User Guide for Cisco Unity Connection Release 2.x
Changing Message Notification Settings

Table Of Contents

Changing Message Notification Settings

Setting Up a Notification Device

Cascading and Chaining Message Notification

Enabling or Disabling a Notification Device by Phone

Changing a Notification Phone Number by Phone


Changing Message Notification Settings


Cisco Unity Connection can call a phone or pager to notify you of new messages. Connection can also send message notifications in the form of text messages (for example, "Urgent message for Technical Support" or "You have new voice messages") to e-mail addresses. Your Connection administrator can tell you whether these options are available to you.

Connection calls a phone or pager or sends an e-mail message based on the notification schedules and contact options that you specify. You use the Cisco Unity Assistant web tool to set up the following notification devices: a home phone, work phone, several alternative phones, and pagers.

Using the phone, you can only turn notification on and off and change notification phone numbers for your home phone, work phone, a pager, and a spare phone.

This chapter contains the following sections:

Setting Up a Notification Device

Cascading and Chaining Message Notification

Enabling or Disabling a Notification Device by Phone

Changing a Notification Phone Number by Phone

Setting Up a Notification Device

You can set up all your notification devices in the Cisco Unity Assistant web tool. For Cisco Unity Connection to make notification calls, the phone or pager must be enabled, or turned on. Disabling a notification device does not delete its settings. Connection considers notification successful if the device answers, even when new messages remain. (For example, notification is considered successful even when an answering machine picks up and records the message.)

You can change the type of messages that Connection notifies you of, your notification schedules, and the contact options for your notification devices only in the Cisco Unity Assistant, not by phone.

This section contains two procedures. Do the applicable procedure, depending on the device you are setting up:

To Set Up or Change a Phone or Pager Notification Device in the Cisco Unity Assistant Web Tool

To Set Up or Change an SMTP Notification Device in the Cisco Unity Assistant Web Tool

To Set Up or Change a Phone or Pager Notification Device in the Cisco Unity Assistant Web Tool


Step 1 On the Cisco PCA Home page, click the Cisco Unity Assistant link.

Step 2 In the Cisco Unity Assistant, on the Notification Devices menu, click View Notification Devices.

Step 3 On the Notification Devices page, click the device that you want to change or set up.

Step 4 On the <Device name> Notification Device page, check the Notification Enabled check box to enable the device or uncheck it to disable the device.

Step 5 In the Phone Number field, enter the phone number of the phone or pager, beginning with any access code needed to make an external call (for example, 9).

Use digits 0 through 9. Do not use spaces, dashes, or parentheses between digits. For long-distance numbers, also include 1 and the area code. You can also enter:

, (comma) to insert a one-second pause.

# and * to correspond to the # and * keys on the phone.

You may not be able to enter certain phone numbers or your phone system may require additional characters. If you are experiencing difficulties with this setting, contact your Connection administrator.

Step 6 Check the Prompt for User ID on Notifications check box if you want Cisco Unity Connection to ask for your phone extension before giving you the message

Step 7 Check the Try To Detect Connection check box if you want Cisco Unity Connection to automatically try to detect a connection to the phone or pager before dialing extra digits.

Step 8 In the Dial Extra Digits field, enter any extra digits that Connection will dial after the phone number. The digits could be a password or an access number that you enter to hear messages, or an ID required by a pager.

Step 9 In the Dial After field, enter the number of seconds that Connection waits after dialing the phone or pager number before it dials the extra digits. (You may need to experiment with this setting. Try 6 seconds, then increase or decrease the time as needed.)

Step 10 In the Notify Me Of Voice Messages list, choose when you want to be notified of voice messages: upon the arrival of the First Voice Message, the First Urgent Voice Message, Every Voice Message, for Every Urgent Voice Message, or None to not have Connection call the device when a new message of that type arrives.

Step 11 To set up your notification schedule, use the Quick Add options to specify a schedule.

Or

Check or uncheck the check boxes in the schedule to specify the active and inactive hours for the notification device. Cisco Unity Connection makes notification calls during the active hours, if you have new messages. When a new message arrives during inactive hours, Connection sends a message notification at the start of the next active hour in your schedule.


Timesaver There are several ways to set up your notification schedule quickly. Click Clear Schedule to uncheck all check blocks at once. Alternatively, click Invert Schedule to check all the blocks that you currently do not have checked and uncheck the ones that you do have checked. You can use the Copy Day's Schedule function—below the schedule—to copy a schedule for one day to other days.


Step 12 Specify the timing and frequency of the calls made by Connection to notify you of new messages:

Attempt First Contact
After <x> Minutes

Enter the number of minutes that Connection waits to make the first notification call once message notification is triggered.

If the delay time takes the notification out to a time when the device schedule is no longer active, the notification does not take place. You can space notifications on different devices at regular intervals, such as 15 minutes, to achieve a cascading message notification effect.

If There Are Still New Messages,
Try Again Every <x> Minutes

Enter the number of minutes that Connection makes regular notification calls, as long as you have new messages. The range for the redial frequency field is 1 to 100 minutes.

For example, if you set the repeat notification interval to 5 minutes at 11:47 a.m., Connection will notify you of new messages at 11:50 a.m., 11:55 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 12:05 p.m., 12:10 p.m., 12:15 p.m., 12:20 p.m., 12:25 p.m., etc.

If <Device> Does Not Answer

Connection follows your settings for an unanswered device. Indicate settings for:

Hang Up After <x> Rings—Set to a minimum of 3 rings. Choose a higher number to give yourself more time to get to the phone.

Try Again <x> Times—Choose a higher number to accommodate when you step away from the phone briefly. Choose a lower number to avoid disturbing others.

Try Again After <x> Minutes—Choose a higher number to accommodate when you step away from the phone for long periods of time.

If <Device> Is Busy

Connection follows your settings for a busy device. Indicate settings for:

Try Again <x> Times—Choose a higher number if you use the phone frequently.

Try Again After <x> Minutes—Choose a higher number if you have long phone conversations.

If Notification Fails Try

Select an option for an additional device to send notification to when the first device does not answer or is busy. Connection calls the device only if it is enabled and its schedule is current.


Step 13 Click Save.


To Set Up or Change an SMTP Notification Device in the Cisco Unity Assistant Web Tool


Step 1 On the Cisco PCA Home page, click the Cisco Unity Assistant link.

Step 2 In the Cisco Unity Assistant, on the Notification Devices menu, click View Notification Devices.

Step 3 On the Notification Devices page, click the SMTP device that you want to change or set up.

Step 4 On the <Device name> Notification Device page, check the Notification Enabled check box to enable the device, or uncheck it to disable the device.

Step 5 In the To field, enter the e-mail address of the text pager, text-compatible mobile phone, or another e-mail account (such as a home e-mail address).

Step 6 In the From field, enter the phone number that you want to appear at the end of the text display. (For example, enter the number you dial to reach Cisco Unity Connection when you are not dialing from your desk phone.)


Tip If you have a text-compatible cellular phone that you set up as a text pager, you can activate the automatic callback function available with your phone when this number is displayed.


Step 7 In the Text field, enter any text you want displayed (for example, "You have voice mail"). Every time a message arrives that matches the criteria selected in the message notification settings, Connection sends this message.

Step 8 Check the Include Message Counts check box if you want Connection to include the number of new and total voice messages in the notification message.

Step 9 Check the Include Caller ID check box if you want Connection to identify the caller's name and phone number in the notification message.

Step 10 Check the Include a Link to Cisco PCA check box if you want to include a link in the e-mail message to the Cisco PCA.

Step 11 In the Notify Me Of Voice Messages list, choose the types of messages and message urgency for which Connection will call the device. When None is selected, Connection does not call the device when a new message of that type arrives.

Step 12 To set up your notification schedule, use the Quick Add options to specify a schedule.

Or

Check or uncheck the check boxes in the schedule to specify the active and inactive hours for the notification device. Connection makes notification calls during the active hours, if you have new messages. When a new message arrives during inactive hours, Connection sends a message notification at the start of the next active hour in your schedule.


Timesaver There are several ways to set up your notification schedule quickly. Click Clear Schedule to uncheck all check blocks at once. Alternatively, click Invert Schedule to check all the blocks that you currently do not have checked and uncheck the ones that you do have checked. You can use the Copy Day's Schedule function—below the schedule—to copy a schedule for one day to other days.


Step 13 Specify the timing and frequency of the calls made by Connection to notify you of new messages:

Attempt First Contact
After <x> Minutes

Enter the number of minutes that Connection waits to make the first notification call once message notification is triggered.

If the delay time takes the notification out to a time when the device schedule is no longer active, the notification does not take place. You can space notifications on different devices at regular intervals, such as 15 minutes, to achieve a cascading message notification effect.

If There Are Still New Messages,
Try Again Every <x> Minutes

Enter the number of minutes that Connection makes regular notification calls, as long as you have new messages. The range for the redial frequency field is 1 to 100 minutes.

For example, if you set the repeat notification interval to 5 minutes at 11:47 a.m., Connection will notify you of new messages at 11:50 a.m., 11:55 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 12:05 p.m., 12:10 p.m., 12:15 p.m., 12:20 p.m., 12:25 p.m., etc.


Step 14 Click Save.


Cascading and Chaining Message Notification

Cascading message notification allows you to set up a series of notifications to a widening circle of recipients. Alternatively, message notification can be set to "chain" to a series of notification devices if an attempt to send notification to the first selected device fails. (The definition of failure to a notification device is based on the options you select for retrying a device that is not answered or is busy.)

When setting up a chain of message notification devices, select the types of messages and message urgency for which Cisco Unity Connection will call only for the first device. If any message types are selected for a device other than the first, message notification for the device will begin immediately and will not wait for the notification failure of the previous device. Therefore, your notifications will not occur as a chain but will all be activated simultaneously.

To set up multiple notification devices to function in a cascading or chaining sequence, you may need to contact your Connection administrator for instructions. Without certain settings, cascading or chaining notification may not work correctly.

Enabling or Disabling a Notification Device by Phone

By phone, you can only turn notification on and off for your home phone, work phone, a pager, and a spare phone. Additional notification devices can be turned on and off in the Cisco Unity Assistant web tool. Disabling a notification device does not delete its settings.

The procedure in this section uses keypad mappings for the standard conversation. Keypad mappings for other conversations are provided in the "Cisco Unity Connection Voice Commands and Phone Menus" chapter. Ask your Connection administrator which conversation you are set up to use.

To Enable or Disable a Notification Device by Phone Using Touchtone Keys


Step 1 Log on to Cisco Unity Connection.

Step 2 If you are not using voice commands, skip to Step 3.

If you are using voice commands, say "Touchtone conversation" or press 9 to temporarily change to using touchtone keys.


Tip To switch back to using voice commands after you have finished enabling or disabling the notification device, hang up and log on to Connection again.


Step 3 Press 4 2 1.

Step 4 After Connection announces your notification status, press the applicable key for the device you want to change:

Key
Device
Key
Device
1

Pager

3

Work phone

2

Home phone

4

Spare phone


Step 5 Press 1 to enable or disable notification to the phone or pager.

Table 21-1 Use These Keys Anytime 

Key
Action
*

Cancel or back up

0

Help



Changing a Notification Phone Number by Phone

By phone, you can change the notification number for your home phone, work phone, a pager, and a spare phone. Additional notification numbers can be changed in the Cisco Unity Assistant web tool.

When entering phone numbers, do not use spaces, dashes, or parentheses between digits. Begin with any access code needed to make an external call (for example, 9). For long-distance numbers, also include 1 and the area code.Use the # key to add 1-second pauses, as necessary. Use commas (,) to add 1-second pauses, as necessary. Depending on how Cisco Unity Connection is set up, you may not be able to enter certain phone numbers.

The procedure in this section uses keypad mappings for the standard conversation. Keypad mappings for other conversations are provided in the "Cisco Unity Connection Voice Commands and Phone Menus" chapter. Ask your Connection administrator which conversation you are set up to use.

To Change a Notification Phone Number by Phone Using Touchtone Keys


Step 1 Log on to Cisco Unity Connection.

Step 2 If you are not using voice commands, skip to Step 3.

If you are using voice commands, say "Touchtone conversation" or press 9 to temporarily change to using touchtone keys.


Tip To switch back to using voice commands after you have finished changing the notification number, hang up and log on to Connection again.


Step 3 Press 4 2 1.

Step 4 After Cisco Unity Connection announces your notification status, press the applicable key for the device whose number you want to change:

Key
Device
Key
Device
1

Pager

3

Work phone

2

Home phone

4

Spare phone


Step 5 Press 3 to change the notification number.

Step 6 Enter the new number, or press # to keep the current number. (Enter only an extension when you use phone numbers inside your organization for message notification.)

Table 21-2 Use These Keys Anytime 

Key
Task
*

Cancel or back up

0

Help