Topic: voice mails arriving late

[Sparky]

my customer has an Avaya processor release 8 and a PC card voice mail release 3.  He says they got a call on Friday afternoon about 4pm, which they let ring and go to voice mail (no AA, just goes to VM Box).  The voice mail did not show up as a message (MWI lite on) until 5:20pm.

What would cause that?

Thanks in advance.

[hbiss]

Make sure 78 and 79 (and ONLY 79&79) are assigned as VM ports. You might also want to restart the system after confirming that, and after doing a manual backup to the internal BU as well as the external card if present.

-Hal

[Sparky]

Thank you, I will check that out.  In the meantime, the customer gave me some more information.  They tell me it was around 4pm when the call came in.  It went to VM and a short time later there was NO message lite on.  They forwarded Line 1 to a call center at 5pm.  Then came in the next morning and found a message time stamped at 5:16pm.

They have a four line hunt group. If someone called Line 1 at 5pm and stayed on the line with the call center, and then another caller called Line 1, wouldn't that call hunt to Line 2 and therefore be answered by their local VM?

It seems to me that Line 2 would have to be forwarded as well, in case 2 calls come it at once, or AT&T would need to provide more "paths" for line 1 forwarding to their call center after 5pm.

Thanks in advance again.

[hbiss]

If someone called Line 1 at 5pm and stayed on the line with the call center, and then another caller called Line 1, wouldn't that call hunt to Line 2 and therefore be answered by their local VM?

Assuming they have the lines in a hunt, yes. Whether more than just line one should be forwarded depends on the call volume and the customer's preferences. If they feel that even though the call volume is very light after hours the calls are important enough to go to the call center, then it's their decision as to whether they want to spend the additional money. There are other options too when you consider that the PVM card is very basic and limited in features. I have customers in basically the same situation where I have installed a Partner Messaging R7. Together with Centrex from the service provider they can use their own equipment to forward calls pretty much however they want to the after hours answering service or call center.

-Hal

[Sparky]

Thanks for the info.  I installed this system for them about a month ago.  Before this they had an old merlin system with no voice mail.  They have always forwarded line 1 to the call center after hours.  They were probably never aware of any other callers because they never had a local voice mail system until now.

Thanks again!

[Sparky]

I arrived at customer location this Friday.  I rechecked program #505 to make sure that 78 and 79 were the only extensions in there.  I did a system reset.  I progged two dss buttons for 78 and 79.  I made a test call and watched the buttons light up as port 78 answered my call.  After dropping the message I watched port 79 light up and send the mwi lite on sequence to ext 10.  At ext 10 my message was there.

After speaking with the customer, it turns out that "messages arriving late" is only happening to one person in that office.  No one else is having a problem. 

She walks past extension 10 and does not see an MWI.  (perhaps not even looking?)  She goes into her office which is extension 15 and checks for messages from there after lunch or meeting or whatever, and the vm tells her there are no messages.  (perhaps she is logging into extension 15, rather than 10?)  An hour after the messages were dropped, she notices the MWI, she calls the vm, the messages are there and time stamped from an hour earlier.

Anyway, they say she DOES look at the MWI at ext 10 (to see if its lit), and they say that she does log into extension 10 (not 15)....but she was not in that day to verify this stuff.

[hbiss]

Ahh, this is all coming from the customer. Now it makes sense. From what you say they have you running around in circles. Tell them that when they can make it happen while you are there you'll be back.

Is this system under warranty or on a service plan with you?

-Hal

[Phone Phreak]

It's a release 8, so do this: On Ext. 15, add a DSS button for Ext. 10, and a button for Feature 27 (Message Alert Notification). The feature 27 might have to be programmed from Ext. 10 through Centralized Telephone Programming.

Now your user at Ext. 15 comes back from lunch, presses the Message Alert Notification button, which lights up, and looks at the button for Ext. 10, whose light indicates the MWI status at 10. Press the Message Alert button again, light goes off, Ext. 15 and its buttons are normal again.

[hbiss]

From my own experience in my office what your customer is doing is not reliable. I also have X10 on another desk and I always found that unless you go right over to it you won't always see the MW light from a distance, particularly with the older MLS phones and the first generation euros. The current phones have a larger light but still there can be a problem seeing it from a distance or an angle. To solve this problem I had x10 outcall to my extension. A bit annoying but I never miss a message on x10. Unfortunately that's not something you can do with that messaging system but you do have the advantage of having Message Alert Notification with that R8.

-Hal

[Sparky]

Thank you guys for your input.
Hbiss, yes it could be that they are not seeing the lite from a distance as you suggest. I like that better than thinking that this person just isn't doing their job and then blames it on the system.

Phone Freak, I'll try that message alert thing...thats pretty cool.

Thanks again!