Northern Telecom Flash Reference Guide

							P0908431 01 Flash Reference Guide
6
Telephone etiquette
Introduction
Flash is an easy to use, powerful voice messaging system. It is 
designed to save you time and increase your job productivity. This 
section describes some easy to follow guidelines for operating Flash.
Telephone etiquette
To take advantage of Flash and its many features, please follow these 
suggestions:
Listen to your messages frequently. Paying prompt attention to your 
messages encourages callers to use Flash, and reassures them it is as 
reliable as speaking with you personally.
You do not have to be at your desk to play your messages. You can 
do this from any tone dial telephone.
Clean up your mailbox. There is limited message storage in your 
mailbox, and within Flash. Do not save messages unless you need to 
listen to them again. When you are finished with a message, erase the 
message to free up storage space for yourself and other mailbox 
owners.
Keep a record of your password in a secure place. Treat your Flash 
password just as you would a secret code. Write down your password 
and keep it in a safe place. Do not keep your password near your tele-
phone. If you let someone else have temporary access to your mailbox, 
change your password afterwards. If you forget your password, the 
System Coordinator can reset it to the default password 0000. You can 
then enter a new password. 
						

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When sending messages, make them short and to the point. More 
than 75% of the time spent on a normal business telephone call 
consists of making small talk, pleasantries, and other socializing. 
Sending a message rather than making a call can save you time. 
Although you should avoid sounding hurried, impersonal, or rude, try to 
confine your messages to the essentials.
Change your Primary Greeting frequently. It is a good idea to change 
your Primary Greeting on a regular basis. Changing your greeting indi-
cates that you listen to your messages and maintain your mailbox on a 
regular basis. Changing your Primary Greeting provides a personal 
touch that frequent callers will appreciate.
Make your Alternate Greeting specific. Choosing an Alternate 
Greeting usually means something out of the ordinary is happening. 
Your greeting should fully explain your situation without becoming too 
personal. If you are out of the office, specify when you expect to return. 
If you will be checking your mailbox even though you are out of the 
office, make that clear. If callers can reach you at another telephone 
number, ensure your message includes the telephone number and the 
length of the temporary arrangement. If you are going to be out of the 
office, remember to forward your telephone to Flash.
Vacation alert/Travel alert. Begin this greeting by announcing your 
vacation or travel plans. This gets the attention of the caller. For 
example, “Vacation alert! Hi, this is Chris. I will be on vacation the entire 
week of the 5th. If you care to do so, please leave a message and I will 
return your call when I return from vacation. For immediate assistance, 
press zero.”
Take care when recording your greetings and messages. For a 
better quality recording, speak directly into the handset. Do not use the 
Handsfree feature. Remember to speak clearly with a pleasant voice at 
a pace that is easy to understand. Do not speak too softly or loudly or 
make the greeting or message too lengthy. After recording a greeting or 
message, you can play it back before accepting it to make sure the 
greeting or message sounds the way you intended. 
						

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P0908431 01 Flash Reference Guide
Do not forget to use the Copy and Reply features. You can use 
Flash to send copies of messages to other mailboxes and reply to 
messages with a message of your own. When sending copies of 
messages to other people, ensure your introduction explains why you 
are forwarding a copy of the message. Is the copy for information only? 
Should the message have originally been sent to the person to whom 
you are forwarding it? Whose responsibility is it to take action on the 
message?
Use Group Lists for multiple copies of messages. If you find that you 
regularly send the same message to several different people, ask the 
System Coordinator to create a Group List for you. With a Group List, 
you can send the same message to all the mailboxes in the Group List.
Encourage Flash use. Old habits are sometimes hard to break, and 
some people have difficulty accepting or even trying new technologies. 
Use your Personal Mailbox and other Flash features, and encourage 
your colleagues and frequent callers to use them too.
Report problems promptly. Should you encounter problems using 
Flash, report the trouble to the System Coordinator as soon as possible. 
Send a message to the System Coordinator and explain the problem. 
						

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Flash Reference Guide P0908431 01 
						

							P0908431 01 Flash Reference Guide
7
Troubleshooting
Introduction
This section describes some problems that might occur while you are 
using Flash. This section covers:
• Full mailboxes
• Lost passwords
• Company Directory
• Timeout
The problems you encounter while using Flash are usually operating 
problems. Sometimes a difficulty might occur that would indicate a 
system problem with the Flash module. When strange or unusual 
happenings occur that are not covered in this section, report them to 
your System Coordinator immediately.
Note: Custom Call Routing and the Automated Attendant are not avail-
able on the Flash Voice Mail Light system.
The Automated Attendant seems to transfer some callers 
to the General Delivery Mailbox.
Flash requires a tone signal and a minimum voice level. If a response 
is not received, the caller is automatically transferred to the receptionist 
or Designated Operator. If the operator is not available, the call is trans-
ferred to the General Delivery Mailbox.
The extension being called may not have a mailbox assigned. Ask your 
System Coordinator to verify that the mailbox is assigned.
My telephone cannot be forwarded to Flash.
If you are attempting to forward your telephone to Flash and the display 
shows  Forward denied  you might be forwarding to the wrong exten-
sion. Use Feature Code 985 to verify you are calling the Flash DN. 
						

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Flash Reference Guide P0908431 01
Feature 981 produces a LOG prompt on my Norstar 
display.
Whenever the  Log: prompt appears on the display, it could be caused 
by:
• The station you are using may not have an operating mailbox. If the 
telephone does not have a mailbox, Flash requests both a mailbox 
number and a password.
• A Guest Mailbox, which normally does not have an assigned exten-
sion. Ask your System Coordinator to verify that your extension 
number is properly assigned to your mailbox.
My mailbox is not accepting messages.
A mailbox will not accept messages when:
• A mailbox is full. When a mailbox is full, you must delete all or some 
of the messages in the mailbox.
• The mailbox is not initialized. A mailbox cannot receive messages 
until it has been initialized by the mailbox owner. Initialize your 
mailbox. Refer to the Flash Quick Reference Guide, or to 
Section 4: Initializing your mailbox.
I have forgotten my mailbox password.
A forgotten password cannot be recovered. Your old password must be 
reset to the default password 0000. After the System Coordinator has 
reset your password, you must open your mailbox and change the 
default password.
My name is not played in the Company Directory.
Check to ensure that your mailbox has been initialized. If it is not initial-
ized, your name is not played in the Company Directory and your 
mailbox cannot receive any messages. If you have recorded your direc-
tory name, ask your System Coordinator to ensure that the Company 
Directory Override is not set to NO. 
						

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P0908431 01 Flash Reference Guide
Flash Timeout
Flash’s Timeout feature allows five seconds for you to make your option 
choice. When Flash does not detect an option selection, the Automated 
Attendant replays the option list. If an option is still not selected, Flash 
ends the session.
Note: Flash has minimum voice level detection. When Flash
does not detect an audio signal, it requests the caller to speak louder 
and provides the option to re-record. If no voice level is detected after 
the prompt, Flash ends the session.
Messages are cut off
If people need to leave long messages in your mailbox (up to 10 
minutes), you can ask the System Coordinator to assign a Class of 
Service to your mailbox which allows more message recording space.
Mailbox full too often
If you find that you need more message time in your mailbox, you can 
ask your System Coordinator to assign a Class of Service to your 
mailbox that allows longer message time.
Wrong prompt language
If the wrong language appears on the display of your Norstar telephone, 
ask the System Coordinator to change your mailbox Class of Service.
Off-premise Message Notification does not work
If Off-premise Message Notification does not work, ask the System 
Coordinator to check the notification parameters. Also, ask the System 
Coordinator to check your mailbox Class of Service, ensuring Off-
premise Message Notification is allowed. Ensure the destination tele-
phone number and time parameters are correct and enabled. 
						

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Flash Reference Guide P0908431 01 
						

							P0908431 01 Flash Reference Guide
Appendix A: Default values and 
tone commands
Default mailbox numbers for the Special Mailboxes:
Note: When the Group List leading digit is one (1) then the default 
Special Mailbox numbers begin with the number two (2).Mailbox
number
length
 
Default 
General
Delivery
Mailbox
numberDefault 
System
Coordinator
Mailbox
number
21012
3 100 102
4 1000 1002
5 10000 10002
6 100000 100002
7 1000000 1000002 
						

							Flash Reference Guide P0908431 01
A - 2  Default values and tone commands
DTMF tone commands for setting up Off-premise 
Message Notification:
Note: When Flash is installed with PBX or Centrex+ and you want to 
access an outside line, you must enter the command to recognize dial 
tone. For example, enter  á  to access an outside line, press  £
  then 
enter  Ý  to recognize dial tone, press  Û  to enter more digits. Enter 
the destination number, press  £  and any required pauses. Each 
pause entered is four seconds long. For definitions of Pause, Recog-
nize dial tone and Enter more digits, refer to the Glossary. Option function Dialpad button
Review numberÚ
Enter more digitsÛ
Insert a timed pause (4 sec)Ü
Recognize dial tone (1.5 sec)Ý
Insert a # button toneÞ
Insert a * button toneß
Access an outside lineá
Accept number£
Cancel and re-enter¥