In our attempt to more fuuly utilize the phone system and VM, we've starting setting the voicemail for some users to fwd straint to their cell. These users don't even need the VM on the system, they just need an extension. When then caller hits that extension the system forwards directly to the cell. I have this for 4 or 5 users.

I have a CTX 670 with a Strategy DK VM system.

The way I have been doing it is to just put the cell phone number in the extension field preceeded by a 9 proceeded by an H. Extension: 9<cell phone>H. This has worked for most people. However, one person who uses verizon had his cell phone start getting a busy signal. Verizon said the forwarding code on our system is messed up.

Our incoming/outgoing line is a PRI line. Any advise?

Give each user a one touch key on the phone. Program it with #60119(cell number)#. When they want to fwd to cell, just push the button. All calls to that extn wil;l go to the cell phone. When they get backa nd want to take calls, #6051 (cancels the CFwd). Its that easy.

If I'm going to use a call forwarding button I like to do a flex button for call forward instead of a one touch. One touch buttons can easily be copied to other phones, while the flex button "forward to" number needs to be programmed individually on each phone. I like the flex button because it acts like on/off - you use 1 button instead of two and the light goes on/off.

However, it won't work for me in this situation.

Several of my people don't have phones in the office. They only have voicemail extensions. This is one of those cases.

I know you can use the menu in the VM to transfer to a cell phone - but to do that I do the same thing. In the VM extensions's "groups" I set one of the menu items to be another extension. This other extension is set with an extension of 9(cell number)H. EX:

ext. 532
Group options: 1: 632
ext. 632 is set to extension 9(cell)H.

Anyway, this is how I have the VM setup to autoforward to a cell phone. And Verizon said it's doing it wrong. I was wondering if anyone knows what I may be doing wrong.



[This message has been edited by pmc (edited April 18, 2005).]

I just read the instructions for doing this over and in the extension field you need to first suppress the normal action of the mailbox and then enter the dial string. I am kinda new to this form so I don't know how much of the dial string I can post.

You can post the dial string. It should look something like this....

Offsite Transfer over PRI lines using a Stratagy

@F-c,xxxxxxxF-F-H

c=CO line access (probably 9)
x=phone number

Is that what you have?


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fingerlakestelecom.net

OOOooooo. That looks exactly like what I needed. I'll give that a shot. I have the manual but didn't look in it - A local Toshiba vendor's tech setup the first one for me and I of course mimicked him.

May I ask, where in the manual it gives those codes? This is the VM manual correct? I assume the IPV-8 and the Strategy DK would use the same codes...(I have the manuual on CD and the IPV-8 is a full manual while the Strategy is "legacy" and it only has parts of the manula for it).

Voyager, thanks .

That was actually copied from a tech tips sheet from Toshiba on how to program a DK with a PRI.

Let me know if it works.

Dan

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fingerlakestelecom.net

I'll be testing it later today and I'll let you know.

May I ask what those codes are? the , and - are pauses I assume, what is the F and the @?

The @ suspends normal operation of the mailbox and allows the token program to take over
The - is 1/2 second pause
The , is 1 second pause
The F performs a hookflash.

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fingerlakestelecom.net

Ok, it didn't work. It just paused, then went back to the main greeting. I pulled out my documentation, started looking through the token programming language. The @ supresses normal process like tyou said, it also supresses the attnendant from saying "please wait while I try that extension".

It seemed like it did the action then did the "done" action, which (while I didn't check) seems to just be to go back to them main greeting. I tried the %K which is supposed to do a transfer hold, that didn't help, and I did your suggestion and my addition of the %K without the @. Without the @ it just dials in my ear.

However, like I said originally, if I just do 9(cell #)H it works. The 9 gets an outside line, the H does the blind transfer.

I was talking to a tech once who mentioned doing a code like you are talking about in the extension field with the @ and F - I thought I had written it down but I couldn't find it. He said it was for peple transferring calls using VM and using the Call Transfer feature on their trunk lines. I don't know if that is used with the PRI - but your tech note said it is. Hmmm. We're very close here....

If it works for all the user's but one, maybe you should focus on what the cause is for that user. What happens when the call is transferred to that user's cell phone?

I agree that I focusing on the one user is appropriate, but.... in general it works. Indeed I tested it again last night. However, about week ago when the problem was noticed (which was about a week after I first set it up), he started getting reports from people that were trying to get ahold of him. People said that when they called his cell all they got was a busy signal. The lady that handles the Verizon phones for us called Verizon. At their prompting, she told them that our system forwards phone calls to his cell. They said, and were insistant, that our system was misprogrammed to forward calls and needed to have the proper forward code put in so that it forwards calls appropriately.

In the mean time the did something (reset the phone, etc) so that he could receive calls.

I posted the message here for two reasons. 1) Verizon said it was definately a misprogrammed call forward. 2) I had heard that there was a diferent way to do call forwarding in the VM other than just putting in the # to forward to. Basically, the @-F <etc> Voyager was talking about.

The original VM forwarding was setup by a phone tech, but he wasn't sure - he said "this should work" and it did and we were happy. But now I have this problem with one of my cell phones so I want to make sure there's not another way that the calls should be forwarded from VM.

See if there might be a toll restriction on the vm ports for that guy's cell number.

Voyagers dial string looked correct to me and we have used that same string, make sure in your Class of Service Trunk to Trunk calls are allowed for your voice mail ports, they are not by default on a CTX

Breed, your advice looked very exciting, but I don't think it will help me. I checked under system, class of service. The "Individual Trunk Access" and "Trunk access allowed" items are on for COS 1. My VM ports (801-804) are using COS 1. I assume that's what you wanted me to check.

Like I mentioned before, using the token VM language this way I think is the way it is supposed to be done. And like Breed said, he's used it and it should work. I think something might not be setup right somewhere.

Again, when I set it up as Voyager said it just pauses, then goes to the main VM greeting. Does the fact that I'm using a PRI line make a difference? Using a PRI line should there be all those flash hooks? Is there a way to test if it is even doing the token language commands? without the token lauguage commands it does work...hmmmm...

I've only tried this on one VM box...so I tried it on a new one. On the new one it gave me very gentle static, then a brief silence, very gentle static, brief silence, then back to the main greeting. That time it was obviously trying to do something.

I don't know if it makes any difference, but my PRI line is set to allow us to do B to B transfers.

I think you're making this harder than it needs to be. You have already said that the 9+phone number+H works for all users but one.
Maybe that particular phone number is toll restricted for the vm ports. Have you checked that?

I suppose I sometimes do make things harder than they need to be .

I haven't checked to see if the phone is toll restricted - but I admit I don't know what that means or how to check. The VM is forwarding to his work cell phone which is through Verizon. I setup that account and know that they are supposed to have no LD and no roaming charges - so what toll charges could there be?

Also, while it may be more difficult, I know that there is supposed to be a token programming way to forward the phones. And the token programming way is the preferred way to do it, indeed Verizon said the way we're doing it caused his phone a problem. While that problem may not affect other phones (may), I still want to do it the right way.

More importantly than that, I've just started forwarding to cell phones from this office, which has the PRI line. I'm getting ready to try it from other offices. The other offices have the call transfer feature on their lines. I need to use that feature because in those offices I can't have the VM taking up 2 lines (which is what I assume it will do if I don't use token programming to do the flash hook control code).

The toll restriction I'm talking about is not with Verizon. It's with the CTX. Specifically, it's with the vm ports on the CTX. If those vm ports are restricted from dialing the cell phone number, then the call transfer to his cell phone can't take place.
Check the vm ports using Winadmin to see if they have any toll restrictions applied to them. The installer may have restricted these ports to prevent abuse.

I checked what I could. The DR is set to "1" for all the VM lines. I checked the DR lists and none are configured.

<mispost>

[This message has been edited by pmc (edited April 22, 2005).]

Are you absolutely sure that the phone number in the extension field of the mailbox is correct? Is the phone number outside your area code? If so, do you have a 1 plus the area code entered?

Thanks phonemeister (and others) for not giving up one me .

I just want to make it clear, that it does work and is working now - when I just put in 9(cell #)H. So when I was checking the toll restriction I was suspecting that mabey it was checking them when it did the Token programming - because it works without the programming.

I want to make the token language work for 2 reasons - 1) Verizon said it's my fault and I need to change it, 2) I've been told the better way to do call transfers is the token language.

Anway, no the call is not LD it is local. I am suprised that if that exact code that voyager gave me has been used by others and it works that it doesn't work for me. I just thought mabey it was off by a bit - that one of the "F"s was off. in his code, he said the "c" was probably a 9 - 9 is indeed the number we use to get an outside line so I assume he's right. That's the number I need to use without the token programming language.

I know the token language works - I use it for notifications - I do a pager notification and a couple cell phone notifications.

The token string that Voyager gave you was really for the DK. On the DK you could not transfer a call to an external number using the hookflash, 9 plus the phone number and hang up. You had to do a conference call with station drop out to accomplish that. The token string that Voyager posted does exactly that. If you wanted to use that token string with the CTX, remove the last F from the token string. Personally, the 9 plus phone number and hanging up works better.

PMC you were looking at the wrong items in the Class of Service it is button 26 tandem co connection, if this is off you can't do a trunk to trunk connection which is what the dial string you are trying to use is attempting to do.
I agree with phonemeister the last F may need to come out

[This message has been edited by breed (edited April 22, 2005).]

ok, working. Actually, I needed to take both F's off the end of the line. With just one, I heard a click in the line then it hung up. With no F's at the end it worked.

The one thing I like better about not using the @(code) is if I just use 9(cell)H it says "please wait while I try that extension". Is there any way (some token code) I can use that will insert that ladys voice saying that? Probably not but I thought I would ask.

I GREATLY appreciate everyone's help and input.

[This message has been edited by pmc (edited April 26, 2005).]