University at Buffalo (UB)
Oops, I Need That Voicemail Again!
By Dennis Reed Jr
Published March 31, 2014 This content is archived.
You don’t often get second chances in life. But UBIT has added one more place where it’s possible: on your university office voice mailbox.
More than 7,200 voice mailboxes across all three UB campuses are now able to retrieve accidentally deleted messages.
“It’s like a ‘Mulligan’ in golf, but for your phone,” says Communications Systems Engineer Thomas Jauch, a key player in the feature’s implementation with Network and Classroom Services (NCS). Those who only watch golf to help them fall asleep might prefer to think of the new feature like the Windows Recycle Bin, or your email’s Trash folder, but with a time limit. Deleted voicemails will automatically be stored for seven days, and be available through the voicemail system’s menu tree to be reviewed, restored or deleted permanently. VoIP (“Voice over Internet Protocol”) phones are used by UB faculty, staff, student clubs and many others.
We're Listening
UB faculty and staff have requested a way to retrieve deleted voicemails a few times each year, and UBIT engineers heard them.
“Cisco is the phone manufacturer,” Thomas explained. “This feature was not made available to us in previous versions.” But as soon as it was, UBIT staff jumped at the chance to offer it to the UB community. “It’s an easy win for our customers. It won’t happen very often [that people need to use it], but when it does, they will be thankful!”
UB Communication Department Secretary Rose Gryckiewicz, who depends on the university phone service for departmental business, agrees.
“In my role as the graduate program secretary here, I have many occasions where prospective applicants contact me by phone,” she shared. “If I inadvertently delete a message, even though the number is still available under ‘Missed Calls,’ there is no way to obtain the caller’s name. It’s awkward returning a call without knowing the person’s name. This new feature will solve that problem.”
All That, and a Bag of Chips
The ability to retrieve deleted voicemails expands what is an already impressive feature set on the VoIP system. “[They] seem to have the capability to do just about anything, short of washing dishes,” Rose quipped.
But UBIT is not stopping here. Thomas promises more great features will be made available to the overall VoIP Telephone system throughout 2014, so watch the UBIT News for updates. And while the new features are sure to make life easier and allow faculty and staff to better support students’ needs, don’t scrap that old dishwasher just yet.
Instructions for using the new feature will be available in the Using Voicemail section of the Phones service guide, and as always help is available from the CIT Help Desk (ubithelp@buffalo.edu, 645-3542).