I searched the forum for this but did not see anyone having this issue. The phone system I'm working on is a CTX100. When one calls in after 4-5 rings the system picks up, and has about a 5-10 second delay before the message announcement begins. I've look through all the setting and I'm not sure how to get rid of this. During the long pause I can hear two faint clicks or light beeps. Has anyone run across this and know how to correct this so the message starts as soon as the system picks up?

Thanks.

If you have a Stratagy voice mail, I'd check the greeting for mailbox 990. The installer probably recorded a few seconds of silence in mailbox 990 and then had the main greeting recorded in its entirety in mailbox 991.

Is it possible to check that remote? And if so how can I do that using the e-manager? The site is 140 miles away.

Thanks.

eManager does not manage the voicemail system.

If you know the security codes for mailboxes 990 and 991 you can log into the voicemail mailbox and listen to the recorded greetings.

I bet it is just how phonemeister described, that someone recorded a short silent message in 990. Typically you will hear the phone beep when they press the # key to stop recording.

The easiest solution may be to try to record a shorter, silent greeting in 990, maybe using the mute to avoid the clicks and beeps.

Ok I was able to get in and there is no message for 990 or 991 recorded. The person on site was told to record it to 600 and I see that is a phantom DN owned by 101. There was no notes left from the last tech to work on this. Not sure why they are using 600 to record the greeting. Anyone have any ideas why? If I have them record to 990 will this prevent the message from 600 playing? They don't need a message at 991 because they do not want to route calls directed. I believe they go to a general mail box (which I wonder if that is 600?).

More troubleshooting needs to happen before anyone could correctly answer your questions. Follow your incoming call path, when does it ring, why does it go there, and what is the customers needs/wish?

Just like Toshiba Bob says, you would need to start by following the call flow.Based on your description, my guess *which is all we can do without seeing the programming) is that the trunks DIT to 600, which then forwards to voicemail with the VMID of 600.

The installer likely setup a general mailbox instead of using 990 and 991 as the auto attendant. I have don't this a couple times for small offices that don't want an auto attendant.

One thing I found out is that with a CIX 40 if you CF to a specific mailbox instead of the default 990 there is a small pause of about 1 1/2 or 2 seconds. I had the same complaint about a 5 second pause after ringing, but when I tested it, the time was under 2 seconds.

There won't be much you can do abut that short pause (except for some Token programming or system configuration changes)). After you verify that calls go directly to MB 600 (not going to 990 or 991 first), you can verify that the recorded message starts immediately. You could also change the settings to play 990 first before going to 600 and then record a new greeting. The problem with this is that you may confuse the people that need to record the greeting later.

Or you could change the parameters so the AA default mailbox is the 600 one instead of the 990 - 991

I have done this, and I was thinking this when I typed my response, but I personally don't like to recommend changing system parameters if people are not very proficient with the DOS Stratagy voicemail systems. Sometimes the system will follow the default mailbox's Chain done of the which sometimes has undesirable results.

If I was going to do this, I would leave 990 as default, change the extension to @G(600), turn off DND, and set 990 chain done to 600.

I have seen it don't the way you described it as well, and it seems to work ok most of the time. The only thing I would add is chain done in MB 600 to 999 to prevent loops.

The thing about changing the default mailbox to 600 from 990 is that you do not get that delay when the call hits the VM without a VMID.

You can always set the chain done on all users mailboxes to 991 so they get the instructions greeting instead of the AA greeting if anyone ends up following the chain done. The other thing to do is turn off caller menu on the mailboxes so after pressing # at the end of leaving a message it goes to the chain done quicker. You could always send the chain done to 999 hangup mailbox if preferred.

There was a reason that Toshiba set it up the way they did, going through *2* mailboxes...

990 is supposed to say the company name, then 991 is supposed to be the instructional greeting... and then whenever the voicemail comes back to the main greeting, it goes to the done chain of the first mailbox entered.

Since the voicemail is set up to go to 990 - and the done chain goes to 991 - anytime the voicemail goes *back* to the main greeting, it goes to 991.

I've seen companies that didn't understand this process flow, and end up putting other mailboxes in there as the main greeting.

If you want to drop it to a single greeting, simply turn off the DND for 990, and change the extension field to @G(991)

That's the best way to do it, IMO.

However, if you keep it as 990/991, you also have the easy option for holidays... simply go into 990, change to another greeting, and give your holiday greeting.

P.S. Sending the done chain to 999 makes it irritatingly difficult to get in to make changes... I always leave it the default '0' - and 0 has the done chain to 999.

Making it hard to "get in to make changes..." is a good way to deter the people who like to try and dial around the voicemail.