Frequently Asked Questions

From your on-campus phone, press the Messages button, or dial 5555. Follow the prompt, and enter your PIN, followed by the # key.

You can also check your voicemail by:

1. Dial 5555 from a campus phone
   • From off-campus, dial 907-796-5555.
2. Press *
3. Enter your 10-digit number followed by # (ex 907-796-6400#)
4. Then enter your PIN followed by # (123456#)

You'll also receive an email notification when you get the email. This will include both an audio file and a link to the Webmail Inbox. Just log in using your UA credentials. We recommend using Firefox, as it supports all functions. If you are accessing the Webmail Inbox off campus, the VPN is required.

The Unity Voicemail system can be accessed via the web utilizing your UA credentials, so resetting the PIN is straightforward.

1. Visit the Unity Assistant
2. Sign in with your credentials
3. Click on the Password menu
4. Select Change PIN
5. Enter a new PIN
6. Save your changes
7. You're done! Sign in to voicemail with your new PIN.

For those who utilize a shared account (generally shared accounts like Helpdesk, Financial Aid, or others) please contact the Helpdesk for assistance.

Alternate Greetings on Unity Voicemail

Call into Voicemail and follow these steps:

1. Press 4 for Setup Options
2. Press 1 for Greetings
3. Unity will share your currently set greeting
   • Press 1 to re-record a new standard greeting, OR
   • Press 2 to enable Alternate Greeting
     1. This ENABLES your alternate greeting and gives you the option to configure it
     2. You will be prompted to set an end date
        • Press 0 for Later Today
        • Press 1 for Tomorrow
        • Press 2 for two days for now
        • ... and so on ...
        • Press 9 to set the Month and Day
     3. Press 2 for no end date
   • It will then play your current alternate greeting
     • Press 1 to re-record your alternate greeting
     • Press 2 to turn off your alternate greeting

To transfer to a voicemail account, press the transfer button, dial asterisk+extension ('*6400' for the Helpdesk), and immediately press transfer again (if you wait, you will begin to hear the voicemail for the dialed extension).

Why yes there is! Take a look at our web worksheet for the functions available on your phone!

Currently, the system default is to provide a quiet beep over the conversation through the handset. If you would like the second line to ring audibly on your phone set, it can be configured to do other things like ring once, ring, or flash. Use the Call Manager tool to configure your phone behaviors. Contact the Helpdesk if you need any clarification or assistance.

Provided phones are within the same call pickup group when you hear a phone in your area ringing, simply pick up your handset, press the More button, and then choose PickUp. Phones can be assigned pickup groups through your office Telephone Manager. (And, if needed, new call pickup groups can be created by contacting the Helpdesk.)

In the case that is too cumbersome, if you have a free line (button along the side of the phone display), it can be programmed to speed dial the PickUp functionality.

With the way the phone system works, when the call is redirected it is, in actuality, your line calling out. So, it happens to be that the caller ID is correct, albeit misleading.

Note: The Cisco phones on campus can be forwarded to an external (non-campus) line, however, the behavior is essentially the campus line placing a call on the caller's behalf so while you can tell that the call is coming from your campus phone, you will not be able to tell who is going to be on the other end of the line.

First and foremost: call the line! Depending on what happens with your call, you can then know how it's currently acting, and subsequently make requests to ensure that it performs as desired. These changes can be made by your telephone manager. You'll likely want to change which voicemail account is affiliated with the line. Additionally, you can choose to forward the phone using the CFwdALL soft button on the phone.

In most cases, your department Cost Center Clerk is the point person for adjusting phone settings through the Telephone Manager. If you cannot determine the right person in your department to talk to, please contact the Helpdesk to find out which staff are affiliated with a particular phone line.

Email notifications from Cisco can be managed as any other email. If they have been deleted, they can be found in the Trash (Google Mail) or Deleted Items (Outlook) folder. Email notifications can be moved from these folders into different storage locations.

Voicemail in the Cisco Web Inbox is automatically deleted after two weeks, and cannot be retrieved.

The Unity voicemail system can change the speed of playback.

While listening to a message, use the following commands to change the speed of playback:

• 4 to slow down playback
• 6 to speed up playback

The red voicemail indicator light on your phone is connected to your voicemail inbox. This can be accessed online in the Cisco Web Inbox. You can also call in by pressing the Messages button on your University phone or dialing 5555. These two inboxes are tied, changes to one will affect the other. Once all voicemails have been listened to the light will clear. Voicemails will automatically be deleted after 14 days but will remain in your email.

Listening to the voicemail through the email notification will not affect the red light.

You can forward your work phone number to any outside line through the Self Care Portal, as long as you have internet access.

1. Log in to the Self-Care Portal
2. On the left menu, select Call Forwarding
3. For your phone line (7966XXX), check the box for Forwarding all calls to...
4. Enter your full cell line in the format: 81907xxxXXXX
   • The number 8 is necessary to dial out of campus (ex: 8 1 907 777 7777)
5. Click the Save button at the bottom

You can turn off call forwarding by unchecking the box from step 3.

You can also forward your calls using the softkey on your phone if you're still on campus.

1. Hit the CFwdALL key on the Cisco phone
2. Enter your full cell line in the format: 81907xxxXXXX
   • The number 8 dials out of campus, then the standard 1-907-your phone here
   • Your phone will now state that it has been forwarded to 81907xxxXXXX

You can turn off call forwarding by hitting the CFwdAll button again.

There are currently five ways you can conduct an audio conference call without revealing a personal phone number.

• Dial *67 before dialing a phone number to conceal your phone number.
  • On many smartphones, you can use #31# instead.
• Schedule Zoom meetings by phone as audio options are enabled.
• Use Conference Now, based on your campus phone number.
• Use Two Rivers Conferencing through OIT.

Teams phones allow software-based calling, which does not rely on additional hardware. This will replace the current Cisco campus phones managed by ITS. 

Hardware phones will be configured on a limited bases, when need justifies additional costs. 

At this time, the plan is that all Cisco phone lines will be transferred automatically by ITS upon staggered activation of Teams phones. 

Upon full implementation, individual Cisco phones will be fully replaced by Teams phones. The two will not be configured for use at the same time. Both may be in use at the same time during deployment phases. 

Teams will continue to be able to use the same Chat functionality that is currently available. 

ITS is in the process of determining if phone text messaging (SMS) will be available in our Teams licensing.

Teams phones provide the options both for Call Queues and Call Pickup Groups. ITS is still investigating how to implement all of our current phone functionality.

Teams phones provide several options for alternative calling, such as call delegates and simultaneous ring. ITS is still testing these features. 

The current voicemail archiving in UA Google will be maintained. Voicemails in Teams will remain available, but the email archive will be the primary location. 

Microsoft provides a Teams mobile app that can be downloaded to current smartphones that enables calling from your UA line from a personal device.

No, other current software will be maintained, and we still recommend their continued use. 

Yes, Teams phones will notify you that you're receiving a call with both an audio and onscreen notification. Limited customization is available. 

Yes, Teams phones enables users to schedule times they will not receive calls or onscreen notifications.

Teams phones will not be functional during a power outage, similar to the current Cisco phones.
Teams phones will be limited during internet outages, with behavior based on the nature of the outage.

Emergency notices will continue to be provided through the Alertus Desktop app installed on all UAS-built computers. Further implementation is still under investigation. 

Yes, Teams phones can be configured for office locations, and will provide notice to emergency responders in the event of a 911 call. 

Emergency Service phones such as fire alarms, elevators, and trail call stations work independent of Cisco call infrastructure, and will continue to function after the transition to Teams phones.