.

FAX FEATURE

Will the individual FAX numbers be hosted on the ASU systems?
No, they will be on the Unified Arts system.

Will my fax number be the same number as my telephone number?
No. By giving customers a separate fax telephone number you will not have to worry about picking up a call and hearing a fax tone when someone tries to send you a fax.

Will the fax feature allow “junk fax” to be received?
A few “junk faxes” may be received, however if the system sees that a fax number is receiving “junk fax” the
system will block these faxes.

How will fax numbers be assigned?
Will we have to have a new number or can our existing number be used? – New numbers will be assigned from the DID number range within the UM system.

What if we already have an office fax number?
You can continue to use your current fax number and fax machine. However this new system will allow cost savings by allowing you to stop renting an additional phone line once you have advised people of your new fax number. You will of course still need a fax machine to send faxes but if you only send a small number of faxes you may wish to plug the fax machine into a voiceline and disable its ability to receive faxes.

 

BILLING

How much will all these features cost?
The basic UM mailbox will cost $3.50 per mailbox per month for a 30 message mailbox. This is significantly
less than the current GTA price of 10 msg – $4.50, 20 msg - $6.50 and 30 msg - $9.00.

How will we be billed?
You will be billed just as you are today for your voicemail and phone. Customers will receive charges for their new UM voicemail box on the GTA telecommunications bill.

 

ADMINISTRATION/SUPPORT

Will I have to contact GTA or Unified Arts to enable or disable my features for the UM mailbox?
No. Customers or administrators will have the ability to enable and disable any feature from the web interface

Who do I call for support? You will continue to contact the Telecoms Administrator at ASU.

If the ASU network goes down, how will voice mail be affected? The UM voice mail system is separate
from the ASU network. If at any time the ASU network/email server is down, your voicemail can always be
accessed by phone or the web.

How will voicemail password resets be handled?
Today users must do a Telecom Work Request to the Telecoms Administrator at ASU at a cost of $32.50. With UM, each user can manage their account, including password and login reset.

 

HOW UNIFIED MESSAGING WORKS

Will UM work with my current telephone system?
Yes. The UM service will work with both Centrex and VOIP services.

Will the Centrex features (example *77 or *770) be the same?
Yes. Only the voicemail feature option will change.

Can a greeting be entered by typing?
No, at this time greetings are vocal only. Customers may create three types of greetings - “personalized”, “standard” or “default” greetings.

Do I have to receive a file when I receive voicemail in my email in-box?
No. Users may receive a notification-only or a file (.wav or MP3) or no notification. This feature is set up by each user.

What is the average file size?
It depends if it is an MP3 or a WAV file. WAV files are a lot larger.

Are the wave and/or MP3 files sent to the server or email?
We are aware of the limitations due to email storage and that some firewalls block MP3 files. The system can either send the entire file/message to an individual's email or just an email notification informing them that they have a voicemail message which will help with the storage capacity issues.

Can voice mail messages still be retrieved from a phone?
Yes. The web and email are just additional methods for retrieving voice mail.

Regarding directory information in UM; when a supervisor lists an administrative assistant/specialists number in directory instead of his/her own, can the secretary’s number be listed in the UM directory?
Yes, the personal profile in the directory is entered and can be changed by the user.

Can the same voicemail box be used if an employee leaves and a new employee is hired?
Yes, if the same telephone number is kept. The passwords can be reset and recovered by each individual. Administrators will have the capability to do password changes.

Some voicemail boxes cover for other staff; will the “0” option feature send calls to other individuals?
The “0” option will give the caller the ability to transfer to another individual for assistance if they do not wish to leave a message. The follow-me feature can be used to send callers to another number (ex: cell phone) and then back into the voicemail box to leave a message if unanswered (it has the capability to send callers to three separate numbers before going into the voicemail box). The voicemail system also has the capability to send the message and/or notification to three email addresses.

I now have a light that indicates I have a message; will that continue with UM?
The light and stutter dial tone are not typically used with UM systems and is not a part of the UM implementation. To add this feature, it would be necessary to circumvent the design of UM and the project would incur additional cost.

AVAILABILITY OF UM SERVICE

Will every phone line have voicemail? Some faculty/staff do not currently have voicemail.
Voicemail will be available campus-wide but every phone line will not automatically get a voicemail box. Departments may request a UM mailbox for faculty/staff who do not currently have voicemail at a later date through the ASU Telecommunications Coordinator.

ASU PREPARATION

Will ASU have to purchase any equipment?
No. GTA will forward your telephone number to the vendors (Unified Arts) system.

How much notification will we receive before the changeover to UM?
Customers will receive a message in their current voicemail box at least two weeks
before the conversion date. Also customer will receive a message in the new UM voicemail box explaining how to activate their mailbox.

Will there need to be a clean-up of current voicemails, prior to conversion to UM?
No, but if you are not current, this would be a good time to do a clean-up. When the current voicemail is converted to the new UM system you will not be able to retrieve any messages on the old platform.

Will training be available to all end users?

• CBT (computer-based training) will be available to all users.          
• Quick guides will be provided that will allow users to easily get their phone messages just as they do now. Manuals and Summary handouts will be available to assist users with all UM features.
• There will also be a “help” button on the web site that will have detailed instructions of how to use your UM mailbox.

SECURITY

Is the new voicemail website secure? Yes.