sundance-communications.com/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Vodavi Telephones & Systems STS and Answering Machine

I have a customer that is getting an STS (2CO X 5Station). They chose not to buy the in-skin voice mail and keep their single port answering machine (ugh).

What is the best way to integrate it into the system? The best solution I have come up with is setting the preset call fwd on the CO1 & CO2 to analog Ext 148.

I am open to any ideas that might work better.

To make things a little more challenging….I noticed when I was doing my database meeting with the customer, they screen their calls on the answering machine. This might be a problem if I set the system up the way I have above.

Thanks!!

Maybe it would be best to just connect it straight to the CO. You want be able to pick up calls if it Preset Call Fwd to Ext 148.

Why mess with trying to put it through the KSU? Just put it ahead of the system.
Bill

It looks like a trade off either way, if you put it before the system they can screen the calls, but you will lose the second line unless it's a two line machine. Another answering machine is still cheaper than the VM if they want the second line answered as well. The only other downside is the phones will quite ringing when the ans. machine picks up so they will have to press the line to pick up the call instead of just picking up the rx'er.

[This message has been edited by JOHNYREB (edited January 30, 2004).]

I just wire the machines before the systems and place them on the customers desk...

All they have to do is turn em on an off...

Well, my install was interesting to say the least!

I ran into a glitch putting the answering machine in front of the system. I have a 5 second ring delay programmed into the system so my CID shows ass soon as the digital phones start to ring. Of course, by the time the phone system rings, the answering machine has “heard” two rings (it picks up on 4 rings). Ultimately the customer only hears two rings before the answering machine picks up.

So, I ended putting it on Ext 148 (with preset call fwd to 148). It is only a single line answering machine, so this solution had the benefit of line 2 going to the machine if line 1 was busy.

The customer loves to screen their calls. I left an analog phone attached to the machine. They can pick up the call and flash (transfer) to any of the digital extensions.

It would be really cool if I could grab the line that answering machine is on from one of my digital phones. But I could not figure out a way to do this.

Rob, I'm not familiar with the STS but most systems have some kind of executive overide or barge in. Generally it's on a COS basis.
Different manufactures have different names for this feature. If it has it, and once it's set up you can usally just press a CO or DSS key & hold it for a couple of seconds to activate it.
Then again that's IF the STS has a feature like this.