System Administration Guide for Cisco Unity Connection Release 2.x
Managing Recorded Greetings and Recorded Names

Table Of Contents

Managing Recorded Greetings and Recorded Names

Using the Media Master to Record Greetings and Names

Using the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator to Record or Rerecord Call Handler Greetings

Setting Up the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator

Changing the Audio Format for Recording Greetings and Names

Enabling a Termination Warning for the End of Recording


Managing Recorded Greetings and Recorded Names


You can record names for users, system distribution lists, and call handlers (including interview handlers and directory handlers), and greetings for users and call handlers, by using the Media Master on the pages within Cisco Unity Connection Administration. In circumstances when you cannot access Connection Administration, you can access the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator from any phone to manage greetings for call handlers.

Note that users can record their own names and personal greetings by accessing the Cisco Unity Connection conversation by phone, or by using the Media Master where it appears on the pages of the Cisco Unity Inbox and Cisco Unity Personal Call Transfer Rules web tools pages. Depending on how Connection is set up, the Media Master may also appear on some Cisco Unity Assistant pages. For end-user instructions and information about using the Media Master, see the User Guide for Cisco Unity Connection, available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/products_user_guide_list.html.

See the following sections:

Using the Media Master to Record Greetings and Names

Using the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator to Record or Rerecord Call Handler Greetings

Setting Up the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator

Changing the Audio Format for Recording Greetings and Names

Enabling a Termination Warning for the End of Recording

Using the Media Master to Record Greetings and Names

The Media Master appears on each page of Cisco Unity Connection Administration on which recordings can be made. It allows you to make and play recordings, either with a phone or with your computer microphone and speakers, by clicking the Media Master controls.

When determining the recording and playback device that you want to use with the Media Master in Connection Administration, consider the following points:

The phone serves as the default recording and playback device for the Media Master.

The phone offers the best sound quality for recordings.

In order to use the phone as a recording and playback device, Connection must have at least one voice messaging port designated to allow users to use the phone as a recording and playback device. Alternatively, when you make and play recordings by using a computer microphone and speakers, no ports are used, which decreases the load on the Connection server and leaves ports open for other functions.

Use the following procedure to select the recording and playback device used by the Media Master. Updates to the Media Master are saved per user, per computer. If you plan to use additional computers to access Cisco Unity Connection Administration, the Media Master needs to be set up on each.

To Select a Recording and Playback Device


Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, go to a page on which the Media Master appears.

Step 2 From the Media Master Options menu, click Playback & Recording.

Step 3 In the Playback & Recording Settings dialog box, select a playback device and a recording device.

Step 4 If you chose the phone as the recording and playback device in Step 3, the Active Phone Number is set by default to your primary extension. To specify a different phone number, enter it in the Other Number field.

Step 5 By default, Connection is set to begin playing messages while downloading them. To change the default, select Download Complete Message Before Playing.

Step 6 Click OK.


Using the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator to Record or Rerecord Call Handler Greetings

The Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator allows you—or the call handler owners that you assign—to manage call handler greetings from any phone. The owner of the call handler can be any user or system distribution list.

By using the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator, you can do the following tasks without having to access the Media Master in Cisco Unity Connection Administration:

Rerecord a call handler greeting.

Toggle between the alternate and standard greetings.

Determine which greeting is currently active for a call handler.

Listen to and record busy, closed, internal, and holiday greetings.

For example, if your office is unexpectedly closed because of bad weather, you can call Connection from home to enable the alternate Opening Greeting, or rerecord a call handler greeting to state that the office is closed.

When a system distribution list owns a call handler, the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator allows each member of the system distribution list to manage call handler greetings by using the Cisco Unity Connection phone conversation.

With a multilingual system, if the call handler greetings language is inherited, you have the option of providing call handler greetings in multiple languages. For example, if Cisco Unity Connection is set up to provide prompts in French and Spanish, you might record the call handler greeting in both languages so that Spanish- and French-speaking callers can hear your greeting in their own language.

If you do not record a greeting in a language your system provides, Connection will play the system default greeting for calls associated with that greeting. For example, if you recorded the standard greeting in French, but not in Spanish, Spanish-speaking callers would hear the system default greeting for the call handler while French-speaking callers would hear the French greeting you recorded.

To access the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator, the owner of the call handler will require the following information:

The phone number to dial for access to the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator

Alternatively, if you set up one-key dialing access to the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator from the Opening Greeting, the owner of the call handler will need to know which key to press while listening to the Opening Greeting.

The ID of the call handler owner

The password of the call handler owner

The extension of the call handler

To prevent unauthorized access to Connection, make sure that the call handler owner understands that the above information should be kept confidential.

To Use the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator to Manage Call Handler Greetings


Step 1 On the phone, dial the phone number for access to the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator.

Step 2 At the prompt, enter the ID of the call handler owner, and press #.

Step 3 At the prompt, enter the password of the call handler owner, and press #.

Step 4 At the prompt, enter the extension of the call handler, and press #.

Step 5 If the call handler you selected in Step 4 is configured to inherit the caller language and there is more than one language installed on your Connection system, at the prompt, press the number of the language in which to edit greetings for the call handler. (Connection will play the Greetings menu options in the same language.)

Step 6 Follow the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator conversation to toggle between the alternate and standard call handler greetings, or to record the call handler greeting.

To toggle between standard and alternate greetings

Press 1.

To change the standard greeting

Press 2.

To change the alternate greeting

Press 6.


Step 7 You can also use the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator to record or listen to additional greetings.

To change the busy greeting

Press 3.

To change the closed greeting

Press 4.

To change the internal greeting

Press 5.

To change the holiday greeting

Press 7.



Setting Up the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator

To set up the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator, do the following tasks:

1. Set up a phone number so that you or another user can call the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator. For information on how to set up the phone number, see the documentation for your phone system.

Alternatively, you can set a one-key dialing option from the Opening Greeting that takes callers to the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator. Do the "To Set Up a One-Key Dialing Option from the Opening Greeting for Accessing the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator" procedure. (If you choose this option, skip Task 2.)

2. If applicable, add a routing rule to forward calls to the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator from the phone number that you set up in Task 1. Do the "To Add a Routing Rule to Forward Calls to the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator" procedure.

3. Assign a unique extension to each call handler that you want to access by using the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator. Do the "To Assign a Unique Extension to a Call Handler" procedure.

4. As needed, tell call handler owners how to use the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator. For an overview and procedure, see the "Using the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator to Record or Rerecord Call Handler Greetings" section.

To Set Up a One-Key Dialing Option from the Opening Greeting for Accessing the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator


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

Step 2 On the Search Call Handler page, in the Search Results table, click the Opening Greeting call handler.

Step 3 On the Edit Call Handler page, on the Edit menu, click Caller Input.

Step 4 In the Single Key Settings table, click the applicable touchtone key.

Step 5 On the Edit Caller Input page for the key you have selected, check the Ignore Additional Input (Locked) check box, if applicable.

Make sure that you did not choose a touchtone key in Step 4 that represents the first digit of the extensions on your phone system. If you lock that key, callers will not be able to dial a user extension from the opening greeting.

Step 6 Click Conversation, and then click Greetings Administrator.

Step 7 Click Save.


To Add a Routing Rule to Forward Calls to the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator


Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Call Management > Call Routing, then click Direct Routing Rules.

Step 2 On the Search Direct Rules page, click Add New.

Step 3 On the New Direct Rule page, enter a display name for the new routing rule, and click Save.

Step 4 On the Edit Direct Rule page, confirm that the Status is set to Active.

Step 5 In the Dialed Number field, enter the phone number that has been set up for access to the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator.

Step 6 In the Send Call To field, click Conversation, then click Greetings Administrator.

Step 7 Click Save.

Step 8 On the Search Direct Rules page, verify that the new routing rule is in an appropriate position with the other routing rules in the table. If you want to change the rule order, continue with Step 9.

Step 9 Click Change Order.

Step 10 On the Edit Direct Routing Rule Order page, click the name of the rule you want to reorder, and click the down arrow or the up arrow until the rules appear in the correct order. Click Save.


To Assign a Unique Extension to a Call Handler


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 Search Results table, click the display name of the call handler that you want to access with the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator.

Step 3 On the Edit Call Handler page, in the Extension field, enter a unique extension for the call handler.

Step 4 Click Save.


Changing the Audio Format for Recording Greetings and Names

Typically, Cisco Unity Connection uses the same audio format (or codec) for recording a greeting or name that the playback device uses. For example, if users listen to recorded greetings and recorded names on a phone system extension, Connection should record greetings and names in the same audio format that the phone system uses.

You should consider the following when setting the audio format for recording greetings and names:

Setting the audio format for recordings affects all messages, greetings, and names system-wide for all users.

Minimizing the number of different audio formats in use on Connection for recording and playing back recorded messages, greetings and names reduces transcoding between audio formats that Connection must perform, and reduces the affect on the performance of the Connection server.

When a message, greeting, or name is recorded in a lower quality audio format and later transcoded to a higher quality audio format during playback, the sound quality is not improved. Usually, the sound quality of a recording suffers during transcoding, especially when the sampling rate is changed.

For example, sound quality suffers when greetings that are recorded in the G.729a audio format are played back on devices that use the G.711 Mu-Law audio format. However, sound quality is preserved when greetings that are recorded in the G.711 Mu-Law audio format are played back on devices that use the same audio format.

Changing the audio format for recordings affects only messages, greetings, and names that are recorded after the setting is changed. Existing messages, greetings, and names that were recorded in a different audio format are not affected by the new setting.

To Change the Audio Format for Recording Greetings and Names


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 Wave Format field, click the applicable setting. Connection will record all messages, greetings, and names in the audio format that you select. If the playback device uses a different audio format, Connection must transcode the messages, greetings, and names into the applicable audio format or the playback device will not be able to play them.

Step 3 Click Save.


Enabling a Termination Warning for the End of Recording

Cisco Unity Connection can be set to play a termination warning before a reaching the maximum allowable message length while callers record their messages. (When a recording reaches the maximum allowable message length, the recording session will be terminated.) By default, the termination warning is disabled. There are two settings that can be customized:

Minimum Recording Duration in Milliseconds for Termination Warning

The maximum recording length, in milliseconds, before Connection will monitor the recording length to determine whether to play the termination warning. This setting prevents the warning tone from sounding for shorter recordings such as voice names.

Recording Termination Warning Time in Milliseconds

The number of milliseconds before reaching the maximum message length when the termination warning will be played. Any setting greater than 0 enables the termination warning.


For example, if the maximum message length is set for 300 seconds and the Recording Termination Warning Time in Milliseconds field is set for 10 seconds, the termination warning will be played after 290 seconds of recording—10 seconds before the recording limit is reached and the recording session is terminated.

To Enable the Termination Warning for the End of Recording


Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand System Settings > Advanced, then click Telephony.

Step 2 Enter the following settings.

Table 15-1 Settings for the Termination Warning 

Field
Setting

Minimum Recording Duration in Milliseconds for Termination Warning

Enter the minimum length of recordings, in milliseconds, before Connection will monitor the recording length to determine whether to play a termination warning. Recordings shorter than this number are not monitored by Connection to determine whether they are too long.

Recording Termination Warning Time in Millisecond

Enter the length of time, in milliseconds, before reaching the maximum allowed recording time when Connection will play a termination warning. When the termination warning is played during a recording session, Connection will wait the amount of time indicated in this field before terminating the recording session.


Step 3 Click Save.