Group mailbox

[cae_technology]

In Unity connections 7.1(3) with CUCM 7.0.

I am looking to have a group of users not only have their own mailbox but also a group one ( for IT helpdesk). I want to avoid assigning a second line on the phone, to the helpdesk number.

I would look at having say a Hunt pilot call the tech support number (e.g 3500) this would hunt around on 5 phones. if no answer then it would go to voicemail. Once a person has left a vmail, then it will light up all 5 helpdesk phones to say there is a message. Once one of these people has listened to the vmail, then all the other lights go out. Is this possible?

I was looking at Distribution lists, but it seems that the message has to be heard by all parties. This would only confuse matters if they all had to listen to the same message, they wouldn't neccesarily know if it has been acted on before they got the message.

[Rob Huffman · Accepted solution]

Hi There,

You would need to use Dispatch Messaging

Dispatch Messages

You can use the dispatch message feature to send a message to a distribution list ***(from either a call handler or interview handler). The message is configured such that only one user in the group needs to act on the message. When listening to a dispatch message, users are given the option to accept, postpone, or decline the message.

Dispatch messages are handled as follows:

•If a user chooses to accept the message, all other copies of the message are removed from the mailboxes of the other members of the distribution list, regardless of whether the other users have listened to and postponed the message.

•If a user chooses to postpone the message, it remains as an unread message in the mailbox of that user and in the mailboxes of the other members of the distribution list.

•If the user chooses to decline the message, it is removed from the mailbox of that user, but copies of the message remain as unread in the mailboxes of the other members of the distribution list.

•If there is only one copy of the dispatch message remaining, and no user has yet chosen to accept the message, the final user whose mailbox it is in must accept it. That user is not given the option to decline the message.

Dispatch messaging is useful in situations where a team is available to respond to issues, but only one member of the team needs to respond. For example, an IT department may want to set up a call handler to take messages from employees who need assistance, and then send the messages as dispatch messages to a distribution list comprised of IT department staff. All of the members of the distribution list receive a copy of each message. Team members can then decide whether to accept or decline a message; declined messages are then picked up by other team members.

Do one of the following procedures to set up dispatch messaging:

•To Configure Dispatch Messaging for Messages Left for a Call Handler

•To Configure Dispatch Messaging for Messages Left for an Interview Handler

Also see the "Dispatch Messaging Limitations and Behavioral Notes" section.

To Configure Dispatch Messaging for Messages Left for a Call Handler

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Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Call Management, then click System Call Handlers.

Step 2 On the Search Call Handlers page, in the System Call Handlers table, click the display name of the applicable call handler.

Step 3 On the Edit Call Handler Basics page, on the Edit menu, click Message Settings.

Step 4 On the Edit Message Settings page, under Message Recipient, select a distribution list as the recipient and check the Mark for Dispatch Delivery check box.

Step 5 Click Save.

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To Configure Dispatch Messaging for Messages Left for an Interview Handler

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Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Call Management, then click Interview Handlers.

Step 2 On the Search Interview Handlers page, in the Interview Handlers table, click the display name of the applicable interview handler.

Step 3 On the Edit Interview Handler Basics page, under Recipient, select a distribution list as the recipient and check the Mark for Dispatch Delivery check box.

Step 4 Click Save.

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Dispatch Messaging Limitations and Behavioral Notes
Revised May 2009
•Only voice messages can be flagged for dispatch. Email and fax messages cannot be flagged for dispatch.

•The handling of dispatch messages is supported only in the phone interface. If a user opens a dispatch message when using the Cisco Unity Inbox, Cisco Unified Personal Communicator, an IMAP client, or an RSS client, the user is not forced to postpone, decline, or accept the message. Those clients treat dispatch messages as normal voice messages. It is important to make users aware that they must use the phone interface for dispatch messaging to be effective. When using clients other than the phone interface, the only indication that a message is marked for dispatch is when the subject line of the message has been configured to display special text. (For details on configuring subject line formats, see the "Message Subject Line Formats" section.) We recommend that you configure subject line formats to indicate that a message is a dispatch message, as this helps to remind users that they need to access the messages by using the phone interface.

•When using an IMAP client to play dispatch messages, it is not possible to delete or mark the messages as read. At first it may appear that a user can successfully delete or save a dispatch message, but the next time the IMAP client refreshes the message list, the dispatch message displays as a new message. This is true even if the user is using Microsoft Outlook or IBM Lotus Notes with ViewMail. The message is removed only if the user uses the phone interface to decline the message or if another user uses the phone interface to accept the message.

•If there is only one copy of a dispatch message left, it is possible for the user with that last copy to delete it when using either the Cisco Unity Inbox or Cisco Unified Personal Communicator. It is important to make users aware that they must use the phone interface for dispatch messaging to be effective.

•During playback of a dispatch message, if a user presses the phone keypad key that is mapped to the "skip" or "delete" menu options, Connection interprets that key press as "postpone" or "decline" respectively.

•Dispatch messages are not sorted separately from normal voice messages. If you want users to hear their dispatch messages first, the call handler or interview handler that is configured to mark the message for dispatch delivery should also be configured to mark the message as urgent. By default, urgent messages are presented to users first.

•If a user declines a dispatch message, a copy of the dispatch message is not kept in the deleted items folder of that user.

•When a user accepts the message, that user is the only person who has a copy of the message in his or her mailbox.

•When a dispatch message is accepted by a user, the dispatch property is removed and it is treated as a normal voice mail message. If the user subsequently saves the message as new, the message is presented in the phone interface just like any other new message and is not announced to the user as a dispatch message. (Note that the subject line is not altered, so depending on the subject line format used, it may contain a string indicating that the message was originally flagged for dispatch. However, the subject line is not played in the phone interface.)

•It is not possible to forward a dispatch message. A user must first accept the message, which removes the dispatch property. Then the user can forward it as a normal voice mail message.

•When configuring message notification rules to include dispatch messages, make users aware that by the time users receive the notification and call in to retrieve the message, it may be gone from their mailboxes because another user has already accepted the message.

•Dispatch messaging is not supported with digital networking. If remote users are members of a distribution list that is the recipient of a call handler that is configured to mark messages for dispatch delivery, those remote users receive the message as a normal voice message. They are not offered the option to accept, postpone, or decline the message.

•If Connection is configured as a cluster, it is possible for two different users to call into the different servers and accept the same dispatch message when more than one server has the Primary status (known as a "split brain" condition). After the split brain condition has been resolved, the user who last accepted the dispatch message becomes the final recipient and the message is removed from the mailbox of the other user.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/7x/administration/guide/7xcucsag170.html#wp1096331

Hope this helps my friend!

Rob

[cae_technology]

Thanks Rob,

Exactly what I was looking for.