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The University of Texas at Austin

Documentation

Campus Smartvoice

This page is based on a document that can be downloaded from the SmartVoice webpage from ITS. The most up-to-date information can be found there. We will do our best to keep this page up to date. TO GET HELP: The ITS help desk phone number is 475-9400. They are located in the Flawn Academic Center (FAC Lobby). Their help webpage is located at http://www.utexas.edu/its/helpdesk/

Using the telephone client

The ITS SmartVoice webpage with information on using the telephone interface is here. Create a greeting using the telephone

The SmartVoice system generates a generic phone greeting and your spoken name when your voicemail box is created. Unless you personalize your name and greeting, this generic information is what your callers will hear when they access your voicemail.

To personalize your greeting and name:

  1. Dial the SmartVoice access number: 232-1000
  2. Enter your box number followed by the number sign (#).
  3. Enter your temporary telephone password followed by the number sign (#)

TIP: If you are calling from the phone on which you have this voicemail box, you may press # without entering the box number.

On your first login, the SmartVoice setup wizard will automatically guide you through recording your greeting and spoken name, and changing your password. Managing messages via the telephone

To manage your voicemail, you must access and login to your SmartVoice mailbox.

The steps to accomplish this are:

  1. Dial the SmartVoice access number: 232-1000
  2. Enter your box number followed by the number sign (#).
  3. Enter your telephone password followed by the number sign (#).

TIP: If you are calling from the phone on which you have this voicemail box, you may press # without entering the box number.

NOTE: If at any time you press # and it has no effect, simply press it again.

Once you have accessed your mailbox, you use the numbered key pad of your telephone to manage your messages. Below are the basic commands to manage voice and text messages using the telephone interface.

Downloading the desktop client software

The ITS SmartVoice webpage with information on using the desktop client interface is here.

Using the desktop client is optional. You can access your voicemail messages solely through the telephone or web interface. However, by using the desktop client, you have access to more features of SmartVoice.

NOTE: There is no Linux/UNIX client available yet. They assure us it will be worked on for the future.

We recommend that you take the time to setup your desktop client. Besides listening to your voicemail messages on your computer, you can manage all your voicemail settings, create multiple greetings and schedule them, forward voicemail messages to your e-mail address, and more.

There is no charge for the software that supports SmartVoice to faculty and staff of the University of Texas at Austin. To download the client software:

  1. Go to the SmartVoice download page or to Bevoware and select the appropriate platform for your computer. Follow the easy download instructions.
  2. Follow the instructions for the install wizard. For the Macintosh platform, you must first double click on the FirstClass Installer icon.
  3. Open the new software called "FirstClass." A small window will appear.
  4. Click the "Login" button, and your Login Window will open.

NOTE: If you are not authorized to install new software on your computer due to departmental restrictions, contact your department's security or LAN support personnel.

In the event that the login window does not open, do the following:

  1. Go to File > Open > Desktop.
  2. Click the 'Setup' button.
  3. In the Service Setup window, enter your UT EID in the 'User ID' field.
  4. Enter smartvoice.utexas.edu in the 'Server' field.
  5. In the 'Connect Via' field, select TCP-IP:FCP or LocalNetwork.fcp.
  6. Click 'Save'.
  7. Enter your UT EID and password and click 'Login'.
Using the desktop client

Logging in to SmartVoice using the desktop client

  1. Select the appropriate tab for your login type (EID for individual boxes; Non-EID for departmental boxes)
  2. Enter your login and password. For individual boxes, your login is your UT EID and your password is your UT EID password. For Non-EID, or departmental, boxes, use your assigned login and password.
  3. Click "Login" to go to your Desktop Window.
Listening to messages

The image below shows how different messages display in the SmartVoice desktop mailbox. This demonstrates a Called, No message notification, an external (non-SmartVoice user) message, and an internal voice message. An unread message has a red flag beside it.

SmartVoice Desktop Mailbox

Double-click any message to open it. Previously unplayed messages will begin playing immediately upon being opened. To play again, click the Start/Stop button (green arrow, lower left).

To adjust the playback volume (for this message only), use the volume control on the right of the recorder panel. See image below.

Voice Message Playback

Replying to and forwarding voice messages

To reply to a voice message, click the reply button in the toolbar. If the original sender does not have an e-mail associated with their phone number in SmartVoice, you will need to type their e-mail address in the To field. Type your reply in the body of the reply message. Click send.

You can also select Message > Reply Special to perform the following:

NOTE: If you wish to include the original voice message with your text reply, you must forward the message instead of replying.

Creating a new message
  1. Select a form for the message.
    • To use the standard message form, choose Message > New Message.
    • To use a different message form, choose Message > New Message Special, then the appropriate form. To choose a different form and delete the first selected form, choose File > Delete with the first form still open.
  2. Address the message.
  3. Type the message body in the lower pane of the message form.
  4. To attach a file to the message choose File > Attach.
  5. Send the message by choosing Message > Send or by clicking on the Send button.

Tips for entering recipients' names:

Shortcut: Drag a file to the message envelope. You can also use this method to attach SmartVoice objects, such as documents, or files attached to other messages.

Setting your preferences

While this list is not comprehensive documentation of all the choices available to you in your Preferences, the following covers the most common Preferences, which are found under the Messaging tab.

Complete Preferences documentation can be found the Help menu (open Preferences, then go to the menu bar and select Help>About this Window).

Where to find the Preferences Menu:

Call Transfer or 'Zero-out'

To allow callers to transfer to a receptionist, cell phone or other line, go to Preferences>Messaging>Voice>Call transfer menu.

You may set up to two numbers as transfer out numbers:

  1. Select the Key you want callers to press to be transferred to your chosen number.
  2. Enter the phone number, with no punctuation, they are to be transferred to.
    • Campus numbers: Enter the 5-digit campus phone number.
    • Off-campus numbers: Enter the 10-digit local phone number (512 area code followed by 7-digit local number). NOTE: Do not enter 9 before the number.
    • Long distance numbers: Not allowed.
Pager notification

To be alerted by pager whenever a message is left in your SmartVoice box, go to Preferences > Messaging > Paging.

NOTE: If your pager does not have an email address, you cannot use pager notification. For example, the older UT pagers will not work with SmartVoice.

  1. Fill in the pager email address field.
  2. Choose a method.
    • Redirect retains the original list of recipients (for information purposes only; they do not receive additional copies)
    • Forward replaces the original list of recipients with the new recipient (the same behavior you see when you manually forward mail)
  3. Complete the 'Items to forward to pager' section.
  4. About mail types:
    • Local mail (text msgs. sent from within the SmartVoice system.
    • Internet mail (e-mail sent to you at [your_username]@smartvoice.utexas.edu)
    • Voicemail
  5. In the menu bar for each type of mail, select:
    • "No" for none of that type of mail,
    • "Yes" for all of that type of mail,
    • "Urgent only" so you will notified only if the sender marked the message urgent
Forwarding voicemail to your e-mail address

To forward your voicemail messages to any other email account, go to Preferences > Messaging > Mail Rules.

Complete the 'Automatically forward' section.

NOTE: Forwarding messages to your e-mail address does not automatically delete them from your SmartVoice in-box. To avoid filling up your allotted disk space, set your mail expiration: see Permissions, below. Called, no message

By default, SmartVoice sends you a 'called, no message' notice when callers hang up without leaving a message. If you wish to turn off this feature, go to Preferences > Messaging > Voice and deselect the 'Called, no message' buttons.

Faxes

SmartVoice is not configured to receive faxes at this time. Setting your permissions

To set your permissions, open your SmartVoice desktop, and either open or highlight the Mailbox. Go to Collaboration > Permissions. Limiting message length/size

To limit voice message length, you must limit message size. One minute of message length equals 250k. The default setting is "No limit." To change this setting:

EXAMPLE: If you want to limit incoming messages to two minutes, enter 500k (250k x 2).

Setting item limits

By default, there is no limit on the number of items allowed in your mailbox. To set a limit, enter the maximum number of items desired in the 'Item limit' field.

Setting message expiration

By default, messages expire after 30 days. To change your expiration settings, use the 'Message expiry (days):' field. In addition to 'default,' choices are 'never,' or a specific number of days

Creating a new greeting

There are two steps to creating a new greeting.

  1. Recording the greeting.
  2. Editing the greeting's basic information.

You can do these steps in either order, but you must complete both.

For example, you can record a greeting either through the telephone interface or through the desktop client. Then follow these steps:

  1. Open the Voice Greetings folder on your SmartVoice desktop.
  2. Double click on the newly recorded greeting (it will not have a name).
  3. Complete the name field with a new name which will be meaningful to you.
  4. Leave the Greeting Type set to "External."
  5. Change the Status to "Enabled" if this greeting will have a routine schedule. Select "Override" if you want this greeting to play in place of other greetings during the period scheduled for this greeting.

Or, you can start in the desktop client by creating a new greeting by going to File > New > New Voice Greeting. The editing the following fields:

  1. Complete the name field with a new name which will be meaningful to you. This is the name you will use to identify it when you record your greeting.
  2. Leave the Greeting Type set to "External."
  3. Change the Status to "Enabled" if this greeting will have a routine schedule. Select "Override" if you want this greeting to play in place of other greetings during the period scheduled for this greeting.

NOTE: You can record a greeting through your computer if it is equipped with a microphone. Otherwise, you must use the telephone interface.

Configuring and scheduling a greeting

There are many ways you can configure your greeting. You can schedule it to play at certain times, or for particular callers. You can associate certain call transfers or other activities based on a greeting and its schedule. To access these options, double click on your Voice Greetings Folder. Double click on the greeting you wish to work with. The advanced options are located in the tabs on this screen.

General Tab

Add comments describing your greeting in the Comments field.

If you have more than one phone number forwarding to your mailbox, you can customize a greeting based on the number dialed by the caller, using the Numbers dialed field.

  1. Enter the number(s) dialed, using all 10 digits, including area code.
  2. No punctuation is required unless you enter multiple phone numbers, which must be separated by commas.

You can customize a greeting for specific incoming phone numbers by completing the Caller numbers field. If this field is used, only someone calling from the number(s) you enter will hear this greeting.

  1. Enter the caller number(s) in this field, using 5 digits for UT campus numbers, and 10 digits for off-campus numbers.
  2. No punctuation is required unless you enter multiple phone numbers, which must be separated by commas.

TIP: You may use wild cards in this field using the star key. For example, to customize a greeting for calls from all UT numbers, enter: 471*,475*,495*,232*

You can add addressing options to your greeting by using the Addressing options field.

  1. Select an action option.
    • 'To' will automatically forward messages from callers who hear this greeting to the address you enter in this field. You will not get a copy of this message in your Mailbox.
    • 'Cc' will automatically copy all messages from callers who hear this greeting to the address you enter in this field. You will get a copy of this message in your Mailbox.
  2. Fill in the address field. This can be the name of a person who is in the SmartVoice Directory, or any valid email address.
Call Handling Tab

Use the Call Handling tab to give callers more or fewer call answering options.

The Call handling section allows you to control how messages from callers who hear this greeting will be handled.

The Caller transfer can be used to allow callers to transfer to an alternate number instead of leaving you a voicemail message. "Allow callers to transfer" is selected by default. This allows callers to use the transfer options you set in your voice preferences.

TIP: If callers provide feedback that they are being cut off when transferring, the system may be disconnecting too quickly and the number is not being properly processed. You can follow the number with a comma (,) for a one-second pause, or a semi-colon (;) for a five-second pause.

Scheduling Tab

Use the Scheduling tab to schedule the greeting to play at specified times only.

TIP: You can view your scheduled greetings by opening your Voice Greeting folder and clicking on one of the calendar buttons at the top of the window. The calendar view options are by month, by week, or by day.

Faxes Tab

Fax is not currently supported in SmartVoice.

A quick word about web browser access

The ITS SmartVoice webpage with information on using the web interface is here.

You can access your SmartVoice mailbox through any web browser. Simply type smartvoice.utexas.edu in the URL address line to go to the SmartVoice login page. Login with your UT EID and UT EID password.

While the desktop client is the most robust way to access SmartVoice, accessing via the web allows you to hear your voicemail from any computer.