Re: can't remote access voice messages

[carolinainnovative]

I'm trying to remotely access voice messages in V9.
Although there's a reference to a V9 extension user
manual on P.19 of the system manual, it doesn't exist.

The extension user manual is clearly listed on the download page:
http://www.3cx.com/phone-system/download-links/

The link is: http://www.3cx.com/user-manual/ (updated link)

I tried the V8 extension user manual, but it doesn't
show the correct features. I could only find one method
to remotely access messages: auto-attendant. But not
all users will enable or use auto-attendant; calls may be
answered only by voicemail after a ring timeout.

Other systems allow a caller to enter voicemail options
by dialing a code while the greeting is being played.
But when I try dialing various digits, the greeting is
interrupted, but no prompts play. All I hear is a short
burst of white noise (like a steam jet). All control is
lost, and pressing # doesn't return to greeting or prompt.

The default voicemail prompt answers your question - the two options you have are: leave message or press star to transfer to the operator. other keys seem to have the same effect as star. The "burst of white noise" is likely a split second of your hold music playing - mine varied in length from 1/10 sec to 1 full sec (enough to identify it). In short, once you are in voice mail, you're stuck there - or you can go to the operator.

Of course, other system features, like remote outbound
calling, should be accessible within the same menu.

Once you login to a voicemail ext, you should have remote outbound - if you've enabled it.

This should be simple; how do I make it work?

You've already answered the question - use AA. During business hours, if you want your main line "live answered" then set it to go to AA if no answer. After hours, send it to AA directly.

And can the voicemail menu be modified, or is it locked
to only the specific digit codes shown in the manual?

The vm menu is not currently editable. (ok technically that probably isn't 100% true - you could go hacking into the ivr files if you REALLY REALLY wanted to get yourself into trouble - but lets say for this discussion that it isn't doable, k?)

Note for AA, the Windows Digital Sound Recorder shown
on p.48 no longer exists in that form in Windows7. And
the new version does not permit selection of recording
format, so probably useless for 3CX. Dave

Use Audacity - it is free. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ works great on 7. I don't know if the v9 manual has it fixed or not.

 

[leejor]

Other systems allow a caller to enter voicemail options
by dialing a code while the greeting is being played.

A number of people, including myself have requested this in the past. Many small (SOHO) set-ups don't want to have to make use of the digital receptionist at all or dedicate a number specificity for accessing VM though the DA. The most common method is to cut through your outgoing message (#,* or another digit), enter PIN and retrieve messages. Plain and simple.

 

[carolinainnovative]

There's something circular here: 'once you are in
voicemail you're stuck there' and 'once you login to
a voicemail ext, you should have remote outbound'.
If you're a caller, you are stuck in voicemail as a
caller--and you can't login to any voicemail extension!

Thats just the way 3cx is - you can either be a caller to the voicemail or get to extension 999 and login. Not both. Not ideal, but thats what we got!

Many SOHO users don't have any 'after hours'--they
expect to have calls forwarded to them or voicemail
left at any time of day. There is no place for AA in
this scenario. And of course users expect to be able
to access their voicemail messages during the day.

Well, pray to the 3cx gods and perhaps they will show you mercy...

We are talking around this defect: unless you enable
AA all the time, there is no way to retrieve voicemail
messages remotely.

Actually no - you can use a nice little workaround.

Create an AA. For purposes of this example, it will be extension 800.

Create an operator extension. For purposes of this example, it will be 100.

Set ext 100 to have no voicemail and set the forwarding rules to forward to extension 800 if unregistered, busy, etc.

In system settings under "General" - set your operator extension to ext 100.

Magically, now you can have calls go directly to an extension's vm, press * to break out to the operator, and configure yourself a nice shortcut to 999 - say, press 1 for voicemail access.

So - are you still using the AA? Yes - but it isn't "all the time" as you put it.

Again: a $20 answering machine does
this--it's a basic function. (And please don't tell me to add
a $20 answering machine to a $1,000 phone system.)

My name isn't Kerry... (sorry Kerry - couldn't resist)

 

[carolinainnovative]

Glad to have a workaround for AA from
voicemail. Not to criticize you--it appears
to be the only solution--but this is crude.

I'm astonished this basic feature that is in
virtually all modern phone systems hasn't
been implemented. And it's almost trivial:
simply add an option to voicemail to enter
a subsystem that's already working.

I posted here because I believed the 'gods'
would want to respond; guess not. Dave

It is crude - but it works.

Post a request on http://ideas.3cx.com - or if someone has already posted it, comment or otherwise indicate your approval for it (haven't looked at the site yet - so I don't know what kind of "voting" features it has). Perhaps the gods will smile upon you.

 

[carolinainnovative]

I used your workaround Chavous, and it does work.
It's awkward and adds 'transfer' delay. A;so:
> I would have liked to avoid the dummy extension,
but the system will not allow the AA extension to
be used as the operator extension
> I would have liked to access outward dialing
directly from the AA menu, but that option isn't
provided; it's only in the voicemail menu

Yeah - great ideas, all. Now post 'em in the right spot.

I wonder why the voicemail menu isn't simply a
special instance of AA. If it were, anybody could
setup their own voicemail dial menu any way they
choose, with any combination of voicemail and AA
options. Doesn't this seem logical? Dave

It does - and from what I can tell, the framework is there in the way they have the IVR system setup (Because aa and vm is handled by the IVR system). So maybe with some work and some pestering, we'll get this.

 

[carolinainnovative]

Thanks for the confirmation. Is it just my
natural arrogance, or are people on this
forum generally reticent to have open
discussions on features (or lack of)? Dave

probably a little of both...

 

[leejor]

I too tried a modified version of Salters suggestion. Set it up like this ...created an AA group (number 299), Prompt space left blank to speed things up. All digits go to "end call". At the bottom I set timeout to 1 second and to connect to extension 999 (VM). This AA is reached with call forwarding from the operator extension (which isn't registered).

Calling in from an outside line, I find that, yes, when pressing * during my outgoing messages I now get..."please hold while I transfer your call", beep, beep, beep..."you have no messages". It however isn't asking for an extension or PIN number. Trying to dial an outbound calls says forbidden, which is a good thing.
If I dial the operator extension number from an extension that has a VM message, it tells me that there is a message present. So, for some reason an outside call doesn't trigger it to ask "what extension you you want messages for" or a request to that effect.

 

[carolinainnovative]

ok you tried it a little differently than I.

I did not have an AA w/ no prompt - I actually put a prompt on it (albeit a bogus one - didn't say "press 1 for vm access or anything - was just a random wav so SOMETHING played) and I pressed 999 once I got there... Try putting SOME prompt in there - even if it is just Empty.mp3.

I also tested it with a 1-second time out and forwarding to 999 on timeout - and that worked for me as well - prompted me for an extension like it should.

Any way you can test it on a fresh install?

 

[KerryG]

Keep in mind that 3CX is not nearly as mature as competing systems and they are improving it as quickly as they can. For a number of things we need to use workarounds like dummy extensions and IVR tricks but every system I have ever worked on has had something that you needed to do a little wonky to get a "feature" you wanted so it doesn't bother me at this point as I do see a lot of user feedback being integrated into each build.

Recently, 3CX implemented http://ideas.3cx.com where we can have a sanctioned place for feature requests that people can vote on and comment on, this will help them to prioritize new features based on the user feedback.

I personally encourage discussion because it helps to understand what other people need and to come up with innovative solutions in case I am faced with the same issue.

 

[leejor]

I did not have an AA w/ no prompt - I actually put a prompt on it (albeit a bogus one - didn't say "press 1 for vm access or anything - was just a random wav so SOMETHING played) and I pressed 999 once I got there... Try putting SOME prompt in there - even if it is just Empty.mp3.

Originally, I did have the "beep" message in there, no difference. I was just trying to speed things up leaving the message out. On my setup the VM system behaves as if it is always "aware" of the extension you are calling in from, even if the call originates from a gateway. Strange.

Any way you can test it on a fresh install?

Not until I delete Version 7.1 on a backup machine. I'm still holding on to that until I'm sure I'm happy with V9.

 

[leejor]

Well I had some time to try to find the reason i wasn't getting the request for the extension number when using the "work around"
A long while back i had disabled the PIN requirement for access to voicemail as i found it just caused an unnecessary delay when accessing my messages. If i enable that feature (it's a system wide option, all or nothing) I can get my messages remotely via the AA, get the request for extension number and then request for PIN.
I'm not happy having to punch in my PIN number when accessing messages at home...so... i put in a feature request to make the PIN request a per extension option and not a system wide option.

http://3cx.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Voicemail-PIN-requirement-on-per-Ext.-basis/74874-9854