Voice Mail is an optional service that combines telephone and computer technologies to provide you with an "answering service." Unlike an answering machine, voice mail allows callers to leave you messages in your voice mailbox when your telephone line is busy or not answered. All you need is a touch-tone telephone to access your Voice Mail box. No other equipment is required.
When your telephone is busy or not answered in 4-5 rings, callers will forward to your personal voicemail bos and hear your "personalized greeting" asking them to leave a message.
You will be notified of a new message received in your mailbox by hearing a stutter dial tone when you pick up your telephone's handset. The stutter dial tone is your message waiting indicator. This means that when you hear a stutter dial tone, you may have a new message. The stutter dial tone will only go away when all new messages received in your mailbox have been played.
Messages left in your voice mailbox are easily retrieved by dialing into the voice mail system from any touch-tone telephone. Once in your voice mailbox, you can play, save, delete, and even forward messages received.
How to Set Up Your Voice Mailbox From your campus residence:
Dial 8-4141, listen for "Hello . . ."
Enter the temporary passcode (please call 688-HELP (4357) for the temporary passcode)
The User Tutorial will begin. The tutorial asks you to establish three things:
Your passcode - a 4-10 digit code required to access your mailbox;
Your Greeting - the recording you want callers to hear before leaving you a message; can be up to 20 seconds in length; and
Your Name - a recording of your first and/or last name. It is used by the system to route callers to your mailbox when leaving a message; can be up to 20 seconds in length.
NOTE: When recording your greeting and name, press the "9" key as soon as you have finished speaking. Pressing "9" tells the system you are done recording.
To Call Your Voice Mailbox: From your campus residence:
Dial 8-4141
Listen for "Hello"; enter your passcode
NOTE: If you hear a stutter dial tone when you lift your handset, you can dial *83, instead of 8-4141 to reach voice mail.
From an off-campus telephone:
Dial 614-688-4141
Listen for "Hello, you have reached the OSU Voice Mail System . . ."
Enter your 5-digit mailbox number, immediately followed by a (*)
Listen for "Hello, (your name). Please enter your passcode"
Enter your 4-10 digit passcode
Playing Messages:
You will hear a stutter dial tone when you pick up the handset of your room telephone if a new message has arrived in your mailbox.
To play your message:
Call into your voice mailbox
Press 7 to play the first message
After you have played the message, or at anytime during message playback you can:
Dial 7 to replay the message
Dial 4 to give the message to another voice mail user
Dial 5 to keep the message
Dial 3 to discard the message
You must choose to either keep (5) or discard (3) the message to play any additional messages.
NOTE: Your voice mailbox will hold a maximum of 15 messages (new and saved) up to one minute in length each. Be sure to delete (3) any unwanted messages.
NOTE: Messages that are "kept" (5) or "saved" are only stored for up to ten days. Kept messages older than ten days will be purged by the Voice Mail system.
NOTE: New, un-played messages are stored for up to 28 days before they are discarded by the Voice Mail system.
Giving Messages:
You can give (forward) a copy of a message left in your voice mailbox to another campus voice mail user. To use this feature, you must know the mailbox number of the user to whom you are giving the message.
To give your message:
Call into your voice mailbox
Press 7 to play the message
Press 4 to give the message to another voice mail user
Enter the mailbox number(s) of the person(s) to whom you are giving the message
When you have finished entering mailbox numbers, dial # to begin recording your "cover" comments (The maximum number of cover comments that can be attached to one message is three!)
Dial # again to end recording
After recording you can:
Dial 7 to review your recording
Dial 3 to discard and re-record
Dial 9 to send your comments and a copy of the original message
After you hear "Your comments and a copy of the original message sent," you must either keep (5) or discard (3) the original message.
NOTE: You will not be able to "give" (forward) a message to someone who has not set up their voice mailbox.
User Options: To change your greeting message:
Call into your voice mailbox
Dial 8 for User Options
Dial 4 to change your greeting
Dial 7 to record a new greeting
Dial # to end recording
After recording your greeting you may:
Dial 7 to review your greeting
Dial 3 to discard and re-record
Dial 2 to append greeting and continue recording
Dial 9 to save greeting
Dial 9 again to exit to the main menu
NOTE: Your greeting can be a maximum of 20 seconds in length.
To change your passcode:
Call into your voice mailbox
Dial 8 for User Options
Dial 7 to change your passcode
At the prompt, enter your new 4-10 digit passcode
The system will repeat the passcode you entered
Dial 9 to save your passcode
Dial 9 again to exit to the main menu
NOTE: You cannot use easy-to-guess passcodes like six "0's," or sequential numbers like "1,2,3,4,5."
NOTE: You are the only one who will know your passcode It is important that you remember your passcode and keep it secure.
To change your name:
Call into your voice mailbox
Dial 8 for User Options
Dial 6 to change your name
Dial 7 to record your name
Dial # to end recording
After recording your name you may:
Dial 7 to review your name
Dial 3 to discard and re-record
Dial 9 to save your recording
Dial 9 again to exit to the main menu
NOTE: Your name recording can be a maximum of 20 seconds in length.
NOTE: You must record your name so that callers know which mailbox belongs to you. Your name recording should only consist of your first and last name, or first name only.
Before using a computer modem, temporarily deactivate the voice mail stutter dial tone and the call waiting feature. To deactivate the stutter dial tone, lift your telephone handset, dial *84 and then hang up. To deactivate the call waiting feature, lift your telephone handset, dial *74 and then hang up. Both features will be reactivated when you place your next call.
If you prefer to use an answering machine, be sure to set it to answer in less than 4 rings.
You do not have to wait for the system prompts to end before pressing a key or series of keys on your telephone keypad.
If you get lost in the voice mail system, simply pause. After a brief time out, the system will list the options available to you.
If you need additional assistance, contact Customer Service at 614-688-HELP (4357). Our office hours are 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday through Friday. When reporting a voice mail repair, you will need to provide your account number and your voice mailbox number.
