Over the last year, there has been much discussion among the UC institutions (UC campuses and LBNL) about sharing with and purchasing services from other institutions as a cost-saving measure. In those discussions, it was determined that voice mail / unified messaging (VM/UM) is a service that UC Berkeley could cost effectively purchase from LBNL. The cost savings would come from shared licensing and support costs. Our current VM/UM system will need to be upgraded within the next year, so the timing is very good.
Who will run the system?
The new VM/UM service will be delivered and supported by the staff at LBNL. For data privacy reasons, the servers and backup will be housed in the data center at UC Berkeley.
What are the service offerings?
Our current system comprises three service levels: Basic, Enhanced, and Unified Messaging. The new VM/UM service will be offered in a two-tiered model following the recharge licensing costs of the new system. The new system will have Basic and Enhanced service levels. The pricing for the Basic service will stay the same as the Basic service we currently provide, and the Enhanced service will be in the range of our current Enhanced service.
| Â | Current | New |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | phone access only | phone access only |
| Enhanced | Basic service +
allows web access to messages |
full-featured service that allows access to messages via a web browser and ones email client |
| Unified Messaging | Basic service +
messages are stored in ones email inbox |
included in Enhanced |
Will this involve some changes?
The new system will have the same functionality as our current one, though there will be some differences. For example, the new system has a different telephone user interface (TUI). The numbers that one presses for actions to access ones messages or to leave an outgoing announcement will be different. Since most people are using cell phones these days and have already learned a new TUI, the hope is that learning another set of prompts and actions won't be too onerous. There will be classes available for those wanting to get the most from the new system.
What is the timeframe for conversion?
There are only a couple of time periods during the year when a large system change for the campus can take place, one of which is the summer. The current projected time for conversion is late summer 2009.
Who to contact?
If you have questions about the new VM/UM service, please send them to the Berkeley Voicemail Team,