Keeping in Touch:

Meridian Voice Mail Services for U-M Faculty & Staff

R1092, File 3 of 7.

Message Basics

Message Waiting Indicator

Meridian Mail has a message waiting indicator feature that notifies you when you receive a new message. If you have a message waiting light on your phone, it will light up to indicate you have a new message; if you don't have a message waiting light, you will hear an interrupted dial tone to indicate you have a new message when you pick up the receiver.

Logging on to Retrieve Messages

Logging on means accessing your mailbox in the Meridian Mail System. Your mailbox number is the same as your telephone number.

  1. Access the Meridian Voice Mail System by dialing the appropriate number:

    Ann Arbor: (93)6-2500
    CENTREX users: (99)8-6280
    Dearborn: 593-5312
    Flint: 762-3323

  2. To access your mailbox from your own U-M telephone:

    Press #.

    or
    To access your mailbox from another phone:

    Enter your 7-digit phone number, then press #.

  3. Enter your password followed by #.

    Your temporary password is your 7-digit phone number. Enter your 7-digit phone number the first time you use your mailbox, then press #.

  4. You are now logged on. Meridian Mail describes the status of your mailbox and gives a summary of new, urgent, and unsent messages.

    (Example: "You have two new voice messages.")

After the summary, Meridian Mail describes the first new message with the following information:

  • the message number that Meridian Mail assigns to each message in your mailbox

  • the status of the message (if it is an old or a new message)

  • the phone number or Personal Verification.

  • the date and time the message was received into your mailbox

  • whether the caller's phone number is unknown (any number that the voice mail system doesn't register)

    (Example: "Message five, new, from John Doe, urgent, received Thursday at 2:35 p.m.")

    (See "Listening to Your Messages" next.)

Listening to Your Messages

You can play part or all of any message as many times as you like. You can move freely through your mailbox, forward to the next message, or backward to the previous one.

Press

In Order To

1

Skip backward 5 seconds at a time.

#

Pause during playback.

2

Play the message just described/continue playback.

3 Skip forward 5 seconds at a time.
4 Go to the previous message.
6 Go to the next message.

NOTE: You might find this special playback feature helpful; press 23 (up to three times) to speed the message up, then press 21 to slow it back to its original pace.

Deleting Messages

 Press 76 to delete the message you are listening to.
NOTE: If you attempt to delete a message after you hear the system's "end of message" statement, you might delete the following message instead. If this happens, continue listening to your messages. At the end of the session, press 6 to play your messages again. When you hear your deleted message, press 76 to restore it.

To restore a message, go to the deleted message and press 76 again.

NOTE: Once you hang up, you can no longer restore deleted messages.

Played messages are automatically deleted from your mailbox after 14 days. You will need to delete messages if your mailbox is full.

NOTE: It is important to check your mailbox frequently and delete old messages that you no longer need. If you don't effectively manage your mailbox, it will fill up. When you have more than four minutes of messages -- the allotted amount of mailbox space -- the system will tell you that your mailbox is full.

You will still receive new messages when your mailbox is full, but you will not be able to send, forward, or otherwise work with your messages until you free up some storage space. When your mailbox is full, listen to your stored messages and delete some of the old, unwanted ones.

Replying to Messages

 To leave a message in someone's mailbox immediately after listening to a message from that person:
  1. Press 71 before the next message is played.

    "Reply to (sender's mailbox number or name.) To begin recording, press 5. To end recording, pressnumber sign (#)."

  2. When you are ready to record your reply, press 5. Wait for the tone, then speak.

  3. When you finish speaking, press #.

    "Recording stopped."

  4. To send the message, press 79.

    "Message sent."

    NOTE: You can reply only to U-M Meridian Mail users.

Forwarding Messages to Others

 You may receive a message that you want someone else to hear. You can forward (transfer) the message exactly as it is, or you can record an introduction or comment to precede the forwarded message.

You can use the following procedure to forward messages to other Meridian Mail users and to distribution lists. After listening to a message:

  1. Press 73.

    "Forwarding message (number). Enter a list of mailboxes."

  2. Enter the first 7-digit mailbox number, followed by #.

    "(Name or mailbox number.)"

    NOTE: To remove a mailbox number from the list of recipients, press 0 # (zero, number sign) after entering the mailbox number.

    "Address (mailbox number) canceled."

  3. Enter the rest of the 7-digit mailbox numbers, following each with #. Press # after you enter the last mailbox number.

  4. If you want to send the message without adding an introduction, skip to step 5 to forward the message. If you wish to record an introduction, follow these instructions:

    Press 5 and wait for the tone, then begin speaking.

    When you finish recording the introduction, press #.

    "Recording stopped."

    NOTE: If you change your mind before sending your message, press 76 to delete the message.

  5. To send the message, press 79.

    "Message sent."

  6. Press 76 to delete the message, if desired.

    NOTE: You can forward messages only to U-M Meridian Mail users.

Call Sender

 After listening to a message, you may want to speak immediately with the person who left the message. You can use the Call Sender feature to dial the person's number automatically. You can use Call Sender only with U-M Meridian Mail users. To use the Call Sender feature:

After listening to a message:

  1. Press 9.

    "Calling (sender's extension number or name)."

  2. Talk to the sender or leave a message and then hang up when you are finished.

    NOTE: Using the Call Sender feature disconnects you from the Meridian Mail Voice Mail System.

    NOTE: Members of ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) groups may have conditions that don't apply.

Express Messaging

 Sometimes you may want to leave a voice mail message for someone without listening to their greeting. Meridian Voice Mail users on the Ann Arbor campus can use Express Messaging to leave a message for a fellow Meridian voice mail user.
  1. Dial the Express Messaging access number:

    (76)3-5610

  2. Enter the 7-digit mailbox number of the person for whom you want to leave a message, then press #.

  3. After the prompt and record tone, leave your message.

  4. Press 83 to log out when you are finished.

    NOTE: See Setting Up Your Personal Verification for details about what a caller who reaches your voice mailbox via Express Messaging hears.

Leaving a Voice Mail Message

 After the beep, please leave your message along with your telephone number. Sometimes you may have to leave a long and very detailed message with someone. After three minutes, you will hear "recording stopped." Then follow the prompts.

Please Remember to Log Out

When you finish using Meridian Mail, log out by pressing 83.

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