clearing voicemails from VM Pro - hospitality customer

[jsjungle]

I have a small hospitality customer that has about 35 analog phones (in addition to the main 15 5400 business phones) on an IP Office 500v2 R6.0. They didn't have enough money to purchase a hospitality package from DuVoice (that was the only package we looked at, but the cost was about $9K to the customer, half the system price).

They want a simple way to clear voicemails out of a guest room mailbox when the guest checks out of the hotel. They can use the voicemail pro GUI to see on one screen if the extension has voicemails and clear out the mailbox, but this also deletes the name, which requires the next user to hear the IP Office message and record their name before they can access the mailbox.

Does anyone know a good way to clear the messages from the mailbox without removing the voice mailbox name? (deleting from the hard drive on the VM Pro server doesn't work well as the message waiting light doesn't go away until the VM is accessed again)

any suggestions are greatly appreciated.





Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance.
-Samuel Johnson

 

[Ragnorak]

How about renaming the User to match the guest's name. This creates a new mailbox, it has a personal touch for their customer, and solves immediate problem. The housekeeping can take of the old messages.

 

[jsjungle]

Ragnorak:

I like the thought but it seems like extra work for property staff...and the guest would still have to follow the steps to create their name when they log in to voicemail, correct? that's what we're trying to avoid...





Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance.
-Samuel Johnson

 

[Ragnorak]

I don't see any easy way around setting up the new mailbox. You can certainly rename the wav files under the Names and Greetings but that seems like too much for the staff to do. Best I can see is having the staff record a "Room 312" name and set the password to something simple as part of the procedure. It is a pain but the personal service angle of the custom name makes it a much easier thing to get them to buy into.

 

[jsjungle]

Thanks Ragnorak. If anyone has any other ideas they are apprecaited.





Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance.
-Samuel Johnson

 

[tlpeter]

What about setting up a user who haves access to all mailboxes.
Dail to the mailbox and clear the messages one by one.

ACSS IP Office
APSS IP Office
APSS UC
ACA - Implement IP Telephony -- ACA - Design IP Telephony
ACA - Voice Services Management


______________
Women and cats can do as they please and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea!

 

[cmnstr]

You could load Phone Manager on a workstation and management could log in as that extension and delete messages through the interface.

 

[Westi]

write a batch file to delete the folder for the room you want to delete the voicemail for, you would need different batch files for different rooms though
but if you have messages then the light will stay on regardless and only a reboot will fix that one so not an ideal solution
The same happens btw when you rename a user and the light was on before.

Joe W.

FHandw., ACSS

insanity is just a state of mind

 

[Ragnorak]

If the Message Waiting Light is the real issue try this:

http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=1156152

Here's intrigrant's relevant post

To lit the lite on extension N from any phone
SC = *91*N# ( or what ever you use as a shortcode )
TN = N"; Msgs=1"
Function = Display Msg
Turn off
SC = *90*N# ( or what ever you use as a shortcode )
TN = N"; Msgs=0"
Function = Display Msg

Only for the user dialling the SC:
SC = *91 ( or what ever you use as a shortcode )
TN = U"; Msgs=1"
Function = Display Msg

SC = *90 ( or what ever you use as a shortcode )
TN = U"; Msgs=0"
Function = Display Msg

NOTE : there is a space between the ; and Msgs

Remember, whatever shortcomings exist in the workaround you give them remind them that if they are unhappy with it they can always pay $9K for the hospitality software. It is much better to be the guy saving them $9K with an imperfect creative solution than the putz who can't properly solve their guest voicemail problem.