Setting Up Voice Mail

Accessing the Voice Mail System for the First Time

To begin setting up your new voice mail mailbox, use your desk phone and

  • dial 6901 to access the voice mail system
  • dial your default temporary passcode when prompted (your 4-digit extension)

If you are using a phone other than your own office phone, dial 6900 and follow the prompts to enter your office phone number and passcode (your 4-digit extension).

A tutorial will automatically begin and walk you through setting up your mailbox.

Passcode

Your mailbox has a 4-10 digit passcode that you will need each time you access the voice mail system. You will be prompted to create one when you set up your mailbox. Use something easy for you to remember, but not too easy for others to guess (not ?1234' or ?0000', for example).

Greeting

You will be prompted to record your greeting, the message that people will receive when you are unable to answer your phone. Be brief and specific, as there will be no way for users to skip over it.

Name

Finally, you will be asked to record your name. This will be played for you when you access the system, and will be played for other users when they send or leave you messages through the voice mail system.

Directing Calls to the New Voice System

At this point you've set up your new voice mailbox, but haven't directed your unanswered or busy calls to use it. There are several options for routing calls to the new voice mail, but we'll only cover the two most basic ones: forwarding all calls you don't answer to voice mail, and forwarding all calls that come in when the line is busy. If you would like to discriminate between incoming off-campus calls and incoming on-campus calls, check out the online manual for full instructions.

Note: If you have a Voice Over IP phone (VoIP), or multiple phone lines, you cannot forward the phone using these instructions. Instead, contact the IT Help Desk at x5418. (If you have a VoIP phone you should know: Either you requested it or you were informed when it was installed. VoIP phones have Ethernet cables instead of phone cables connected to them.)

To forward all unanswered and busy calls to the new voice mail system:

  • Dial *62 700, pause and wait for a dial tone, then hang up. This will forward all unanswered calls to the new voice mail system.
  • Dial *65 700, pause and wait for a dial tone, then hang up. This will forward all calls received while your line is busy to the new voice mail system.

That's it. You've successfully set up your voice mailbox and directed callers to it when you're unable to answer your phone.

Picking up messages

To pick up your messages:

  • Dial x6901 from your office phone. Dial x6900 from a different campus phone. Dial 559.6900 from off-campus.

You're done!

That's all there is to it. Please contact the helpdesk at 413.559.5418 or email helpdesk@hampshire.edu with questions or for further assistance.

Web interface for voice mail

Voice mail user guide (pdf)