Number
06.01.11
Division
Finance and Administration - Office of Information Technology (OIT)
Date
October 2018
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to define procedures for the proper use of campus telecommunication services.
Policy

For the purposes of this policy the term "telecommunications" refers to telephone (landline and IP based), fax, and teleconference services. It does not include computer and data storage facilities, computer networks, or email.

Office of Information Technology (OIT) coordinates all telecommunication service orders. Departments should contact OIT to request service and report problems.

Departments should not contact vendors or perform their own telephone wiring. Only the vendor(s) under University contract may perform wiring for telecommunication equipment and services.

Telecommunication services in the Cramer Research Hall are currently provided by NASA. UAH departments located in CRH should address all service requests to NASA IT personnel.

Use of Telecommunications services is subject to the policy.

Procedure

1.0 Required Activities

Access to telecommunications resources owned and operated by ßÙÁ¨´«Ã½ imposes certain responsibilities and obligations and is granted subject to University policies and local, state and federal laws. Appropriate use should always be legal, ethical, reflect University standards and show restraint in the use of resources, University departmental telephones are provided for University business. It is the responsibility of each department to ensure that personal calls are kept to a minimum and do not interfere with University business. Collect calls should never be accepted on University telephones. Fax and telephone transmissions that involve long distance service charged to the University are restricted to University business.

University employees may make limited use of University-provided telephones for essential personal business as long as such calls are not excessive and do not interfere with official University business.

University employees who make personal long-distance calls must either call collect, or charge the call to a (non-University) third party telephone number, calling card or Pre-paid card.

On campus calls can be made by dialing only the last (4) digits of the telephone number. Off campus local calls can be made by dialing "9" plus the number.

Abuse of the University telephone system, including but not limited to charging personal long distance calls to the University, conducting business related to outside employment or business ownership, making or receiving excessive personal calls, and disclosing confidential information over the phone may result in disciplinary action, including termination.

The OIT shall make every reasonable effort to protect the UAH employees from telemarketing calls and all forms of telephone fraud.

2.0 Procedure Manual

information on the use of the University telephone system is provided in the Telecommunications Manual.

Review
The IT Investment Advisory Council is responsible for the review of this policy every five years (or whenever circumstances require).

Office of Information Technology

Telecommunications Services

Policies and Procedures

  1. General

    1.1 Objective

    The primary responsibility of the Office of Information Technology (OIT) Telecommunication Group is to provide ßÙÁ¨´«Ã½ (UAH) Community with reliable voice telecommunication services. Telecommunication Services' goals are to:

    • Carry out uniform procedures via the OIT Help Desk for efficient, expeditious completion of service requests.
    • Maintain all UAH telecommunications equipment.

    Telecommunication Services is located inside Von Braun Research Hall and may be contacted at 824-3333.

    1.2 Policy

    Telecommunication Services coordinates all telecommunication service requests, Departments should contact the OIT Help Desk to request service and report problems.

    Departments should not contact vendors or perform their own telephone wiring. Only the vendor(s) under University contract may perform wiring for telecommunication equipment and services.

    Note: Vendors can only complete telecommunication service orders that have been processed through Telecommunication Services and have proper signature approval.

    1.3 Authority

    Telecommunication Services has sole authority to contact telecommunication vendors for service orders and repairs.

    1.4 Telephone Equipment

    UAH currently uses the following telephone equipment:

    • Cisco Voice Gateway (analog to VoIP).
    • Cisco Unified Communications Manager (VoIP Services).
    • Cisco Unity Connection (Voicemail Services).
    • Cisco 7841 and 8851 VoIP Handset.
    • Cisco 8865 VoIP Handset with Video.
    • Cisco 8831 VoIP Conference Phone.

    Departments wishing to update their telephone equipment should contact the OIT Help Desk for more information.

  2. Work Requests

    II.1. Procedure

    Requests for new service, changes to existing service, or reporting trouble should be submitted to the OIT Help Desk. The OIT Help Desk has the necessary work instructions to properly route the request as well as gather the necessary information.

    II.2. Time Frame

    The usual time frame for completing a Service Request depends on the type of service and/or equipment. Service requests could take up to five (6) business days to complete. Trouble tickets will be processed as they are received, and depending on the complexity of the request, resolved as quickly as possible. There are some service requests that will require the ordering of equipment and/or coordination of installation that could delay final installation.

    II.3 Trouble Reporting

    Report equipment trouble to the OIT Help Desk at 824-3333 or via email to helpdesk@uah.edu. Equipment includes phones, lines, gateways, and headsets. Also, report any trouble with long distance or local service phone directly to the OIT Help Desk.

  3. Dialing Information

    III.1. Local Calls

    For on-campus calls, simply dial the last four digits of the telephone number. For off-campus calls, press 9 + 1 before dialing the 10-digit telephone number. See Table 1 for a quick guide.

    Table 1. Local Calls
    from To Dial
    On-campus On-campus Last 4 digits of the 7-digit telephone number
    On-campus On-campus 9 + 1 + 10-digit telephone number

    *The University subscribes to area calling. Calls to Decatur and Athens are made as local calls.

    III.2. Emergency

    For emergency calls, dial 911.

    For Campus Police dial 7911 (Emergency) or 6596 (Non-Emergency).

    III.3. Long Distance

    FACULTY, STAFF, and STUDENTS

    Long distance services are provided as part of the overall telecommunication services offering at no additional charge. However, utilization of long distance service is monitored and, if excessively utilized or abused, departments COULD be charged for service.

    Direct-dial calls: 9 + 1+ area code + 7-digit telephone number
    International calls: 9 + 011 + country code + city code + telephone number

  4. Telephone Procedures

    IV.1. Transferring Incoming, Off-campus Calls

    To transfer an incoming, off-campus call to another on-campus number:

    1. Inform caller of transfer.
    2. Depress transfer button once to place caller on hold.
    3. Dial four-digit extension number.
    4. Listen for call to ring through and press connect button.
    5. Hang up.

    IV.2. Conference Calling

    Conference Calling allows a third party to be added to an existing call. It provides both consultation and add-on capabilities. For example, one party may exclude the other party on an existing call, dial a third party, and consult privately. Then the excluded party can be added-on again to form a three-way call.

    Some users can set up a conference call for as many as six people (including the user). Contact Telecommunication Services to determine the maximum number of people the system allows on a conference call.

    To add parties:

    1. Press the Conference key while on a call. The other party will be on hold, and you will hear a dial tone.
    2. Dial the number of the person being added to the conference.
    3. Press the Conference key to complete the conference.
    4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for additional parties until all parties are added to the conference.

    IV.3. Voicemail Instructions

    Please see Table 2 (p.6) for a quick reference guide, or refer to the more detailed instructions below.

    ACCESSING

    Users can access their voicemail from any telephone at UAH by dialing 2005 or pressing the voicemail button on your phone. To access voicemail from any off-campus phone, dial 256-824-2005. Your identification number is the same as your extension (Le., if your telephone number is 824-6129, your mailbox number is 6129).

    MESSAGES

    Most telephones on campus have a "message waiting" indicator light. Once voicemail is accessed, the system provides brief information about the messages. To hear the messages, press 2. Press 2 again to repeat the messages. To delete a message after hearing it, press 76. To log off the system, press 83. Do not just hang up unless you are unable to use 83. In that case, simply hang up the receiver.

    NOTE: To help preserve system integrity and storage capability, delete your messages immediately after listening to them. Do NOT use voicemail as a "file cabinet" for storing messages. If you do not delete a message yourself, after five days the system will delete it for you.

    GREETINGS

    To record internal and external greetings, access the system and press 4, then press 1, then follow the prompts.

    NOTE: When you delete a message and log off the voicemail system, the message cannot be restored—it's gone forever.

    EXPRESS MESSAGING

    Use express massaging to leave a message for someone without talking to them. This procedure can also be used to ‘transfer" a call directly into someone else's voicemail. To send a message using express messaging:

    1. Obtain dial tone and press * then enter the extension you want to leave a message for.

    NOTE: The person receiving the message must have UAH voicemail.

    TRANSFER

    To transfer a caller straight to another user's mailbox:

    1. Press the transfer button.
    2. Press * then enter the user's extension.

    SKIP GREETING

    When someone's voicemail picks up and you want to skip their greeting, press the # key and leave your message.

    VOICE SPEED

    To speed up a slow voicemail message, press 23. The person will talk faster, but will be understandable. For slower playback, press 21.

    FORWARDING A MESSAGE

    To forward a message for someone else:

    1. After you have listened to the message, press 73. (The system will prompt you).
    2. Enter the mailbox number to which you want to send the message. You can send it to more than one mailbox. Be sure to end each mailbox request with #. After the last mailbox request, press # again.
    3. You may record a greeting with the message. To do this, press 5 to begin recording and # to end recording.
    4. Press 79 to send the message. A copy of what you just did will appear in your mailbox. You can delete it, since it only verifies that the message was sent.

    REPLYING

    To reply to a message, both parties must subscribe to the UAH voicemail system.

    1. Press 71 to begin the reply.
    2. Press § when you are ready to record. After the tone, record your message. Then press # to end recording.
    3. Press 79 to send the reply.

    CALLING THE SENDER

    To use this feature, both parties must subscribe to the UAH voicemail system. If you listen to a message and need to call the sender back immediately, press 9 after listening to the message.

    Table 2. Summary of Voicemail Instructions
    Function/Feature Procedure/Explanation
    Access Voicemail On campus: Dial 2005. Off campus: Dial 256-824-2005
    Mailbox Number Same as your extension.
    Change Password Light on the phone.
    Play Messages Press 2.
    Repeat Messages Press 2 again.
    Delete Message Press 76.
    Log off the System Hang up the handset.
    Record Greetings Infinite.
    Express Messaging Dial * followed by recipient extension.
    Transfer Press transfer button, then * followed by extension
    Skil Greeting Press # when voicemail answers and leave message.
    Pause Not Applicable
    Voice Speed Press 23 for faster playback. Press 21 for slower playback.
    Forward Message Press 73. Enter mailbox number and #. Repeat for each mailbox. Press # again.
    Reply Press 71
    Recording Message Wait for the tone, Record your message. Press # to end recording. Press 79.
    Call the Sender Press 9 after listening to the message.
    Tag a Message Not Applicable
    Help Stay on the line for additional explanation.

  5. Glossary

    Add-on Module Extension box equipment for the Cisco 8851, programmable for additional numbers.
    Analog Equipment A non-digital, non-expandable telephone unit that has few central office capabilities.
    Auto Dial This feature allows the user to press a feature key (Auto Dial) to automatically dial a specific telephone number.
    Busy Lamp Field (BLF) A panel of Liquid Crystal Diode (LCD) indicator lights on the telephone that indicates which telephones in the office are in use.
    Call Forward This feature allows the user to direct calls to ring at another line (ON).
    Call Log Records the name and number of incoming and outgoing calls; generates a Callers List for incoming calls and a Redial List for outgoing calls.
    Call Pickup This feature allows the user to pick up a call from any telephone in the same pickup group.
    Call Waiting This feature allows the user to put the current call on hold while answering a new incoming call.
    Carrier A company that provides telecommunication service, such as Comcast or AT&T.
    Circular Hunting This feature rolls calls from a busy line over to the next available line.
    Conference Calling This feature enables three or more conversations at separate locations to be connected to one another at the same time.
    Cross Talk Occurs when conversation from a party other than the intended party is heard in the background of an established call.
    Cut off The involuntary disconnection of a call in progress.
    Group Listening A feature that allows others to listen to a call through the speaker while the user speaks through the handset.
    Hunting A feature in which calls made to a busy number will automatically transfer to another number; also known as "rolling over."
    Interstate Call A telephone call, routed long-distance, that goes out-of-state (ie., city to city between different states).
    Intrastate Call A telephone call, routed long-distance, that stays within Alabama (ie., city to city within Alabama).
    Jack The termination point for a voice or data line; various types of service require different types of jacks.
    Line The wire, cable, or fiber that carries a signal.
    Options List Allows the user to customize certain characteristics of his or her telephone (e.g., language, screen contrast, volume adjustment).
    Sequential Hunting This feature rolls over calls from a busy line to the next available line in a pre-designated sequence.
    Speed Call or Autodial This feature allows the user to automatically dial frequently called numbers by entering a one-, two-, or three-digit code.
    Voice Messaging The Voice Messaging Control Screen allows the user to send commands while connected to the voice messaging system using the soft keys instead of the dial pad.
Telecommunications Policy