Receive Voicemail Remotely on a Cisco 6800, 7800, or 8800 IP MPP Phone

Objective

This article gives some explanation for accessing voicemail remotely on using the Cisco 6800, 7800, or 8800 Series IP Multiplatform Phones (MPP).

If you still have to set up voicemail on the phone, you will want to check out the Set Up Voicemail article.

Applicable Devices | Software Version

• 6800 Series IP Phone with Multiplatform Firmware | 11.3.1 (download latest)
• 7800 Series IP Phone with Multiplatform Firmware | 11.3.1 (download latest)
• 8800 Series IP Phone with Multiplatform Firmware | 11.3.1 (download latest)

Introduction

Voicemail is one of the most common features in IP Telephony. The Cisco IP Phone 6800, 7800, or 8800 Series Multiplatform Phone has voicemail capabilities.

The phones referenced in this article are not Enterprise phones that use a specific call controller but instead, use Multiplatform Firmware. This can be a less expensive option for small to medium businesses, which also gives you more options for service providers. If you would like to compare the two different types of phones, check out Compare & Contrast: Cisco IP MPP Phones & Cisco Unified IP Phones.

Phones with Multiplatform Firmware

MPP phones require either service from an Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP) or an IP Private Branch Exchange (PBX) call control server. WebEx Calling, Ring Central, and Verizon are examples of an ITSP. Some examples of IP PBX services that work with Cisco MPP phones include Asterisk, Centile, and Metaswitch platforms.

These ITSP and IP PBX call controllers are a separate system in which the phone and the call controller communicate with each other to provide services such as call park and voicemail. Since the MPP phones do not use a specific call controller, access and procedures vary.

Since each call controller can follow different procedures, we can't tell you exactly how yours will work. For information and help with your specific voicemail commands, refer to the help sites from the provider you chose. If you have an administrator, you can contact them for details and possible training.

In other words, you can configure the phone to dial your call controller's voice mail system, but you need to know how it is configured on your call controller (or know what you would dial to access it).

If contacting the administrator is not an option, there are a few things you can try.

Search Third-Party Help Sites

Do an Internet search for the type of call controller, such as FreePBX, along with “remote voicemail.” There are many resources available online that you can reference. If you use FreePBX, you might find this information helpful.

Search the Web UI

You can also look for the voicemail number by logging into the Web User Interface (UI) of the phone. To access the Web UI, enter the IP address of the phone in a web browser.

If you don’t know how to find the IP address of the phone, refer to this article: How to Find the IP address of a Cisco IP Phone.

Select Admin Login and advanced.

Navigate to Voice > Phone. Look under the General section. For this example, the Voice Mail Number is *98.

This is an example of what it might look like if you are using Broadcloud. This number may change based upon the extension that Broadcloud provisions for the phone. You can configure the internal or external phone number or URL for the voice mail system. If you are using an external voice mail service, the number must include any digits required to dial out and any required area code.

If you make any changes, make sure to Submit All Changes.

Conclusion

Since there are many third-party options for accessing voicemail remotely on your Cisco 6800, 7800, or 8800 Series IP Multiplatform Phone, this article may not give you all the answers you need. It should, however, give you direction for your next steps.