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Voicemail Quick-Start Guide

Types of Voicemail Boxes

There are three kinds of Voicemail Boxes at BC:

  • Administrative is associated with one person's phone number and PIN (most students and employees have this type of voicemail box).
  • Shared is used by many people, each using their own PIN.
  • Departmental is a group mailbox associated with a Department.

Prepare before logging in

  • Read through the instructions below. The voice mail prompts move very quickly in this system!
  • Write down what you want to say before recording a greeting so you won't stumble over your words.
  • You must record an audio name and a greeting. If you don't, you'll be prompted to do so every time you log in!

    • ON CAMPUS: Dial 2-4006.
    • OFF CAMPUS: Dial (617) 552-4006.
  • Dial the appropriate access number from above. You'll hear, "Please enter your extension number followed by the pound key."
  • Enter the last 5-digits of your phone number and press #, OR if you are at your own on-campus phone, just press the # key.
  • You'll hear, "Please enter your password followed by the pound key." Enter your PIN and press #. Learn more about your PIN

Record your audio name and personal greeting

  • Dial the appropriate access number from above. You'll hear, "Please enter your extension number followed by the pound key."
  • Enter the last 5-digits of your phone number and press #, OR if you are at your own on-campus phone, just press the # key.  You'll hear, "Please enter your password followed by the pound key." Enter your PIN and press #.

  • You'll hear, "Thank you. Now you need to record your audio name. At the tone, please say your first and last name, then press the pound key." Say your first & last names, then press the # key.

  • You'll hear, "Your audio name sounds like this *you will hear a recording of your name*. If you would like to re-record your name, please press 4. If you are satisfied with the recording, then press the pound key."

  • If satisfied, you will hear, "At the tone, please record your personal greeting. Press the pound key when you have finished."

  • Record your greeting and press the # key when finished. You'll hear, "The personal greeting you recorded was *you'll hear a recording of your greeting*. If you would like to re-record your personal greeting, press 4. If you are satisfied, press the pound key." Press 4 if you want to re-record.

  • If satisfied, you will hear, "Thank you. Your mailbox is ready. You will now be transferred to the Main Menu."  You can hang up after recording your audio name and greeting. If you stay on the line, you'll hear the Main Menu options.

Learn More

Listen To Messages

  1. Log in to voice mail.
  2. If you have new messages, you'll hear a tone after entering your extension number and the # key.

  3. After you enter your password and press the # key, you'll hear, "You have new messages. To receive your messages, press 1." You'll then hear the Main Menu options.

  4. Press 1 to play the first message.
  5. You'll hear, "New messages. # of messages. Message # from sender's audio name received today at time." You'll hear the message, then a very quick menu after the message finishes.

See below for some commonly used options after listening to a message.

Listen to a message again:

  • Press 1.

Delete a message:

  • Press 3 after listening to the message. Once you delete it, it cannot be retrieved.

Go to the next message:

  • Press #.


Send a voice mail message directly to another person's voice mail box:

  • Make sure you're logged in to voice mail. You'll hear the Main Menu options.
  • Press 2. You'll hear, "Please enter the number to which the message will be sent, followed by the pound key. To dial by name, press the pound key."
  • Enter the person's 5-digit extension and press the # key. You'll hear, "Your message will be sent to person's audio name. Please record your message after the tone. Press the pound key to finish."

  • Record your message and press the # key. Be prepared for a very quick menu after pressing the # key. You have the option to listen to the message before sending it, re-record the message, cancel the message, or send it.

Some commonly used options for sending a message:

To listen to the message again BEFORE sending:

  • Press 1 after recording the message.

To record the message over again BEFORE sending:

  • Press 4.

To cancel a message:

  • Press 7. This will bring you back to the Main Menu options. Follow the instructions under the section, send a message directly to someone's mailbox.

To send a message after recording:

  • Press 2. You will hear, "Your message has been sent. To send this message to another recipient, press 2. Otherwise, press 7 to return."


You can hang up after sending the message. If you press 7, you'll hear the Main Menu options again.

Change your current greeting If you recorded your original greeting using only the greeting header (This is what most people do):

  1. Write down what you want to say BEFORE logging in and attempting to record.
  2. Log in to voice mail.
  3. Press 3 (for your greeting header)
  4. Press 4. You will hear, "Please record your greeting header after the tone. Press the pound key to finish."
  5. Record your new greeting header and press # to finish.


If you recorded your greeting using the personal greeting option:

  1. Write down what you want to say BEFORE logging in and attempting to record.
  2. Log in to voice mail.
  3. Press 3 for greeting options.
  4. Press 5 to select a greeting. (The system will res.spond telling you which personal greeting is in use.)
  5. Press 7 to return (to Greeting Options)
  6. Press 6 (to work with greeting)
  7. Press the greeting number (1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) you want to record. If you re-record a greeting that had previously been selected, then you are finished. If you need to select a different greeting then Press 7 to return and then press 5 to select a greeting.

Change your audioname

  1. Press 4 (personal options)
  2. Press 9 (more options)
  3. Press 2 to record your audioname. Follow the instructions from the voice mail system.

Other features

Change your password

Only Departmental mailboxes should use the change password option within the voicemail menus. All others should go to Agora to change their PIN. To change Departmental mailbox PIN:

  1. Log in to voice mail. You'll hear the Main Menu options.
  2. Press 4 (personal options).
  3. You'll hear another quick menu of options. Press 3 (change password).
  4. You'll hear, "Please enter your new password followed by the pound key. "
  5. Enter your new password and press #. You'll hear, "Please enter the new password again, followed by the pound key, for verification."
  6. Enter your new password again and press #. You'll hear, "Your password has been changed." You'll then hear the Main Menu options. You can then hang up, or perform another function.


Forward a message to another BC voice mailbox

  • After you listen to a message instead of pressing 3 to delete the message or # to skip to the next message, press 5 to forward a copy of the message to someone else at BC (you cannot forward to anywhere except a 552,655 or 656 extension).
  • Next then either press 2 to send message as is without a comment or press 6 to record a comment to be added to the message. If you do elect to a comment to the message you then be instructed to press 1 to add to beginning of message or 2 to add to end of the message.
  • Whether or not you elected to append a message to the original message, you will be prompted to press 2 to Save/Send the message. You must press 2 at this prompt or no message will be forwarded. Do not hang up before getting confirmation back from DirectTalk Mail that your message has been sent! After forwarding the message, you are returned to retrieving your new messages and then decide what to do with the original message.