Hi guys,

I'm sure this has been asked a million times by now, but the search function resulted in 0 hits for the word "voicemail" and, going back more than 15 pages, I couldn't see anyone asking the same thing. So, please be patient with me. I'm rather new at this.

I have a simple request: how can I, as the admin, delete backed up voicemail messages in a user's voicemail box? I have a user who has maxed out his mailbox - 100 messages - and is asking that I clear it for him so he doesn't have to go through and erase them individually. Is there any way to do this without simply deleting his mailbox and rebuilding it?

Thanks in advance,

my take on this is the user let it built to 100 messages the user can take care of them. Are they going to contact you each time their mailboxes get full? The user can go through them quickly if they access their mailbox press 7 to play and 3 right away to discard, then 7 and 3 again until all are gone.

Thanks, panda, for taking the time to respond and share your thoughts on the matter. I really do appreciate it. However, the problem with your answer is two-fold: a) it doesn't really answer the question, simply because I would like to KNOW HOW to do it, if it's possible, for future reference and b) this is actually my boss we're talking about. I can't exactly get all up in his grease about his lack of mailbox hygiene. *chuckle* I just need to clear his mailbox and be done with it.

I was recently hired as the new network tech for the entire company. My predecessor was evidently not much more informed than I am. Not ever having worked with telephone systems before, I'm learning all I can with no training, no help and next to no documentation, except what I can scrounge from the interwebs. My boss's attitude is that I need to "own" my network and my telephone system. However I have to get to that point on my own.

So, here's me, asking really stupid questions of very smart people and hoping not to get beat up too much in the process. Thanks again, panda.

if someone replies with a solution I would learn also as the only ways I know of is as I mentioned or delete the mailbox and reprogram
It is not a stupid question

Well, first, about the mailbox... I'm not in front of a console and I'm going off my memory here and trying to visualize as I go, so bear with me...

Form 50 is what you're looking for. I believe that if you place the cursor on the number of old messages, I THINK that you'll get an option in the F-Keys to delete them. I'm not sure, and I'd have to try it.

But while you're there, turn off the "Delete - Never" and give him a reasonable amount of time to deal with his messages before the system deletes them. Also, bump up the number of messages he can have in his mailbox. Between those two steps, he'll never figure out why he hasn't had to ask you to do it again.

Now, there are two other things you need to do. Yes, a phone system is a network. Sort of. And yes, an electronic box that you program is an electronic box that you program. BUT -- being an It guy doesn't make you a phone guy, any more than being a phone guy makes me an expert on telegraphs.

I can make LCR tables that outdial "Oh my darling, Clementine" (4441 6664 4688 654 4566 6564 465 1354) but that doesn't mean I know Morse code, or that I can get a decent speed on a telegraph key. So thing #1 that you need to do is to find a local Certified and Authorized Mitel dealer. If your system goes down hard, Mitel tech support is not going to talk to you. They will talk to him. So you need to have him available, 24-7.

Thing #2, if you're going to fool around in programming on an ICP, is that you need to know what you're doing. Mitel will set up end-user training for you. You really just need the F&P course, but the I&M course, which covers F&P, wouldn't hurt you. It looks deceptively easy, but trust me on this, when something you typed in form 26 blocks a call because of something in form 20 that you didn't know about, you'll wish you'd taken the F&P course.

Footnote:

After reading that post, at least one person went offhook on his phone and punched in 4441 6664 4566 654 4566 6564 465 1354, just see if it really sounds like Clementine.

can't get cursor on "NEW" or "OLD" columns. I have never tried this but if you set the "DEL" or delete column to 1 (day) any saved messages should be deleted in 1 day.

should have said for the mailbox in question

Now that you mention it, that makes a difference...

Between us, I have a feeling that this fellow doesn't have access to programming and is attempting to use the Admin mailbox to make all the changes.

It's kind of obvious that he does not have access to the maintenance port. The problem is if he does get in there and does not know what he's doing, he could make more problems than what he has now.

If MC-ITGuy is still reading this thread, my recommendation is to contact a Mitel dealer in your area, pay that dealer to get in the system and make the changes mentioned in this thread and, maybe, show you how to do it. In addition, the dealer can also make a special access template for you that would allow you to get into the voicemail programming AFTER you have had some training.

Rcaman

Well, I did try to make that point to him...

Hi guys, yes I'm still reading and yes, I have access to the ICP maintenance console. I'll try that bit in form 50 with the 1 day to delete thing. While it's not exactly what I was hoping for, it should do the trick nicely.

Yes, I know, being an IT guy does not make me a phone guy. I never said it did. If I had my druthers I'd never mess with the daggon thing. I don't do well with analog. However, it's part of my job spec. and what the boss expects of me. If I could get the time off to do training, believe me, I would. No Mitel folks in the area that I know of. I live in a very rural area. I'm forced to go through my local telecom for info and they won't tell me much for fear of giving away business. So, as I said, I'm stuck scrounging info.

Thanks for the help. I do appreciate it.

Not to flog a dead horse, but...

https://www.mitel.com/mitel-training

Mitel offers virtual classroom and on-site leader-led classes.

Also, if your boss expected you to "Own the Network" for something like HP-UX or ADA or something else that you didn't already know, he would pay to have you trained on it. You can't take time off to train? You shouldn't have to. Either he should pony up for it, or he should allow you to set up virtual classroom training.

I do appreciate the advice, telephoneguy. Unfortunately, as I said, this is a relatively small company in a rural hick town, smack-dab in the middle of Northern Wisconsin. If this company followed best practices we wouldn't have this kluge of an ancient phone system to begin with. It should have been upgraded years ago.

My IT department, consisting of me and ... let's see, uh ... me, doesn't have a budget and has to fight for every bit of equipment we/I need in order to keep this company rolling. If I'm gone, there is literally no one else to fight/stoke the fires. So, free time to train is at a premium.

Back to the original question: I could find no way in form 50 to set a time limit for voicemail messages. Unfortunately, I ended up having to just delete the mailbox and rebuild it. I don't want to come off sounding ungrateful, however I can't get away from the feeling that perhaps if we had stuck to the topic and explored the original question more, spending less time offering advice about my company's business practices, we could have found a better solution. It was, to my way of thinking, a simple question that could/should have had a simple answer.

Thanks again for everyone's help.

Throughout all of the B.S. did you think to RTFM and look at LIFE?

The other thing you could have done is change MAX MSGS to something like 50 for a day or two and that might have cleaned out the box.

Unfortunately, there's no COS per user in a MEM so you have to work around it.

Carl

Hello, Carl. One more time, I am left with scrounging what information I can from internet sources. Yes, as a matter of fact, I have read various manuals including the technicianshandbookmx.pdf. The problem is that, as you well know, these manuals are written from the point of view of the reader having already been through the basic training courses and being at least somewhat familiar with the concepts and jargon involved. It even says as much in the first few pages. As I have explained several times now, I am not in a position to enlist in any of these training sessions at this time. I feel no shame in not knowing such concepts or jargon and, therefore having trouble finding my answers in such manuals.

Now, since you felt the need to call me out in a such a manner, allow me to retort in kind. What we're talking about here are ancient, outmoded and, for the most part, obsolete hardware and systems. Folks will come to this forum who are, like me, between a rock and a hard place trying to find answers, simply because such info is not as readily available to the public. Such users will tend to come to forums such as these for specifically that reason. Treating them with contempt and answering nearly every question with condescension and a patronizing tone is unwarranted and does not make for much of a first impression. You are the experts in your fields, no doubt. But talking down to those neophytes who are simply trying to do their jobs with what little they have been given does not make you superior. Perhaps you should take a look at your own life and your reasons for being here.

Thank you for your time.

All: if you can't help the poster just refrain from posting.

MC-ITGuy, There was a user solution given in the very first reply, there are some questions that are beyond the end users ability. We are not here to give step by step instruction on how to set up a phone system. Our rule of thumb is if it's not in the users manual than it's taken off board. Your best bet may be to ask for off line help and be willing to pay for such help.

Anymore of the tit for tat this thread will be closed and if need be further action taken.

While I do not consider myself an "end user" being the network admin of my company, I will agree to disagree and let it go at that. Before this finally blew up, a very helpful user PMed me and we tried some things. Unfortunately, they didn't work, leading us both to the realization that there was something else at work on the system. As I said earlier, I ended up simply deleting my boss's voicemail box and rebuilding it. While not the solution I was hoping for, it all worked out for the best.

Thanks to everyone who offered help,