Outlook Voice Access User Scenarios

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 will reach end of support on April 11, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

 

Applies to: Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP3

Outlook Voice Access is a feature in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging (UM) that enables users to retrieve e-mail messages from their mailbox by using an analog, digital, or cellular telephone. They can then interact with their mailbox by using touchtone or voice commands.

The Outlook Voice Access Quick Reference Guide includes a graphic representation of all the Outlook Voice Access menu options and how to navigate the menu system. To download a copy of the Quick Reference Guide, see the Microsoft Download Center.

When a UM-enabled user accesses their Exchange 2007 mailbox by using a telephone, they are presented with a series of voice prompts. These voice prompts help them navigate the Unified Messaging system and enable them to access their mailbox. Outlook Voice Access lets users do the following:

• Retrieve, listen to, reply to, create, and forward voice or e-mail messages.

• Listen to or change calendar information.

• Change personal options, such as changing a PIN, or call or send a voice message to a personal contact.

  Note

  Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) enables callers to use voice inputs to navigate the menus in Unified Messaging. Currently, ASR is available only in English. However, ASR support for other languages is planned for a future release. If a user has configured a language other than English by using Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access, they will be able to interact with the system only by using touchtone inputs.

Reading and Reviewing E-Mail

Users can listen to, reply to, create, and forward unread e-mail messages by using the telephone. For example, if a user is expecting an important e-mail message, and does not have access to the Internet, they can use a mobile phone to dial the subscriber access number or the number that is used for Outlook Voice Access. After the user enters their extension number, enters their PIN, and then says, "E-mail", the Unified Messaging server will access the user's mailbox and read their unread e-mail. While the Unified Messaging server reads an e-mail message, the user can say one of the following:

• "Reply", to reply to the sender.

• "Reply all", to reply to all recipients on the e-mail message.

• "Forward", to forward the e-mail message to another user.

• "Flag", to flag the message for follow up.

• "Hide", to hide the conversation.

Listen to E-Mail Messages

To listen to e-mail messages by using the voice user interface (VUI), the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 1:

1. Say "E-mail" to access e-mail.

2. The Unified Messaging server will read the name, subject, time, and priority of the first unread e-mail message.

3. The user can then say one of the following options:

   • "Next message", to mark the message as Read and go to the next e-mail message.

   • "Mark Unread", to keep the message marked as Unread and go to the next message.

   • "End", to jump to the end of the message.

   • "Delete", to delete the message.

Figure 1   Listening to e-mail messages by using the VUI

To listen to e-mail messages by using the touchtone interface, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 2:

1. Press 2 to access e-mail.

2. The Unified Messaging server will read the name, subject, time, and priority of the first unread e-mail message.

3. The user can then press one of the following options:

   • The pound (#) key, to mark the message as Read and go to the next e-mail message.

   • 9, to keep the message marked as Unread and go to the next message.

   • 33, to jump to the end of the message.

   • 7, to delete the message.

Figure 2   Listening to e-mail messages by using the touchtone interface

Reply to E-Mail Messages

To listen to e-mail messages and then reply by using the VUI, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 3:

1. Say "E-mail" to access e-mail.

2. Say "Next message" repeatedly until they reach the e-mail message to which they want to reply.

3. Listen to the message or say "End" to go to the end of the message.

4. Say one of the following:

   • "Reply", to reply to the sender.

   • "Reply all", to reply to the sender and all other recipients.

   • "Forward", to forward the message to another user or group.

5. Record a reply and then hang up, remain silent, or press any key. To accept the reply message and send it, say "Send it".

Figure 3   Replying to an e-mail message by using the VUI

To listen to e-mail messages and then reply by using the touchtone interface, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 4:

1. Press 2 to access e-mail.

2. Press # repeatedly until they user reach the e-mail message to which they want to reply. Press 9 to mark the message as Unread.

3. Listen to the message or press 33 to go to the end of the message.

4. Press 8 to reply to the sender, press 88 to reply to the sender and all other recipients, or press 6 to forward the message to another user or group.

5. Record a reply, and then press #. To accept the reply message and send it, press 1.

Figure 4   Replying to an e-mail message by using the touchtone interface

Listen to the Next Unread E-Mail Message

To listen to an e-mail message and then go to the next unread message by using the VUI, users must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 5:

1. Say "E-mail".

2. Say "Next Unread". Say "Mark Unread" if they want to mark the message as Unread.

Figure 5   Reading the next unread e-mail message by using the VUI

To listen to an e-mail message and then go to the next Unread message by using the touchtone interface, users must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 6:

1. Press 2 to access e-mail.

2. Press ## to listen to the next unread message. Press 9 to mark the message as Unread.

Figure 6   Reading the next unread e-mail message by using the touchtone interface

Flag an E-Mail Message for Follow Up

To listen to e-mail messages and flag messages for follow up by using the VUI, users must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 7:

1. Say "E-mail" to access e-mail.

2. Say "Next message" repeatedly until they reach the e-mail message that they want to flag for follow up. Say "Mark Unread" to mark the message as Unread.

3. Listen to the message or say "End" to go to the end of the message.

4. Say "Flag" or "Flag for follow up" to flag the message for follow up.

Figure 7   Flagging an e-mail message for follow up by using the VUI

To listen to e-mail messages and flag messages for follow up by using the touchtone interface, users must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 8:

1. Press 2 to access e-mail.

2. Press # repeatedly until they reach the e-mail message that they want to flag for follow up. Press 9 to mark the message as Unread.

3. Listen to the message or press 33 to go to the end of the message.

4. Press 0 (zero) twice to access more options.

5. Press 44 to flag the message for follow up.

Figure 8   Flagging an e-mail message for follow up by using the touchtone interface

Hide a Conversation

To listen to e-mail messages and hide a conversation so that UM will not continue to read other e-mail messages that are in the same e-mail conversation by using the VUI, users must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 9:

1. Say "E-mail" to open e-mail.

2. Say "Next message" repeatedly until they reach the e-mail message that they want. Say "Mark Unread" to mark the message as Unread.

3. Listen to the message or say "End" to go to the end of the message.

4. Say "Hide" or "Hide conversation" to hide the conversation. The next e-mail message will be read.

Figure 9   Hiding a conversation by using the VUI

To listen to e-mail messages and hide a conversation so that UM will not continue to read other e-mail messages that are in the same e-mail conversation by using the touchtone interface, users must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 10:

1. Press 2 to access e-mail.

2. Press # until they reach the e-mail message that they want to hide. Press 9 to mark the message as Unread.

3. Listen to the message or press 33 to go to the end of the message.

4. Press 99 to hide the conversation. The next e-mail message will be read.

Figure 10   Hiding a conversation by using the touchtone interface

Note

When a conversation is hidden, it is hidden only for the current session. If a user logs off and then logs on to their mailbox again, Unified Messaging will read e-mail messages that are in the same conversation.

Managing Calendar Items

Users can listen to, reply to, create, and forward items in their calendar over the telephone.

For example, a user has a meeting at 10:00 A.M. However, because of some unexpected delays, the user will be 15 minutes late. The user can inform the other meeting attendees that they will be late by calling the telephone number for Outlook Voice Access, logging on to their Exchange 2007 mailbox, and then accessing the list of meetings for that day in their calendar. After Unified Messaging reads the meeting request for the 10:00 A.M. meeting, the user can use the "I'll be late" feature to inform all the meeting attendees that they will be 15 minutes late. Each attendee will receive an e-mail message that informs them that the user will be 15 minutes late. The user also has the option to attach a voice mail message.

In another example, a user may have an important client who decides to schedule an all-day meeting on very short notice. The user must cancel all their other meetings for that day in the simplest possible way. By using the "Clear my calendar" feature, users can quickly and easily clear their calendar for the whole day.

Send an I'll Be Late Message

To send an "I'll be late" message to meeting participants by using the VUI, the user must dial the Unified Messaging subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 11:

1. Say "Calendar for today".

2. Listen to the meeting request.

3. After the meeting request has been read, say "I'll be late".

4. When Unified Messaging asks "How late?", say "10 minutes".

5. When Unified Messaging asks "Do you want to record a message?", say "Yes". Record the message, and then say "Send it".

Figure 11   Sending an "I'll be late" message by using the VUI

To send an "I'll be late" message to meeting participants by using the touchtone interface, the user must dial the Unified Messaging subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 12:

1. Press 3 to access their calendar.

2. Listen to the meeting requests to locate the meeting for which to send an "I’ll be late" message.

3. After the meeting request has been read, press 3.

4. When Unified Messaging asks "How late?", enter 10 on the telephone key pad.

Figure 12   Sending an "I'll be late" message by using the touchtone interface

Cancel a Meeting

To cancel a meeting, the user must be the meeting organizer. To cancel the meeting by using the VUI, the meeting organizer must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter the extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 13:

1. Say "Calendar for today" to access their calendar.

2. Listen to the meeting request.

3. After the meeting request has been read, say "Cancel meeting".

4. Confirm the meeting cancellation by saying "Yes".

5. After UM asks whether the meeting organizer wants to attach a recorded message, say "Yes". Record the message, and then say "Send it".

Figure 13   Canceling a meeting by using the VUI

To cancel a meeting, the user must be the meeting organizer. To cancel the meeting by using the touchtone interface, the meeting organizer must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter the extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 14:

1. Press 3 to access their calendar.

2. Listen to the meeting requests to locate the meeting to cancel.

3. Press 7 to cancel the meeting.

4. If the meeting organizer chooses to send a voice message, they can then press one of the following options:

   • # to stop recording the message.

   • 1 to accept the recorded message.

Figure 14   Canceling a meeting by using the touchtone interface

Clear a Calendar

To clear their calendar by using the VUI, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 15:

1. Say "Calendar for today" to access their calendar.

2. Say "Clear my calendar".

3. Enter the time or the number of days to be cleared.

4. After UM asks whether they want to attach a recorded voice message, they say "Yes", record the message, and then say "Send it". If they do not want to send an attached recorded voice message, they say "No".

Figure 15   Clearing a calendar by using the VUI

To clear their calendar by using the touchtone interface, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 16:

1. Press 3 to access their calendar.

2. Press 00 to go to the More Options menu.

3. Press 77 to clear their calendar.

4. Enter the number of hours to clear from the calendar.

5. If the user chooses to send a voice message, they can do one of the following:

   • Press # to not send a voice message

   • Record the voice message when prompted, press # to stop recording the message, and then press 1 to accept the recorded message.

Figure 16   Clearing a calendar by using the touchtone interface

Accept a Meeting Request

To accept a meeting request by using the VUI, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 17:

1. Say "E-mail" to access their e-mail.

2. Listen to the e-mail message that contains a meeting request.

3. Say "Accept" to accept the meeting request.

Figure 17   Accepting a meeting request by using the VUI

To accept a meeting request by using the touchtone interface, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 18:

1. Press 2 to access their e-mail.

2. Listen to the e-mail message that contains a meeting request.

3. Press 4 to accept the meeting request.

Figure 18   Accepting a meeting request by using the touchtone interface

Reply to a Meeting Request

To reply to a meeting request by using the VUI, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 19:

1. Say "Calendar for today".

2. Listen to the meeting requests to locate the meeting request to reply to.

3. Say "More options" to open the More Options menu.

4. Say "Reply" to reply to the meeting organizer.

5. Record a message.

6. Say "Send it".

Figure 19   Replying to a meeting request by using the VUI

1. To reply to a meeting request using the by touchtone interface, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 20:

2. Press 3 to access their calendar.

3. Listen to the meeting requests to locate the meeting request to reply to.

4. Press 00 for more options.

5. Press 8 to reply to the meeting organizer.

6. Record a message, and then press #.

7. Press 1 to accept the recording and send the message.

Figure 20   Replying to a meeting request by using the touchtone interface

Managing Personal Options and Contacts

Users can manage their personal options and contacts by using Outlook Voice Access. They can:

• Call a personal Contact

• Locate and call a user in the directory

• Configure personal options, such as changing their PIN over the telephone.

When a user first sets up their mailbox, they must create personal and Out of Office greetings that callers will hear when the user is unable to answer their telephone. If, for example, a user realizes that they have forgotten to turn on an Out of Office voice greeting that will give callers an alternative number to call if they have an immediate issue, the user can use Outlook Voice Access to access their personal options and record and turn on an Out of Office greeting from any telephone.

If a user has to contact an account manager with important information about a client, the user can call the number that is used for Outlook Voice Access, use the directory search feature to locate the account manager, and then place the call.

Note

When users access the Personal Options menu, they must use the touchtone interface.

Record a Personal Greeting

To record a personal greeting by using the VUI, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 21:

1. Say "Personal options" to access Personal Options.

2. Press 2 to record greetings.

3. Press 1 to record a personal greeting.

4. Press # to stop recording the personal greeting.

5. If they have to re-record their personal greeting, they should press 2.

6. Press 1 to accept the personal greeting.

Figure 21   Recording a personal greeting by using the VUI

1. To record a personal greeting by using the touchtone interface, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 22:

2. Press 6 to access personal options.

3. Press 2 to record greetings.

4. Press 1 to record a personal greeting.

5. Press 2 to re-record the personal greeting.

6. Press # to stop recording the personal greeting.

7. Press 1 to accept the personal greeting.

Figure 22   Recording a personal greeting by using the touchtone interface

Note

When a user changes their telephone greeting, they are also given the option to turn on or off their e-mail Out of Office auto-replies.

Send a Voice Message to a User

Users can locate and send a voice message to another UM-enabled user. To send a voice message to another user by using the VUI, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 23:

1. Say "Directory".

2. Say the name of the person to locate.

3. Select the correct person from the list.

4. Say "Send a message", and then record the voice message.

5. Say "Send it" to send the message.

Figure 23   Sending a voice message to another user by using the VUI

1. Users can locate and send a voice message to another UM-enabled user. To send a voice message to another user by using the touchtone interface, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 24:

2. Press 4 to search for a contact.

3. Press 00 to locate the person in the directory.

4. Spell the name of the person to locate by using the telephone keypad.

5. Select the correct person from the list.

6. Press 3 to send a voice message to the person.

7. Record the voice message, and then press # to stop recording.

8. Press 1 to accept the voice message and send it.

Figure 24   Sending a voice message to another user by using the touchtone interface

Locate and Call a User in the Directory

To locate and call a user in the directory by using the VUI, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 25:

1. Say "Directory".

2. Say the name of the person to locate.

3. Select the correct person from the list.

4. Say "Call the office".

Figure 25   Locating and calling a user in the directory by using the VUI

To locate and call a user in the directory by using the touchtone interface, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 26:

1. Press 4 to access personal Contacts.

2. Press 00 to locate a person in the directory.

3. Spell the name of the person to locate by using the telephone keypad.

4. Select the correct person from the list.

Figure 26   Locating and calling a user in the directory by using the touchtone interface

Change a PIN

To change their PIN by using the VUI, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 27.

1. Say "Personal Options".

2. Press 3 to change the PIN.

3. Enter the new PIN, and then press #.

4. Press # to confirm the new PIN.

Figure 27   Changing a PIN by using the VUI

1. To change their PIN by using the VUI, the user must dial the UM subscriber access number, enter their extension number and PIN, and then do the following, as shown in Figure 28.

2. Press 6 to change Personal options.

3. Press 3 to change the PIN.

4. Enter the new PIN, and then press #.

5. Press # to confirm the new PIN.

Figure 28   Changing a PIN by using the touchtone interface

For More Information

For more information about Outlook Voice Access, the voice user interface and the touchtone interface, see the following topics:

• Client Features in Unified Messaging

• Understanding Unified Messaging Subscriber Access

• Understanding the DTMF Interface

• Understanding Automatic Speech Recognition Directory Lookups