Voicemail

Help Desk

How to use voice mail

• Summary of mailbox key commands
• Accessing a voice mailbox
• Mailbox navigation
• Playing a message
• Composing a message
• Replying to a message
• Forwarding a message
• Receipt acknowledgement
• Urgent and private messages
• Timed message delivery
• Express messaging
• Name dialing
• Mailbox passwords
• Personal verification
• Greeting (internal and external)
• Mailbox attendant
• Distribution lists (multiple mailing)
• Mailbox administration

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Accessing a voice mailbox

Before you can listen to new or existing voice mail, you must log on to the Meridian voice mail system. To do this, you will require a valid mailbox number (usually your phone extension) and a password (assigned initially by the phone system administrator).

To log onto the Meridian voice mail system:

1. Lift the handset and select a free line by pressing .
2. Press or dial the mail access number:  (727-7400 if dialed from off-campus).
3. When prompted for your mailbox number, press or type your 3-digit phone number (if checking voice mail away from your phone). Then enter your password and press to signify the end of number input.
4. If your password has expired, you are given the chance to change it before you can access your messages. Click here to learn how to change your mail password.
5. You are now logged on.
6. Meridian mail now describes the status of the mailbox and gives a summary of new, urgent, private, and unsent messages. After the summary, it describes the first new message, if there is one, with the following information (called the message envelope):
   • the message number
   • the status of the message (for example, new or existing)
   • who sent the message (either an “external number” or a specific line or party on-campus) and when they sent it
   • whether the message is urgent or private, or whether the sender requested acknowledgement of their message (called message attachments)
   • the date and time when the message was placed in the mailbox
7. If there are no new messages, the first unsent message is described. If there are no unsent messages, the first message in your mailbox is described. Click here for information on playing your messages and navigating through your mailbox.
8. Log off the mail system by replacing the handset, pressing or pressing the logoff command: .

Summary of mailbox key commands

List of voice mail features

Mailbox navigation

Once you have logged onto the Meridian mail system and have been informed of the messages in your mailbox, you can navigate through your mailbox using a series of keys on the telephone keypad:

To:	Press:
Play a message
Pause during message playback
Continue after playback has paused
Rewind message 5 seconds
Fast-forward message 5 seconds
Go to previous message
Go to next message
Go to specific message	+ message number +

Summary of mailbox key commands

List of voice mail features

Composing a voice mail message

There are two possible ways in which you may record a voice mail message to an on-campus party:

1. Lift the handset and select a free line by pressing .
2. Dial the extension of the party to whom the message should be sent.
3. If the party does not answer their phone within four rings, or if they have forwarded their calls directly to their voice mailbox (in which case, only one ring will be heard), you will be transferred to their voice mailbox. At this point, you will be prompted to compose a mail message.
4. The commands applicable during the composition of a message are as follows:
   • Start (or continue) recording the message.
   • Stop recording the message.
   • Listen to the recorded message.
   • Send the message.
   • Abort and discard the message.
5. After recording the voice mail, replace the handset or press .

OR

1. Lift the handset and select a free line by pressing .
2. Dial the express messaging extension (727-7401 if dialed from off-campus).
3. When prompted for the mailbox number into which voice mail should be placed, type the 3-digit phone number. The recipient’s personal verification will be played to confirm the party to whom the message will be sent. If you do not know the recipient’s number, press for name dialing. To send the message simultaneously to all of the parties in one of your distribution lists, press the number of the list, followed by .
4. The commands applicable during the recording and playback of an express message are the same as those listed above.
5. After recording the voice mail, press to send the new message and compose another message or, if you are finished sending voice mail, replace the handset or press .
6. Press to send the new message.

Summary of mailbox key commands

List of voice mail features

Replying to a voice mail message

After listening to voice mail from an on-campus party, you may call the sender directly or send a reply back to their voice mailbox, as follows:

1. After listening to the message, press to call the sender or press to send a reply to the sender’s voice mailbox. The sender’s personal verificationwill be played to confirm the party to whom the reply will be sent.
2. The commands applicable during the composition of a reply are as follows:
   • Start (or continue) recording the reply.
   • Stop recording the reply.
   • Listen to the recorded reply.
   • Send the reply.
   • Abort the reply and erase the recording

Summary of mailbox key commands

List of voice mail features

Forwarding a voice mail message

After listening to a voice mail from an on-campus party, you may forward a copy of the message to one or more on-campus voice mailboxes, as follows:

1. After listening to the message, press to forward the message to other on-campus mailboxes.
2. You will then be prompted to enter a list of mailboxes to which the forwarded message should be sent. Enter each extension number, followed by . Signify the end of the list by pressing again (to forward the message to only one mailbox, enter the extension, then twice). After entering each mailbox number, the recipient’s personal verification will be played to confirm the party to whom the message will be forwarded. If you do not know the recipient’s number, press for name dialing. To forward the message simultaneously to all of the parties in one of your distribution lists, press the number of the list, followed by .
3. You will then be prompted to record an introductory message that will precede the forwarded message deposited in the recipient’s mailbox. For example, this introductory message might tell the caller your reason for forwarding the message to them.
4. The commands applicable during the composition of an introductory message are as follows:
   • Start (or continue) recording the introduction.
   • Stop recording the introduction.
   • Listen to the recorded introduction and the attached, forwarded message.
   • Send the forwarded message.
   • Abort forwarding the message.

Summary of mailbox key commands

List of voice mail features

Receipt acknowledgement

You may request that the Meridian mail system inform you when a voice mail left in a party’s mailbox has been played. When you request message acknowledgement, you will receive an automatic message from the mail system when your message is played.

To request acknowledgement of a voice mail message:

1. After composing a voice mail message, press to stop recording.
2. Press . The mail system will inform you that your message has now been tagged for acknowledgement.
3. When the recipient of your message plays it, you will receive an automatic message from the mail system giving the date and time when your message that was sent, and the personal verification of the recipient. The date and time when this automatic message was sent to you indicates when your original message was played by its recipient.

Summary of mailbox key commands

List of voice mail features

Urgent and private messages

You can mark an out-going voice mail message (on-campus only) for urgent delivery. Doing so does not affect the speed with which it will be delivered to the recipient. However, the mail system will inform the recipient that your message is urgent when it is described to them, allowing them to listen to your message first.

To mark a message for urgent delivery:

1. After composing a voice mail message, press to stop recording.
2. Press . The mail system will inform you that your message has now been tagged for urgent delivery.
3. Press to send the message.

You can mark an out-going voice mail message (on-campus only) for private delivery. Doing so does not confer any special security on the message. However, the mail system will inform the recipient that your message is private when it is described to them, allowing them to decide under what circumstances to listen to your message.

To mark a message for private delivery:

1. After composing a voice mail message, press to stop recording.
2. Press . The mail system will inform you that your message has now been tagged for private delivery.
3. Press to send the message.

Summary of mailbox key commands

List of voice mail features

Timed message delivery

After recording a voice mail message for an on-campus party, you can arrange to have it delivered to them at some future time or date rather than immediately.

1. After composing a voice mail message, press to stop recording.
2. Press . The mail system will inform you that your message has now been tagged for timed delivery.
3. Enter the month in the current year when the message should be delivered, where = January and = December, followed by .
4. Enter the day of the month selected in the previous step when the message should be delivered, followed by .
5. Enter the time on the day selected in the previous step when the message should be delivered, followed by . The time format must consist of 3 or 4 digits without a colon. For example, press to indicate 8:30. The mail system will then ask you to press if the time is AM or if the time is PM. For times after 1:00 PM, you may enter them in military format (24-hour clock), in which case the mail system will not ask you to indicate AM or PM.
6. Press to send the message.

Summary of mailbox key commands

List of voice mail features

Express messaging

You do not have to dial a person’s extension to leave them voice mail. Instead, you may deposit voice mail into their mailbox via express messaging.
To send a message directly to an on-campus voice mailbox:

1. Lift the handset and select a free line by pressing .
2. Dial the express messaging extension (727-7401 if dialed from off-campus).
3. When prompted for the mailbox number into which voice mail should be placed, type the 3-digit phone number. The recipient’s personal verification will be played to confirm their identity. If you do not know the recipient’s number, press for name dialing. To send the message simultaneously to all of the parties in one of your distribution lists, press the number of the list, followed by .
4. After recording the voice mail, replace the handset or press .

If you answer a call meant for another person, you can transfer the caller to that other person’s extension using call transfer, or you can transfer the caller to express messaging so they can leave a message in the other person’s mailbox:

1. Transfer the call to the express messaging extension (see step #2 above).
2. Enter the appropriate mailbox number, followed by or use name dialingto locate their mailbox. This step is necessary if the caller does not have a touch-tone phone.
3. Complete the call transfer as quickly as possible so that the caller can hear the prompt to record a message.

Summary of mailbox key commands

List of voice mail features

Name dialing

If you do not know the extension number of an on-campus party, you can use name dialing to call them. When name dialing, you start spelling the party’s surname then, if necessary, their first name. Depending on the uniqueness of their name, you may have to spell their full name entirely or you may only have to spell as much as necessary to distinguish it from all other names in the Meridian mail system.

1. Lift the handset and select a free line by pressing .
2. Press (728-9520 if dialed from off-campus) then .
3. In response to a prompt, begin spelling the person’s surname using the letters on the telephone keys. When you have spelled enough of their name to distinguish it from others in the mail system, their personal verification will be played, and their phone will ring. If the party’s surname contains the letter Q, press ; press for the letter Z.

Summary of mailbox key commands

List of voice mail features

Mailbox passwords

Each mailbox in the Meridian phone system has a password that protects it from unauthorized access. Your password consists of 4 to 16 digits. You may change the password as often as you wish; however, passwords expire automatically every three months. After your password has expired, you will not be able to access your messages or any mailbox commands until you change the password. If you forget your password, you must contact the phone system administrator.

To change the password on your voice mailbox:

1. Lift the handset and select a free line by pressing .
2. Log onto the Meridian mail system. For information on how to do this, click here.
3. While logged onto the mail system, press .
4. The expiry date of your current password will be given. You must change your password when it expires but you may also change the password at any earlier time.
5. You will be prompted to type your current password using the keys of the phone, followed by .
6. To ensure that you entered the desired new password correctly, you will be prompted to enter the same new password again, followed by .
7. If the two passwords entered at the previous step match exactly, you will then be prompted to enter your current password, followed by as a last confirmation of the password change.
8. The new password takes effect immediately.

Summary of mailbox key commands

List of voice mail features

Personal verification

When you send voice mail to an on-campus caller, they will hear your personal verification message before they listen to your mail. There are several reasons for recording a personal verification:

• Identification- Recording your name and, optionally, your mailbox number or job title may be helpful to callers who don’t know you very well.
• Messages delivered to people who do not have mailboxes on the Meridian mail system will include your personal verification. The recipient will recognize who the message is from and will be more likely to listen to it.
• Name dialing – When someone calls you using name dialing, the system will play your personal verification instead of spelling your name to the caller. This helps to reassure the caller they have reached the correct party.

Normally, this personal verification is your name; however, it could also be the name of a department or group, if appropriate. If you do not record a personal verification message, recipients of your voice mail will hear your extension number.

To play, record or delete your personal verification:

1. Lift the handset and select a free line by pressing .
2. Log onto the Meridian mail system. For information on how to do this, click here.
3. While logged onto the mail system, press.
4. The available commands are as follows:
   • Listen to the present verification.
   • Return to the phone system.
   • Record a new verification. Press to stop recording.
   • Delete the present verification. If you do not record a replacement verification, your extension number will be used instead.

Summary of mailbox key commands

List of voice mail features

Greeting (internal and external)

The greeting is the message that a caller who has been forwarded to your voice mailbox will hear. The type of greeting heard will depend on the origin of the call: on-campus callers will hear your internal greeting while off-campus callers will hear the external greeting.

To play, record or delete your current greetings:

1. Lift the handset and select a free line by pressing .
2. Log onto the Meridian mail system. For information on how to do this, click here.
3. While logged onto the mail system, press .
4. To hear, record or revise your external greeting, press . For the internal greeting, press .
5. The commands available for modifying whichever greeting you selected in the previous step are as follows:
   • Listen to the present greeting.
   • Return to the phone system.
   • Record a new greeting. Press to stop recording.
   • Delete the present greeting. If you do not record a replacement greeting, a system-wide default greeting will be used.
6. When recording a greeting, some information you may wish to include is:
   • your name
   • if you are away from your office, the time or date when you will return
   • a request that the caller leave a message for you

For example, a typical greeting may be:
“Hello. This is (your name). I am in today but am unable to answer my phone just now. If you leave your name, number, and a message after the tone, I will return your call as soon as I can. If you would prefer to speak to an attendant, please press zero.”

Summary of mailbox key commands

List of voice mail features

Mailbox attendant

A mailbox attendant is an on-campus party to whom callers to your voice mailbox may be referred if they require immediate assistance or if they do not wish to leave voice mail. The mailbox attendant is reached by pressing after the caller has accessed your voice mailbox. Normally, this routes the caller to the on-campus automated switchboard, from which they can dial another on-campus number (directly or via name dialing). However, you can change the number of the mailbox attendant so that callers can be routed to, for example, a departmental office.

If you change the number of your mailbox attendant, you may wish to mention in your internal or external greeting that the caller can be re-directed to the attendant by pressing . Note that the key used by the caller to contact the mailbox attendant is always . Changing the mailbox attendant affects only the on-campus number to which the caller is routed on pressing this key.

To change the mailbox attendant number:

1. After accessing your voice mailbox, press .
2. When prompted for the number for the new mailbox attendant, type the 3-digit phone number, followed by . The attendant’s personal verification will be played to confirm their identity. If you do not know the attendant’s number, press for name dialing.
3. Replace the handset or press .

Summary of mailbox key commands

List of voice mail features

Distribution lists (multiple mailing)

Distribution lists provide a means of broadcasting a voice mail message to more than one on-campus party quickly and conveniently. You compose a single message then send it to a distribution list that you have defined. The Meridian mail system will then forward a copy of your message to each party on the selected distribution list.

To create a distribution list:

1. After accessing your voice mailbox, press then a number between and to indicate which of the nine possible lists to create.
2. The mail system will then prompt you to begin entering numbers to add to this list. Type a 3-digit phone number to add, followed by . The recipient’s personal verification will be played to confirm their identity. Enter as many numbers as you wish to add to the list, then signify the completion of the list by pressing again. If you do not know the number of a person you wish to add to the list, press for name dialing.
3. To review the contents of the chosen list, press . The personal verification for each party on the list will be played.

To change or delete the contents of a distribution list:

1. After accessing your voice mailbox, press then a number between and to indicate which of the nine possible lists to change.
2. Press to erase the old list, then follow the instructions given above to create a new list. It is not currently possible to change a single entry in a list; you must re-enter the entire list again.

To send a message to a distribution list, see the information on composing a message by clicking here.

Summary of mailbox key commands

List of voice mail features

Voice mail administration

If you have difficulty accessing your voice mailbox (for example, if you forget your password), or if you require additional information about the university telephone system, contact the phone system administrator at 727-9767
Summary of mailbox key commands

List of voice mail features

Summary of mailbox commands

To:	Press:	You hear:
Get detailed on-line help	ALT=”*”	Information on the function of each phone key
Get help with message commands		Information on message-related commands
Get help with mailbox commands		Information on mailbox-related commands
Get detailed on-line help		Information on the function of each phone key
Play the message just described		The message
Pause during message playback		“Playback stopped”
Continue after playback has paused		Message playback resumes
Skip 5 seconds backward in message		Earlier part of message plays
Skip 5 second ahead in message		Later part of message plays
Go to the next message		Description of the next message
Go to the previous message		Description of the previous message
Go to a specific message in the mailbox	+ message number +	Description of the specific message
Delete the current message		“Message (number) deleted”
Restore a deleted message (within the current mail session only)	Go to message then press	“Message (number) restored”
More information about the message		Detailed description of message
Call the sender of the message		Phone system dials automatically the number of the message’s sender
Set message commands	+ additional keys	List of available message commands
Reply to the mailbox of a message’s sender		System prompts you to record a reply message
Play the message’s envelope		Plays the name of the sender, when the message was sent, when it was received, and indicates if it has any attached (forwarded) messages
Forward the message to another mailbox		System prompts you for destination mailbox
Compose a new message		System prompts you for the destination mailbox
Send a composed message to a mailbox		Message is sent to destination mailbox
Set message status as urgent		“Message has now been tagged for urgent delivery”
Set message status as private		“Message has now been tagged private”
Request acknowledge-ment of message receipt by recipient		“The message has now been tagged for acknowledgement”
Set message to be delivered at a future date or time		System prompts you for the desired delivery date and time
Exit from message commands back to mailbox		System describes current message in mailbox
Set mailbox commands	+ additional keys	List of available mailbox commands
Log onto a different voice mailbox than the current one		System prompts you to enter the mailbox number and password of the new mailbox
Set the external greeting played to off-campus callers when they are forwarded to your mailbox		System prompts you with commands to play or change your external greeting
Set the internal greeting played to on-campus callers when they are forwarded to your mailbox		System prompts you with commands to play or change your internal greeting
Log off your voice mailbox		“Goodbye”
Play or change your mailbox password		System prompts you with commands to change your mailbox password
Create or change a distribution listfor multiple mailings		System prompts you with commands to create, play or change your distribution lists
Create or change your personal verification		System prompts you with commands to create, play or change your personal verification
Check or change the attendant for your mailbox		System prompts you with commands to play or change your mailbox attendant
Exit from mailbox commands back to mailbox		System describes current message in mailbox

Explanation of each phone button

List of voice mail features
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