Voicemail

Gustavus uses AVAYA Aura Messaging to provide voicemail services for both employees and students alike. To setup and use the service, follow the instructions outlined in the guide below.

For ease of understanding your voicemail and help in setting it up, please keep the following information at your fingertips as you read through this section of our site.

Additional Information and Resources (You may print and keep at your desk for reference)

If, after reading through the following information, you have a need for further assistance, contact the Telecommunications Department at extension x7025 or x6261, or e-mail Laura McCabe at lmccabe@gustavus.edu.

Aura Messaging

Overview

This Gustavus service provides you flexible voice mail management from easy to use interfaces; allows you to receive important calls at the right time; alerts you to new messages; has advanced speech recognition feature, and allows voice messages to be received via your e‐mail account.

Benefits and Features

  • Easy to Use Telephone Interface Prompts - Utilizes the same command structure as most cellular providers (7 to delete, 9 to save, etc.)
  • Unified Communications - listen to voice mail messages via e-mail and smartphones/cell phones.
  • Notify Me - receive notifications** of new voice mail messages in your e-mail box, listen to voice mail messages on your computer, and receive text message notifications of new voice mail messages on your cell phone.

** It will keep notifying you until you give it the necessary attention -- You may want to disable the "sound" notification on your phone or disable the "notify me" on the web portal. If you want to be notified by text, you will need to enter a 10 digit phone number in your preferences.

  • Reach Me - automated assistant that allows call forwarding
  • Voice Recognition - say names to forward voice mail messages rather than keying in extensions
  • Self Administration - ability to change many voice mail settings via a web portal to your own preference. If you are off-campus, you will only be able to make preference changes through the phone messaging system.

Getting Started

To setup your voice mail, you will need:

  • Messaging access number, x6330 from your campus office phone. (Initializing your voice mailbox may not be done via the User Preferences website.)
  • Your mailbox number (same as before) and a temporary password (369369).
    • Have a 6 to 10 digit nonconsecutive numbered (and which does not include your extension number) personal password ready to enter when the prompt asks for it.
    • You may also wish to have a personal greeting message ready to enter before you begin.
  • URL address to access the Voice Mail Preferences web page for personal settings: https://voicemail.gac.edu/user

Initializing your mailbox:

Note: This needs to be done via phone access to your mailbox.

During the initialization process you set a new password, record your name, and customize your greetings on your office phone. However, your mailbox remains operational even if you do not complete this process with a custom greeting. It may be completed the next time you access your mailbox.

Your personal greeting is played to callers when your phone is busy or you do not answer a call. If you do not record a greeting, the system uses your recorded name to identify you to other users and callers when they attempt to reach your voice mailbox.

Following the prompts by the system attendant to complete the process.
You may use the following keys at any time:

  • Skip/Enter - Press pound (#)
  • Help - Press 0
  • Cancel/Exit - Press star (*)

  1. Call the system:


    Lift your handset and dial x6330 or press the MESSAGE key on your office phone.

  2. Enter your temporary password:


    This number is supplied to you by your system administration in the Telecommunications department. Follow the system voice prompts to complete the process.
Passwords should be 6 to 10, non-consecutive, digits in length, known only by you and which does not include your extension number. Don't make it easy for others to "hack" your voice mail. You should change your password regularly.

Changing your password:

  1. Call the system and enter your present password.
  2. Press 4 - Personal Options
  3. Press 2 - Administrative Options
  4. Press 1 - Passwords
  5. Listen to voice prompts
  6. Press star (*) - Exit or
    Press 0 - Main Menu Options

Alternatively, once your voice mailbox is initialized, your password may be changed through the User Preferences Website (voicemail.gac.edu/user) under the Password Preference tab.

Accessing your Voice Mailbox

Calling the system:

  • Calling voicemail from your office phone:
    1. Lift the handsend and dial x6330 or press the MESSAGE key on a campus phone.
      • Your name is announced.
    2. Enter your voice mailbox password.
      • You are in the system. Follow voice prompts.
  • Calling voicemail from another campus phone:
    1. Lift handset and dial x6330.
    2. Press the star (*) key. This access sequence will cancel the automatic login based on that phone's extension and allow you to access your voice mailbox.
    3. Press pound (#) to access mailbox.
    4. Enter mailbox number.
      • Your name is announced.
    5. Enter your voice mailbox password
      • You are in the system. Follow the voice prompts.
  • Calling voicemail from a non-campus phone:
    1. Dial the messaging access number: (507) 933-6330.
    2. Press pound (#) to access mailbox.
    3. Enter mailbox number.
      • Your name is announced.
    4. Enter your voice mailbox password
      • You are in the system. Follow the voice prompts.

Features:

  1. Press 1 - Review message(s)
    After listening to the message, you may choose one of the following:
    • Press 9 - Save
    • Press 7 - Delete
    • Press 4 - Replay
    • Press 5 - Message details (sender, date, time and length of message)
    • Press 8 - Reply via message
    • Press 88 - Call the sender of the message (Note: The system is unable to return long-distance calls)
  2. Press 2 - Send a message
    1. Record message, then:
      • Press pound (#) to keep message
      • Press 11 to replay recorded message
      • Press star (*) to delete message and record again.
    2. Enter mailbox number of recipient or say or spell the name of the name of the recipient or give distribution list name when prompted.
    3. Press pound (#) to send or
      Press 0 to hear delivery options.

      Delivery options:

      • Press 1 - Private (Message can only be retrieved by calling the original mailbox and cannot be answered, replied to, or forwarded from your e-mail)
      • Press 2 - Important (System attendant acknowledges the message as important when announcing the message, and it is noted the message is of high importance within the body of the e-mail)
      • Press 4 - Future Delivery (Follow prompts for setting day or date and time)
      • Press 6 - Add more recipients
        • Press star (*) to cancel recipient
        • Press 1 to review list of recipients
        • Press star, star (**) to delete complete list of recipients
        Press pound (#) to send when finished with delivery options.

  3. Press star (*) - Exit the system
    The attendant will reply "goodbye."

E-mail and Cellular Phone Notification Messages

If it is your preference, you may receive notification of voicemail messages directly on your:

  • Personal smartphone/cell phone
    Through text messaging or e-mail message (long-distance charges may apply).
  • Personal computer
    Through your e-mail client by enabling the Play on PC option.
You may enable these options and make changes through the User Preferences Website. See the User Preferences Web Tutorial for information on setting up these options.

Note: Managing the messages from your personal cell phone or personal computer does not delete the original message from your campus phone. The message indicator light will continue to be lit until you have managed the messages from the original source (campus phone messaging system). The message indicator light is turned off when all the voice messages in you Inbox are noted as Read.

Pressing “33” is an option to help you quickly skip through messages on your phone and have the system note them as “Read” and still allow you to return at a later time to manage them. This will then turn your message indicator light off. If you use this option, please do not let your mailbox fill to capacity and refuse to take further messages. We recommend that you clean out your messages on a regular basis to keep your voice message system working optimally.

For a specialized e-mail account whereby you are able to turn off your message indicator light through your e-mail notifications, contact Laura McCabe, x6261, or e-mail your request to lmccabe@gustavus.edu. Original messages will remain in your voice mailbox, but the system will recognize that the copy of the message in your e-mail has been read with this specialized setting and turn your light off. To keep your box from filling to capacity and not receiving messages, please attend to the messages by calling the system to remove them from your voice mail on a regular basis with this special option.

User Preference Website Settings Information

Note:Some of the preferences may not be available for use in the Gustavus Voice Mail system.

Help and Ordering, Changing or Stopping Service

If you would like to change or stop a service, add a new feature, or have a question regarding the voice mail service, please contact Laura, x7025 or lmccabe@gustavus.edu in the Telecommunications Department during regular business hours.

Please contact the Telecommunications Department for added help or answers to questions about the Aura Messaging System. We would be happy to talk with you over the phone or set up time to meet with you.

Laura McCabe, x6261, lmccabe@gustavus.edu
Nancy Roessler, x0, (Operator), nberan2@gustavus.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I listen to voice mail messages?
Dial:

  • x6330 from your campus office phone or
  • x6330 and press star (*) from any other campus phone or
  • (507) 933-6330 from a non-campus phone

to access the AVAYA Aura Messaging system and follow the easy-to-use prompts for listening and managing your account messages.

How do I deal with a Lost/Forgotten password to access my Voice Mail?  Contact the Telecommunications Department to have them reset access with a temporary password. Then, following the prompts, you may change it to one of personal preference for further use. Email may be sent to Nancy Roessler, nberan2@gustavus.edu 

How do I find the complete voice mail menu if I cannot remember what number to press to change my greeting?
Dial into the Aura Messaging system, enter your voice mailbox password and press #, then press “0” for a list options, then “4” for user preferences and follow the prompt to change the greeting.

How do I access the web portal? Access to the web portal is no longer available. For options in the former User Preferences section, you will need to contact Telecommunications, Laura McCabe, lmccabe@gustavus.edu, for further assistance.

How do I forward my calls through the Aura Messaging System?
This process was previously handled through the Aura Messaging website portal (which is no longer available), in the Notify Me and Reach Me sections of User Preferences. For access to this service, if it an available option on your phone, please contact Laura McCabe, lmccabe@gustavus.edu to request further assistance. 

Do I need to set anything specific with my e‐mail provider to receive voice mail in my email inbox?
No - this feature can be requested through the Telecommunications office itself or email Laura McCabe, lmccabe@gustavus.edu

Can I listen to voice mail messages through my smartphone/cell phone's email?
Yes, this feature is available by contacting Telecommunications, Laura McCabe, lmccabe@gustavus.edu for set-up assistance. However, know that there may be charges incurred for some of the features and that you will be responsible for payment if you choose to use them.

What Mailbox and Messaging Password do I use for the Avaya Aura Messaging website portal?
Use the same voice mailbox number and password you use to log into your telephone voice mail.

When I listen to voice mail messages on my computer, the message waiting light on my telephone stays on. And, if I delete a voice mail message in my email Inbox, that message is still there when I dial into Avaya Aura Messaging. How do I get my message waiting light to turn off?
You will need to manage your original message(s) by dialing into the Avaya Aura Messaging System. (See first question above.) The message sent to your e-mail is a copy of the original message and there is only one-way communication from Aura Messaging to e-mail, so unless you read, save, or delete the original message, the system will recognize it as unread and the light will remain lit.

Managing the messages from your personal cell phone or personal computer does not delete the original message from your campus phone. The message indicator light will continue to be lit until you have managed the messages from the original source (campus phone messaging system). The message indicator light is turned off when all the voice messages in you Inbox are noted as Read.

Pressing “33” is an option to help you quickly skip through messages on your phone and have the system note them as “Read” and still allow you to return at a later time to manage them. This will then turn your message indicator light off. If you use this option, please do not let your mailbox fill to capacity and refuse to take further messages. We recommend that you clean out your messages on a regular basis to keep your voice message system working optimally.

For a specialized e-mail account whereby you are able to turn off your message indicator light through your e-mail notifications, contact Laura McCabe, x6261, or e-mail your request to lmccabe@gustavus.edu. Original messages will remain in your voice mailbox, but the system will recognize that the copy of the message in your e-mail has been read with this specialized setting and turn your light off. To keep your box from filling to capacity and not receiving messages, please attend to the messages by calling the system to remove them from your voice mail on a regular basis with this special option.

If forwarding a message from an e-mail inbox, you will only be able to forward information from your email message to another e-mail address, not to a voice mailbox due to the one-way “notification only communication” between the voice mail system and e-mail system. If the message is marked as “private”, then you can only access the private message through the phone.

Can you forward a private message through the phone?
No, a private message can’t be forwarded by phone or through e-mail. It can only be listened to through accessing the phone system by the person it was intended for.