Every voicemail from the old Merlin Mails had the "dial by directory" option - however, you need to decide whether you want to go by first or last name and also key in the first or last name of everyone you wante listed in the Dial By Name Directory - that is done through voice box administration in the voice mail system.  Which version of voice mail do you have now?  the directions are slightly different.

Tom Daugirdas,
President
STCG, Inc.
stcg.com

Tom,

Thanks for the response. Is "Release 3" the version id you want?


JEB

Release 3.0 of Merlin Mail has the feature as well - just go into voice mail administration, choose mailboxes and enter the required directory entries.  You can download the Planning Guide from avata.com, support, that has the 2-character alphabet table for entering names in the directory.  If you have Magix Messaging Release 3.0 - they have a similar planning manual - the alphabetical characters are slightly different.  Also, make sure your AA announcement tells callers to use either first or last name - however you set up the directory.  Merlin Mail R3.0 is the small computer box atandalone voicemail system.  A Magix R3.0 would be a grey module in your phone system base or expansion cabinet.

Tom Daugirdas,
President
STCG, Inc.
stcg.com

Oops - that website was avaya.com - sorry - I am a lousy typist!

Tom Daugirdas,
President
STCG, Inc.
stcg.com

Thanks, Tom.  We have the chassis mounted module. Once we have the v-mail entries done, how do we set up the AA greetings and menu selectors for an incoming caller to access this feature. It seems we did this more easily on the older version. We are just fighting our way through to get the menus/messages and responses to work like we want.

thanks again
JEB

Basically all we need is:

Hi you've reached us, if you have touch tone dial 1
time out to operator or general v-mail box if no answer

1--------------------------------------------
opt 1 if you know the name .... dial it now

opt 2 if you would like to use the directory press x now
Directory lookup runs with option to connect to looked up person.
 
time out to operator extn or v-mail general box if no answer



JEB

JEB:  Those are not options - but what you should record in the announcement for AA1.  I assume you have done the necessary programming in the system to be ready to program your autoattendant.  If so, you need to go into voicemail administration, choose 3 for autoattendants, shoose 1 for day menu, choose 6 for make modifications.  You will be prompted for a selector code.  Press 1 - you will hear the default selection - which is direct extension transfer.  Now - your next step depends on your extension numbers.  If they are in the 10, 100 series - the leave selector code 1 as direct extension transfer.  If you have any extensions that start with a 2 or 3 or 4, etc. - you need to set each corresponding selector code to "direct extension transfer".  After you finish press *#, you will be prompted to define a zero/time-out action.  The default is transfer to system operator - which I would leave alone, next you wioll be prompted to record the AA announcement.  Typically it says.  Welcome to XYZ company.  If you know your party's extension, please dial it now.  If you would like to dial by employee directory, press *a or *2 (same thing) and enter the first for letter of your party's first or last name.  Otherwise, press "0" to reach the operator (zero/time-out action).  You could make this last step - leave a message in the general mailbox.  After you approve the recording, the menu will be saved and you can press **9 to exit.  Also, make sure that in menu 1, you have set the maximum extension digit length to what you are using.

Tom Daugirdas,
President
STCG, Inc.
stcg.com

To get all the details, download the documents from the Avaya website. They have very good examples for programming and cover most aspects of the autoattendant and voice mail features and functions....

Happy reading!

....JIM....

Greetings from nsi again.
I can't thank you enough for all the info.
But it still does not work. Here are some symptoms Jeb did not list.
This is a Merlin Legend with a R3 007 2 port voice mail.
All of the extensions are DID numbers.
1)'Subscriber' directory is not accepting keyed name entries.
2) In the Auto Voice mail setting/ not Auto attendant. When the 'lady in the box' says 'if you know your parties entension, please enter it now'. The 4 digit ext's are only recieved as 3 digits. It always loses the first number which in this case happens to be 8. Ideas???
Yes the maximum number of digits is set to 4.
3) When the initial greeting picks from an outside caller. It plays the VM 'lady' but before she finishes the Auto Atd. 'lady' also picks up with conflicting serie of instructions. Ideas please!!
Would reintialising help?
Thank you
Smitty

Not sure what you mean by subsciber directory.  The directory I am talking about is the voicemail directory - which you access when you program a voice mail box in the voice mail system.  Now, as for your DID numbers - what are the DID extension numbers.  What digit do they start with?  Did you set up a selector code for that first digit they start with as "direct extension transfer"?  If not, the AA will not be able to transfer the call.

Not sure what you mean by two voice mail ladies pick up?  It sounds like you have the touch tone gate in VM set to "On" - it should be "off" - unless you get calls from rotary phones - which is still possible - but highly unlikely.

As for the VM lady - you were supposed to record your own announcement over what she says when setting up the autoattendant.

Tom Daugirdas,
President
STCG, Inc.
stcg.com

To get to the "subscriber directory" where you key in the names, the caller must dial *2, and then they will be prompted to enter the first 4 letters of the party's name.

What is selector code 8 set to? It should be Direct Extension Transfer, or when dialing an extension number that starts with 8 the system will do conflicting things.

Jed/Smitty - was this a "used" voice mail system?  Did you default it back to factory specifications before you started programming it?  If not, you should probably default it to factory specs and start over - god knows what was programmed in it before.  I am guessing you have a Merlin Messaging R3.0 - which is a grey module with the model# 617D49 on the top grey tab.  Please confirm that is what you have.

Tom Daugirdas,
President
STCG, Inc.
stcg.com