Setting up voicemail
Setting up voicemail is a three-step process: request a voice mailbox, enroll in the voicemail service, and set up call forwarding.
1. Request a voice mailbox
By default, telephone extensions are not associated with a voice mailbox. To ask for a voice mailbox to be set up, please email Telephone Operations with the following information:
- Your full name
- Your email address
- Your School, College or Support Unit
- The extension number for which you are requesting a voice mailbox
Note that only one voice mailbox may be set up per telephone extension.
When the voice mailbox has been set up, you will receive a confirmation email containing a four-digit security code, which is used when you first access the mailbox.
Please note that requests for a voice mailbox will only be honoured if they originate from a University of Edinburgh email address.
2. Enroll in the voicemail service
The first time you access your voice mailbox, you will be asked to record your name and a personal greeting, and to set your personal security code.
Therefore, before you enroll, decide what your greeting and four-digit security code should be. A suitable greeting might be:
"This is (your name). I am unable to answer your call at the moment, but please leave a message after the tone."
To enroll, follow these steps:
- At the extension to which the voice mailbox belongs, lift the receiver and dial 517000.
- Follow the voice prompts to record your name, your personal greeting, and to key in your new security code.
- When prompted, if you are happy with the recording, press 1 for “yes”; if not, press 2 for “no”.
3. Set up call forwarding
When an incoming call to your extension goes unanswered, you want the caller to hear your personal greeting so that they can record a message in your voice mailbox. You therefore need to set up “call forwarding” for your extension, so that unanswered calls are forwarded to extension 517000 (the voicemail number).
The way to set up call forwarding depends on the type of handset you have. If you have an analogue handset, please contact Telephone Operations, giving your name and extension number. They will be happy to set up call forwarding for you.
If you have a VoIP handset, please refer to the appropriate handset instructions.
This article was published on Sep 3, 2012