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Set up voicemail

Turn on voicemail for an extension, set a PIN and a notification email, and know where messages will show up.

Who this is for: admins (any extension) and everyday users (their own extension)

Before you start

  • The extension already exists. If not, see Create an extension and assign it to a user — you can tick Voicemail there too, but this guide is where you set the PIN and notification email.
  • Admin access if you're setting up voicemail for someone else's extension. Everyday users can only configure voicemail on their own extension.
  • (Optional) an email address to receive voicemail notifications.

Steps

  1. Open Extensions from the sidebar or dashboard shortcut.
  2. Find the extension in the list and select the Configure icon (the sliders icon in the Actions column).
  3. Select the Voicemail tab.
  4. Turn on Enable Voicemail. If this extension doesn't have a voicemail box yet, Phonovo creates one automatically the first time you save with this switched on.
  5. Under Voicemail PIN, we recommend setting a PIN of at least 4 digits (numbers only). This is what the extension's user dials in with when checking messages from their handset.
  6. Under Email Notifications, enter the Email Address that should receive a copy of each voicemail. Tick Attach audio file to email to include the recording as an attachment, and Keep message after email to leave the message in the portal after it's been emailed rather than removing it.
  7. If AI transcription is available on your plan, tick Enable voicemail transcription under Transcription to also get a text version of each message.
  8. Select Save Changes.

Voicemail tab on Extension Detail with Enable Voicemail, the Voicemail PIN field and Email Notifications

Change your voicemail greeting

Open Extensions, select Configure for the extension, and open its Voicemail tab. Voicemail must be enabled and saved before managing its greetings. You can change your own extension's greeting; managing another extension requires the appropriate account permissions.

  • Upload an audio file: under Upload a Greeting, enter a Label, choose the Audio File, then select Upload Greeting.
  • Record in the browser: if your browser supports recording, select Record Greeting and allow microphone access. Select Stop when done, listen to the preview, enter a Label, then select Save Recording. If the recording control is unavailable, use an audio-file upload instead.
  • Choose the greeting callers hear: in the Greetings list, select the radio button beside the greeting. Its Active badge confirms the selected greeting. Uploading or saving a recording and selecting it as active are separate actions; check which greeting is active.

You can preview a saved greeting before selecting it. These controls change the mailbox greeting, not an IVR menu's welcome prompt.

How messages reach the user

  • In the portal: open Voicemails from the sidebar. The Messages tab lists the voicemail messages your permissions allow you to access — play them back, download them, or delete them. Messages you haven't listened to yet are marked as new.
  • By email: if you set an email address in step 6, a copy of the message (and the recording, if you ticked Attach audio file to email) is sent there as soon as it arrives.
  • From the handset: dial *97 from the extension to call into its own voicemail box and listen to messages directly.

Note

You can also enter your voicemail box from the handset by dialing *97 and following its prompts. The portal greeting controls above let you upload or record a custom greeting without placing a phone call.

Ask Olivia

You can also ask Olivia, the in-portal assistant, to walk you through this.