Cisco Unity Connection System Administration Guide, Release 1.x - Cisco Unity Connection Conversation [Cisco Unity Connection]

Table Of Contents

Cisco Unity Connection Conversation

About the Conversation

How Users Interact With Cisco Unity Connection

About Customizing the Cisco Unity Connection Conversation

How Administrators Can Customize the Connection Conversation

Conversation Settings for a User or Group of Users

Class of Service Settings

Advanced Conversation Configuration Settings

Customizing System Prompts

How Users Can Customize the Connection Conversation

Setting or Changing the Language of System Prompts

About Alternate Conversation Versions

Using the Custom Key Map Tool

About the Optional Conversation 1

About the Voice Recognition Conversation

Placing Calls

Managing the Global Nickname List

Cisco Unity Connection Conversation

A Cisco Unity Connection conversation is a set of prerecorded prompts and menu options that callers hear as they interact with Connection by phone. This chapter describes the Connection conversation and the ways you can customize the conversations that users and outside callers hear.

See the following sections in this chapter:

•About the Conversation

•How Users Interact With Cisco Unity Connection

•About Customizing the Cisco Unity Connection Conversation

•About Alternate Conversation Versions

•About the Optional Conversation 1

•About the Voice Recognition Conversation

See "Changing Conversation Settings," for information on changing conversation settings at a system-wide level.

Note For information on conversation-related settings that can be changed per user, see the "Conversation Settings" section in the "Setting Up Features and Functionality That Are Controlled by User Account Settings" chapter of the Cisco Unity Connection User Moves, Adds, and Changes Guide, at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

About the Conversation

When callers access Cisco Unity Connection by phone, they hear a set of prerecorded instructions and options known as the Connection conversation.

The Connection conversation is organized into two main conversations—one for outside callers and one for users. The two conversations are in turn comprised of a series of smaller conversations that guide callers and Connection users as they interact with Connection. For example, the outside caller conversation is a collection of conversations that enables outside callers to access the Connection automated attendant, conduct user searches by using directory assistance, use call routing options, and play audiotext messages. Connection users hear the user conversation. Its collection of conversations enables users to log on to Connection, enroll as new Connection users, send and receive messages, record greetings, and change their personal settings.

How Users Interact With Cisco Unity Connection

When users access Cisco Unity Connection by phone, they hear the Connection conversation. Its recorded instructions guide them as they send and receive messages, record greetings, and change personal settings. Users can use any touchtone phone to access Connection.

There are two ways in which users can use Connection by phone:

•Touchtone keys—Users press keys on any touchtone phone.

•Voice commands—Users speak into the phone handset, headset, or speakerphone. Voice commands are available if the user is enabled for voice recognition and has set the Voice Recognition conversation style.

You specify whether users use touchtone keys or voice commands by setting the applicable conversation style on the Phone Menus page for a user or user template. Note that users who are enabled to use the Voice Recognition conversation can change whether they use touchtone keys or voice commands from Cisco Unity Assistant.

About Customizing the Cisco Unity Connection Conversation

Both administrators and users can customize the Cisco Unity Connection conversation.

How Administrators Can Customize the Connection Conversation

There are a number of ways administrators can customize the conversations that callers and users hear as they interact with Cisco Unity Connection. From Cisco Unity Connection Administration, you can customize the conversation from the user or user template page, from class of service settings, and on the Conversations Advanced Settings page.

Conversation Settings for a User or Group of Users

Some of the conversation customizations that you can make for a user or group of users include:

Phone Menu Settings

•Selecting the language, as well as setting the speed and volume level in which Connection plays instructions to the user.

•Specifying how long Connection waits for a user to press a first key after playing a menu, how long Connection waits for additional key presses after the user has pressed a key, and how many times Connection repeats a menu if the user has not yet responded to a menu.

•Choosing which conversation version users hear. User conversation versions differ only in the keypad mappings for the message-retrieval menus. Other menus—those that outside callers and Connection users use to send and manage messages, as well as the menus that users use to change their Connection settings—are the same for each conversation version.

•You can also specify whether users hear the comprehensive instructions offered by the full menus, or brief menus for each conversation version.

•Enabling Connection to play a prompt that reminds users when their alternate greeting is turned on. (Note that you can also customize Connection in other ways, including setting up Connection to send alternate greeting notices, preventing callers from skipping the alternate greeting, and so on.)

•Selecting the destination—such as a call handler, interview handler, subscriber, or directory assistance—that Connection sends users to when they exit the user conversation.

Playback Message Settings

•Determining whether users address messages to other users by entering extensions, by spelling first names, or by spelling last names.

•Dictating how messages are presented to users over the phone. For example, you can specify whether users hear the Message Type menu, message counts, and timestamps when they check messages, and you can specify the order in which Connection plays messages.

Send Message Settings

•Determine whether a user can encrypt private messages for additional privacy

•Determine whether a user can send broadcast messages to other users, or update broadcast messages

•Decide if the user can use the Message Locator feature to find specific voice messages by phone.

See the "Conversation Settings" section in the "Setting Up Features and Functionality That Are Controlled by User Account Settings" chapter of the Cisco Unity Connection User Moves, Adds, and Changes Guide for procedures for customizing the Cisco Unity Connection conversation for a user or group of users, at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

Class of Service Settings

From the Class of Service settings page in Cisco Unity Connection Administration, you can enable user access to several conversation features:

•Voice recognition. Note that this feature also requires the appropriate license, in addition to setting the class of service.

•Live Reply

•Call transfer and holding options

See the "Setting Up Features and Functionality That Are Controlled by Class of Service" chapter of the Cisco Unity Connection User Moves, Adds, and Changes Guide for procedures for customizing the Cisco Unity Connection conversation, at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

Advanced Conversation Configuration Settings

Some of the system-wide conversation customizations that you can make on the Advanced Conversation Configuration page in Cisco Unity Connection Administration include:

•Changing how users skip messages during message playback for both the standard conversation and optional conversation 1.

•Changing the order in which Connection prompts users to address and record messages.

•Changing how users confirm message addressing.

•Changing what users hear when they manage deleted messages.

•Setting up system transfers.

See the "Changing Conversation Settings" chapter for information and procedures for customizing the Connection conversation from the Advanced Conversation Configuration page.

Customizing System Prompts

The Cisco Unity Connection conversation is made up of system prompts, which are standard recordings that describe Connection instructions and options. System prompts come with the Cisco Unity Connection system, and are played in different combinations in multiple places in the phone conversation. All system prompts are located in the Cisco Unity Connection\TuiResources\Prompts directories and subdirectories.

You can specify the default language in which system prompts are played to all Connection users and callers. See the "Setting or Changing the Language of System Prompts" section for steps on changing the default language that Connection uses to play system prompts.

You cannot change what the system prompts say by using Cisco Unity Connection Administration, the Cisco Unity Assistant, or the phone conversation. In fact, customizing system prompts is not supported. Do not delete system prompts, as this can cause system errors. All system prompts are automatically deleted and replaced when you upgrade Cisco Unity Connection (including maintenance upgrades).

How Users Can Customize the Connection Conversation

Although Cisco Unity Connection users cannot control which conversation version they hear when they access Connection by phone, they can customize it in a number of ways from Cisco Unity Assistant. For example, Connection users can choose the full or brief menu styles, change their conversation input style (if applicable), and which language you hear, and specify the order in which Connection plays messages.

See Table 10-1 for detailed information on ways that users can customize the Connection conversation.

Table 10-1 Settings That Users Can Change By Using the Cisco Unity Assistant and the Phone Menus

Settings That Can Be Changed by Using the Cisco Unity Assistant

Settings That Can Be Changed by Using the Phone Menus

Call Holding and Screening¹:

•Select how Connection handles indirect calls when the user phone is busy, including placing the caller on hold, prompting the caller to hold or leave a message, and sending the caller directly to the greeting

•Select how Connection handles indirect calls, including telling the user who the call is for, announcing that Connection is transferring the call, prompting the user to accept or refuse a call, and prompting callers to say their names

Call Holding and Screening1:

•None

Call Transfers²:

•Transfer indirect calls to an extension or send to the greeting

•Change extension

Call Transfers2:

•Transfer indirect calls to an extension or send to the greeting

•Change extension

Caller Options:

•Allow callers to edit messages

•Allow callers to mark messages urgent

Caller Options:

•None

Conversation Options:

•Specify conversation input style

•Set speed and language for Connection prompts

•Select full or brief Connection conversation menus

•Select the action that Connection performs when the user calls Connection, including greeting the user by name and announcing the number of new messages by type

•Specify alternative extensions

Conversation Options:

•Select full or brief Connection conversation menus

Greetings:

•Record a personal greeting

•Enable or disable greeting

•Specify an expiration date for an enabled greeting

•Switch between system prompt and personal greeting

Greetings:

•Record a personal greeting

•Enable or disable greeting

•Specify an expiration date for an enabled greeting

Message Notification:

•Enable or disable a notification device, and change its number

•Specify dialing options

•Select the types of messages and message urgency for which Connection will call a device

•Set up a notification schedule, and specify what happens when a device does not answer, is busy, or fails

Message Notification:

•Enable or disable a notification device, and change its number

Message Playback:

•Specify message playback order

•Change the time format used for message time stamps

•Select the action that Connection performs when messages are played, including announcing the name and number of the sender who left a message, whether the timestamp is played before or after the message, and the volume level at which messages are played

•Specify whether Connection plays the Message Type menu

Message Playback:

•Speed and volume of message as it is played

Message Addressing:

•Switch between addressing messages to other users by name, or by extension

•Specify order for addressing messages by name (last name followed by first name, or vice versa)

Message Addressing:

•Switch between addressing to other users by name or by extension (by pressing ##)³

Personal Settings:

•Record a name

•Specify alternate names

•Change directory listing status

•Change password

Personal Settings:

•Record a name

•Change directory listing status

•Change password

Private Lists:

•Enter a display name

•Record a list name

•Add and delete members

Private Lists:

•Record a list name

•Add and delete members

¹These settings apply if the user does not have Cisco Unity Personal Call Transfer Rules enabled. Call holding and screening options apply only to incoming calls that were routed to the user from the automated attendant or a directory handler, and not on direct calls. Holding and screening options do not apply when an outside caller or another user dials a user extension directly. In addition, holding and screening options are only available when supervised transfers are enabled.

²These settings apply if the user does not have Cisco Unity Personal Call Transfer Rules enabled. Call transfer options apply only to incoming calls that were routed to the user from the automated attendant or a directory handler, and not on direct calls. Transfer options do not apply when an outside caller or another user dials a user extension directly.

³Note that this depends on whether you have enabled spelled name addressing.

Setting or Changing the Language of System Prompts

Phone languages are the languages in which Cisco Unity Connection can play system prompts to users and callers. You specify a system default phone language, and you can also customize the language setting for individual Connection components without changing the default language settings for the rest of the system.

The phone language setting is available for the following Connection components: user accounts, routing rules, call handlers, interview handlers, and directory handlers. For each of these entities, you specify a phone language in Cisco Unity Connection Administration, or you can set the entities to inherit language from the caller.

With the Inherit Language from Caller setting, Connection determines the phone language to use on a per-call basis, depending on how the call is processed. For example, you can set up a call handler with the Inherit setting, and also set it up to receive calls from two different routing rules, each with a different language setting. (For example, one routing rule could be set up with a French language setting, while the second routing rule could be set to German.) In this situation, the language in which Connection plays the call handler system prompts will depend on which rule routed the call. However, note that if every component in your system that processes a call has been set with Inherit Language from Caller, Connection will play the system prompts in the default phone language, because in effect none of the components will have been set to a specific language.

For multilingual systems, it is possible to enable users to record greetings in each language installed on the Connection server, independent of the system default language by setting the Inherit Language from Caller setting. In general, the language in which recorded greetings are played depends on what is selected for the Language That Callers Hear setting on the Message Settings page for the user:

Use System Default Language

Greetings are played and recorded in the language selected as the system default.

Inherit Language From Caller

When this option is selected, Connection users are able to record greetings in each language installed on the Connection server.

A specific language

Greetings are played and recorded in the language selected from this menu.

See the Cisco Unity Connection User Moves, Adds, and Changes Guide for information on changing Message settings for a user or template, at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

To Change the Default Language for System Prompts

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand System Settings, then click General Configuration.

Step 2 On the General Configuration page, in the System Default Language list, click the language that Connection will use as the default language for playing system prompts.

Step 3 Click Save.

Step 4 Restart the Voice Processing server role for your changes to take effect.

About Alternate Conversation Versions

You can select the conversation version that users hear when they listen to and manage their messages over the phone. Each version offers a different keypad mapping for the message-retrieval menus, and one even allows you to specify your own keypad mapping. For all of the conversation versions, except for the Voice Recognition conversation, users use touchtone keys on the phone keypad to enter commands to Cisco Unity Connection. For the Voice Recognition conversation, users speak voice commands to Connection.

•Standard Conversation—Users hear the menus depicted in the Connection Phone Menus for the Standard Conversation. This is the default conversation.

•Voice Recognition Conversation—Users hear the menus depicted in the Connection Phone Menus for the Voice Recognition Conversation, and speak voice commands to Connection rather than use key presses on the phone keypad. For this conversation version, users have the option to press touchtone keys for a primary set of commands (for example, a user may choose to press a key rather than voice a command while in a meeting), or to default to the Touchtone conversation specified.

•Optional Conversation 1—Users hear the menus depicted in the Connection Phone Menus for Optional Conversation 1.

•Custom Keypad Mapping—Users hear the menus that use the keypad mapping that you specify in the Custom Keypad Map utility. You can also use the utility to "hide" menu options and to generate a user card in HTML that you can give to users.

•Alternate Keypad Mapping S, Alternate Keypad Mapping X, and Alternate Keypad Mapping N—Users hear the menus that use the keypad mappings depicted in the "Cisco Unity Connection Voice Commands and Phone Menus" chapter of the Cisco Unity Connection User Guide.

You can use either full or brief menu style with each conversation version.

Depending on the conversation version that users in your organization are familiar with, you may want to provide them with a list of the phone menu differences between Connection and a former voice messaging system—especially if you choose not to offer them an alternative to the standard conversation version, which is specified by default in the Voice Mail User template.

See the "Cisco Unity Connection Voice Commands and Phone Menus" chapter of the Cisco Unity Connection User Guide for keypad mapping (and voice commands) for each conversation version. The guide is available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/products_user_guide_list.html.

For procedures and information on changing the conversation menu version, see the "Conversation Settings" section in the "Setting Up Features and Functionality That Are Controlled by User Account Settings" chapter of the Cisco Unity Connection User Moves, Adds, and Changes Guide, at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

Using the Custom Key Map Tool

The Custom Key Map tool allows you to edit the key mappings associated with the "Custom Keypad Mapping" conversation, which can be assigned to users on the Conversation Settings page for a user or user template in Cisco Unity Connection Administration. It is important to note that changing key mappings by using this tool does not affect any of the other Cisco Unity Connection conversation versions.

You are allowed to assign any one- or two-key sequence to any defined action for the main menu, the message playback menu (the message header, body and footer can be mapped separately) and the after message menu. It is not possible to customize any other part of the Connection conversation.

For more information and procedures, see the Custom Key Map Tool Help.

About the Optional Conversation 1

Cisco Unity Connection Optional Conversation 1 provides an alternative to the standard conversation, which is the system default. You may choose to use Optional Conversation 1 if the options in its message-retrieval menus more closely resemble the options that users in your organization are familiar with. Other menus—those that outside callers and Connection users use to send and manage messages, as well as the menus that users use to change their Connection settings—are the same as those in the Connection standard conversation.

To activate Optional Conversation 1 for individual users or for a specific group of users, you use the conversation settings on the applicable user or user template pages in Cisco Unity Connection Administration.

As with the standard conversation, deleting or customizing Connection prompts is not supported.

Note Changes you make to user settings in Cisco Unity Connection Administration are preserved after upgrades; you do not need to reactivate Optional Conversation 1.

About the Voice Recognition Conversation

Cisco Unity Connection provides a voice-recognition option that lets users say what they want to do in the Connection conversation. Voice commands are intuitive and easy to use for most voice-messaging tasks.

The voice-recognition feature requires installation and configuration of the voice recognition software. See the Cisco Unity Connection Installation Guide for more information and procedures (the guide is available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/prod_installation_guides_list.html).

The voice-recognition option is also a licensed feature. To use voice recognition, users must belong to a class of service with this feature enabled. See the "Setting Up Features and Functionality That Are Controlled by Class of Service" chapter of the Cisco Unity Connection User Moves, Adds, and Changes Guide for more information and procedures on enabling this feature for users. The guide is available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

Procedures in the Cisco Unity Connection User Guide describe how to use voice recognition. In addition, a user can say "Help" at any time to get more information on any menu. For a list of available voice commands and touchtone key presses for the Voice Recognition Conversation version, see the "Cisco Unity Connection Voice Commands and Phone Menus" chapter of the Cisco Unity Connection User Guide. The guide is available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/products_user_guide_list.html.

See the following sections for additional details about using the Voice Recognition conversation:

•Placing Calls

•Managing the Global Nickname List

Placing Calls

When using the Voice Recognition conversation, users can place a call through Cisco Unity Connection by saying a name or phone number. For example, a user can say "Call Harriet Smith," and Connection obtains the phone number for Harriet Smith from the corporate directory and places the call.

Users configured to use Cisco Unity Personal Call Transfer Rules can set up a directory of names and phone numbers for people who are not included in the Connection directory, including customers, suppliers, family members, and friends. When placing calls, users can tell Connection to dial these personal contacts as well.

From the Global Nickname List, Connection recognizes common nicknames, but if a user has an uncommon name or if others know the user by a different name (for example, a maiden name) consider adding these alternate names for the user. Alternate names improve the likelihood of Connection placing a call when callers ask for the user by name. See the "Managing the Global Nickname List" section for procedures for editing the Global Nickname list, or see the "Alternate Names" section in the "Setting Up Features and Functionality That Are Controlled by User Account Settings" chapter of the Cisco Unity Connection User Moves, Adds, and Changes Guide for information and procedures on creating alternate names for users. The guide is available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

Managing the Global Nickname List

The Global Nickname list is a comprehensive list of common nicknames that Cisco Unity Connection considers when a caller uses voice recognition to place a call. For example, Connection considers "Bill," "Billy," and "Will" to be nicknames for the proper name "William."

You can add and remove nicknames from this list by using Cisco Unity Connection Administration.

To Add Names to the Global Nickname List

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand System Settings, then click Global Nicknames.

Step 2 On the Search Global Nicknames page, click Add New.

Step 3 In the Proper Name field, enter the name that you want to appear in the Global Nickname list.

Step 4 In the Nickname field, enter the nickname for this name.

Step 5 If there is more than one nickname, click Add New and repeat Step 3 and Step 4 to enter information about the nickname in the field.

Step 6 Click Save.

To Edit the Global Nicknames List

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand System Settings, then click Global Nicknames.

Step 2 On the Search Global Nicknames page, find the nickname you want to edit.

Note If the nickname does not appear in the search results table, set the applicable parameters in the search fields at the top of the page, and click Find.

Step 3 To delete a proper name and its associated nicknames, check the check box next to the name in the Global Nickname list, and click Delete Selected.

Step 4 Click the proper name to edit the nicknames associated with it. Do any of the following:

•In the Proper Name field, enter changes to the name.

•If you want to delete a nickname, check the check box next to the name, and click Delete Selected.

•Click Add New to add a new nickname, and enter the appropriate information.

Step 5 Click Save.