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User Portal Documentation

Voicemail Greetings

Voicemail Greetings is a library of named recordings plus a choice of which one plays in each situation. Record “Vacation”, “Working from home” and “Conference week” once, then switch the active greeting in a couple of clicks instead of re-recording each time.

The library

Each greeting has a Name (unique within your mailbox) and an optional Description. Name it for when to use it (“Out of office - back Monday”) rather than what it is (“greeting 3”). The list also shows Active For (the situations it currently plays for), Source (how it was made), Length, and a play icon.

A greeting that is active for a situation cannot be deleted; choose a different greeting for that situation first.

Adding a greeting

Use one of the three buttons above the list. Each opens a form with Name, Description and Activate For, which can make the new greeting active for a situation as soon as it is saved.

Upload. Choose a WAV or MP3 file. It is converted to the format the phone system needs before it is stored.

Text to Speech. Type the Text and pick a Voice; the audio is generated on the server. To change the wording later, edit the text and save again. The button appears only when text-to-speech is configured for your organization.

Record by Phone. Enter an extension or outside number in Number to Call and click Call Me and Record. The phone rings; record after the tone and hang up, and the recording is added to your library.

Editing a greeting that is already active updates every situation it plays for.

Choosing what plays when

Below the library, each situation has its own selector:

  • Unavailable - played when you do not answer.
  • Busy - played when you are on another call.
  • Temporary - played instead of all other greetings while it is set; use it for vacations and short absences.
  • Recorded Name - your spoken name, used in the company directory and in system prompts such as “Please leave a message for”.

System default uses the built-in prompt. Click Save Active Greetings to apply.

Example: a week away

  1. Click Text to Speech, name the greeting Out of office - March, enter “Thanks for calling. I am out of the office until the fourteenth. For anything urgent, please call Jane on extension 205.” and save.
  2. Set Temporary to Out of office - March and click Save Active Greetings. Callers hear it whether you are busy or not answering.
  3. When you are back, set Temporary to System default and save. Your Unavailable and Busy greetings play again, and the out-of-office greeting stays in the library for next time.

Best practices

  • Use Temporary for absences. It leaves your other greetings untouched, so coming back is one change.
  • Keep greetings short and put the useful part first - when you will be back, or whom to call instead.