Here’s a question I get asked quite often, “how do I forward a voicemail to someone by extension instead of by name?”

As it turns out, most people would rather have their fingernails pulled out one by one with a set of rusty pliers than to have to type in the first and/or last name of a user into a phone keypad.

Unity Connection does make a provision for extension dialing instead of named dialing when addressing/forwarding messages, but it is a global setting, so everyone will need be onboard*. I highly doubt this will be an issue…

Just mosey on over to System Settings > Advanced > Conversations and look for Disable Spelled Name Searches**. Should look something like this:

Just check the box and you’re done!***  Yay you!

*See the comments section, Mike was kind enough to point out how to do this on an individual basis.  I’ve never been asked to do this for a single person, but it’s good to know it can be done.

**I desperately wish they would have called it something like Forward Voicemails by Extension (I know, clever, right?) to make it easier to find, but alas, now you know…

***Note this is not a feature you get to use with voice recognition, see documentation here: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/8x/gui_reference/guide/8xcucgrg110.html#wp1168437

Published 4/10/2013