Partner ACS 8.0 Voicemail Help 1

[danmb]

Hi,

I need help with voicemail setup on a single unit Partner ACS 8.0 system in a small afterschool program.

Let me describe the setup.

Extensions 10 and 11 are in the office, and 12 to 18 are in the classrooms and activity rooms.

Incoming calls ring first on 10 and 11, then on the rest of the extensions with delay, so that if an administrator is in a classroom the call can be picked up there.

But I need help with setting up the voicemail.

I'd like all incoming calls, if not answered, to go to the voicemail box of extensions 10 and 11 only, as follows:

- If they explicitly dial extension 10 or 11, it goes to 10 or 11's voicemail, respectively.

- But if they dial any extension other than 10 or 11, the voicemail should be forced to go to extension 10's voicemail, not the voicemail of the extension they dialed.

How do I do this?

Thanks in advance.

 

[TouchToneTommy]

Start with which voicemail system you are using.
Partner Mail VS
Partner Messaging
Partner Voice Messaging PC Card

Transfer Return Extension, #306, set for the VM ports will cause a call transferred to an extension WITHOUT Automatic VMS Coverage turned on to return to a different extension other than the VM port that did the transfer. However, transfer return calls will NOT then cover to the voicemail of the return destination.

If you cheat, and NOT set #306 for the VM ports, and then DELETE the mailboxes for extensions 12-18, the call can still transfer from the auto attendant to Ext. 12-18, and if not answered will return to the VM port that did the transfer. When it arrives, the VM will realize that it is not a VM Coverage call, and there is not a matching mailbox, so VM will announce "Transferring to receptionist", and do a transfer to Ext. 10. Ext. 10 will then ring, and cover to Mailbox 10 if still not answered.

 

[danmb]

Hi,

Thank you for your reply.

Pardon my ignorance, but I don't know how to check which voicemail I have. I know that Feature 5 9 reports ACS version 8.0, and it's a single unit system unlike some earlier models I've seen that have a separate voicemail unit.

I will find the manual and look up the documentation for #306. Thanks again for the tip, I wouldn't know where to start.

 

[TouchToneTommy]

Press Intercom and dial 777. When the voicemail answers, you will hear:

"Welcome to Partner Mail VS"
"Welcome to Partner Messaging"
"Welcome to Partner Voice Messaging"

 

[danmb]

Hi,

It says, "Welcome to Partner Voice Messaging".

Just to be clear: Are you advising me not to cheat and delete the mailboxes? Or is that OK to go ahead and do?

Thanks.

 

[TouchToneTommy]

With Partner Voice Messaging, the VM ports are 78 and 79. Make sure #306-78=78 and #306-79=79

Log into the system admin mailbox, 0#. Select option 2 to find out how many mailboxes can be configured for the card. Don't change the number of mailboxes, but back out with *7. Select option 1 to assign an extension to a mailbox. Select Mailbox number 1, and you will most likely find it is assign to Ext. 10 (default). Back up, check mailbox 2, and which extension it is assigned to. Do this for all of the available mailboxes (1 through the number of mailboxes the system is configured for). Reassign mailboxes that belong to extensions that you don't want to cover to voicemail to extensions that don't actually exist.

Example, you're configured for 4 mailboxes.
Mailbox 1 is assigned to Ext. 10
Mailbox 2 is assigned to Ext. 11
Mailbox 3 is assigned to Ext. 12
Mailbox 4 is assigned to Ext. 13

Only Ext. 10 and 11 should receive messages. Reassign Mailbox 4 to Ext. 49, reassign Mailbox 3 to Ext. 48

Auto attendant transfers a call to Ext. 12. It is not answered. The call comes back to the VM card, it is a return from Ext. 12, there is no mailbox assigned to Ext. 12, call transfers to Ext. 10, is not answered and is then answered by Ext. 10's mailbox.

Auto attendant transfers a call to Ext. 11. It is not answered, but Ext. 10 has Automatic Voicemail Coverage assigned, so the call comes back to VM (via a different route, but to VM none the less), and is answered by Ext. 11's mailbox.

 

[danmb]

Hi,

Thank you again for your reply. I'm going to have to go through it to make sure I understand everything, but I'll work through it.

Just one thing though.....

As I mentioned, incoming calls ring on all extensions: 10 & 11 immediately, and the rest with delay.

So when a call comes in, and the caller selects extension 12, let's say, and nobody picks up, and then it comes back to extension 10, I'd like it to go to 10's voicemail immediately instead of ringing at 10 again. Because it already rang at 10 when the call came in.

How do I do this?

Thank you so much.

 

[TouchToneTommy]

Get a better voicemail system!!

With Partner Messaging R8, you could have Ext. 12 have a mailbox, but set mailbox as the "phantom destination" for it. The unanswered call would be answered by Mailbox 12's greeting (which you record identically as Mailbox 10's greeting), but the message that the caller leaves goes into Mailbox 10's inbox.

 

[danmb]

Thank you again.

I'm leaning towards cheating and deleting mailboxes 12 - 18. As you mentioned a few posts back:

"If you cheat, and NOT set #306 for the VM ports, and then DELETE the mailboxes for extensions 12-18, the call can still transfer from the auto attendant to Ext. 12-18, and if not answered will return to the VM port that did the transfer. When it arrives, the VM will realize that it is not a VM Coverage call, and there is not a matching mailbox, so VM will announce "Transferring to receptionist", and do a transfer to Ext. 10. Ext. 10 will then ring, and cover to Mailbox 10 if still not answered. "

How would I then prevent extension 10 from ringing again when the call is transferred back? I'd like it to go straight to extension 10's voicemail on the return.

 

[TouchToneTommy]

Get a better voicemail system!!

 

[danmb]

Point noted.

Thank you so much for your help.