Configure Announcements

Announcements Overview

In Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, use the Menu Resources > Announcements menu path to configure announcements. There are two classifications of announcements:

  • System Announcements—Pre-defined announcements that are used in normal call processing or provided as sample feature announcements.
  • Feature Announcements—Used by features such as Music on Hold (MOH), Hunt Pilots with Call Queuing or External Call Control. You can customize your own feature announcements by uploading Cisco-provided audio files or uploading custom .wav files. Upload all custom announcement .wav files to all servers in the cluster.

Note

You can hear custom announcements such as warning or reorder tones if you are connected through a trunk or gateway. However, you cannot hear custom announcements on calls between two IP phones or IP phones and Jabber clients.

Formats

The recommended format for announcements includes the following specifications:

  • 16-bit PCM wav file

  • Stereo or mono

  • Sample rates of 48 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 32 kHz, 16 kHz, or 8 kHz

Default Announcements

You can upload custom announcement .wav files or change the Cisco-provided file for a system announcement. However, you cannot change the announcement identifier. For example, the System announcement (VCA_00121) is played when a caller dials an invalid number. This is commonly known as the vacant call announcement.

Table 1. Announcements in the Find and List Announcements Window

Announcement Identifier

Description

Gone_00126

System: Gone

MLPP-BNEA_00123

System: MLPP Busy not equipped

MLPP-BPA_00122

System: MLPP Higher precedence

MLPP-ICA_00120

System: MLPP Service disruption

MLPP-PALA_00119

System: MLPP Precedence access limit

MLPP-UPA_00124

System: MLPP Unauthorized precedence

Mobility_VMA

Please press 1 to be connected

MonitoringWarning_00055

System: Monitoring or Recording

RecordingWarning_00038

System: Recording

TemporaryUnavailable_00125

System: Temporary unavailable

VCA_00121

System: Vacant number / invalid number dialed

Wait_In_Queue_Sample

Builtin: Sample queued caller periodic announcement

Welcome_Greeting_Sample

Builtin: Sample caller greeting

Announcements Configuration Task Flow

Procedure

  Command or Action Purpose

Step 1

Configure Announcement.

Configure an announcement that you can use with features, such as Music On Hold (MoH) along with Hunt Pilot call queuing or External Call Control.

Step 2

Upload a Customized Announcement.

Upload custom announcement .wav files or change the Cisco-provided file for a system announcement. However, you cannot change the announcement identifier. The customized announcements are underlined with a hyperlink and appear in the Find and List Announcements window of Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

Configure Announcement

You can configure an announcement that you can use as a system announcement or as a feature announcement. A system announcement is used for call processing or for the use of sample feature announcements whereas a feature announcement is used for specific features, such as music on hold (MOH) in association with hunt pilot call queuing or external call control.

You can modify an existing announcement or configure a new announcement in Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

Procedure

Step 1

From Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose Media Resources > Announcement.

Step 2

Do one of the following:

  • Click Find and select an existing announcement to edit.
  • Click Add New to add a new announcment.

Step 3

Configure the fields in the Announcement Configuration window. For more information on the fields and their configuration options, see the system Online Help.

Step 4

Click Save.

Upload a Customized Announcement

You can modify a default announcement with an uploaded custom .wav file with a different announcement. When you import an audio source file, Unified Communications Manager processes the file and converts the file to the proper formats for use by the music on hold (MOH) server.


Note

Announcements are specific to the locale (language). If your installation is using more than one language locale, you have to record each custom announcement each language as a separate .wav file and upload with the correct locale assignment. This task also requires that the correct locale package is installed on each server before uploading custom announcement .wav files for languages other than United States English.

Similar to MOH audio source files, the recommended format for announcements includes the following specifications:

  • 16-bit PCM .wav file

  • Stereo or mono

  • Sample rates of 48 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 32 kHz, 16 kHz, or 8 kHz

You cannot update announcements that are not hyperlinked in the Find and List Announcements window in Unified Communications Manager. You can add customized announcements for Cisco-provided announcements that are underlined with a hyperlink in this window. For example, MLPP-ICA_00120 and MonitoringWarning_00055.

Procedure

Step 1

From Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose Media Resources > Announcement.

Step 2

From the Find and List Announcements window, enter search criteria, click Find, and click the hyperlink for the announcement from the resulting list.

Step 3

From the Announcement Configuration window, click Upload File.

Step 4

From the Upload File pop-up window, choose the locale, enter the filename and browse to select the .wav file, and click Upload File.

The upload process begins and the status is updated after the processing is complete. Select Close to close the Upload File window.

Step 5

(Optional) If you want Unified Communications Manager to play the customized announcement instead of playing the Cisco-provided announcement, check the Enable check box appears in the Announcement by Locale pane in the Announcements Configuration window.

If the Enable check box is unchecked, Unified Communications Manager plays the Cisco-provided announcement.

Step 6

Click Save.

What to do next

Upload the announcement on each node in the cluster as the announcement files are not propagated between servers in a cluster. Browse for Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration on each server in the cluster and repeat the upload process.