TCL VoicePro Q&A
This page contains detailed responses we gave to customers asking questions about the VoicePro phone system.
You may find answers related to your situation.
In addition to the Q&A on this page, check out the "VoicePro Online User Support Group" where you can find a lot more information by searching questions asked by other customers and answers shared by others.
This online community of VoicePro users has been designed to allow everyone to share their knowledge and experience with one another. You can search, browse or ask your own questions for a quick response.
Below are Frequently Asked Questions. If you don't find your question here, remember to search for, or ask, your question in the VoicePro Online User Support Group.
We are a small business and have two incoming phone lines but would like to set up the auto attendant to answer basic questions and voicemail to answer calls that come in when the lines are busy.
The VoicePro will do that. You can record informational messages for the caller to select and listen to. For 2 lines you just need the smaller VP206. It has 6 extensions. If any extensions are busy then the caller drops into voice mail. Each extension has it's own voice mail greeting and mailbox.
How can I make all the extensions in a group ring at the same time?
You can assign any menu option to ring one or more extensions. Say, for example, that you prompt your caller with "for customer support press 1" and you have three people who can handle customer support. Let's say they are at extensions 12, 13 and 15.
You can use function 44 to assign menu number "1" to ring to 12, 13 and 15 simultaneously. As soon as any of those extensions is answered, the others stop ringing.
If no one answers then the caller will hear the greeting you have in the mailbox of the first extension in that list, extension 12 in this example. Then they can leave a message in that mailbox.
Where do messages go if I program it to ring multiple extensions and no one answers?
Each extension has it's own mailbox. But if you ring several extensions as in the last question, then the mailbox of the first in your list will be used to play it's greeting and take a message if none of the extensions in your list answer.
Can I use this product for a small company with only one phone line?
Yes. But only one call will come through to the VoicePro at a time. So that means only one caller will be handled at a time. The next caller will get a busy signal.
You still get the benefit of multiple extensions and departments to make a small company look big.
I am the only one working in my office. So I can only talk with one person at a time. What can the VoicePro do to help me?
The best idea is to just mention to press zero for assistance in your company greeting. That will ring to extension 10 (the operator extension) by default.
You can also assign up to 99 mailboxes to take messages for various tasks or company departments that you will handle by calling back later.
Will the Voice Pro handle calls when the lines are busy?
There are two answers I need to give you, depending on if you are asking about in-house extensions or the incoming phone lines.
When an extension is busy, the caller will hear the voice mail greeting for that extension and then they can leave a message in that extension's mailbox, or then can go back to the main menu.
However, if all your incoming lines are in use, then the next caller will get a busy signal. There is no way to pass the call through to the VoicePro if you don't have enough phone lines to allow the overflow calls to get through.
If this is the case, you need to consider adding more lines and then use the larger VoicePro that handles four incoming lines.
If volume is an issue and you don't want callers to get busy signals when more than four people call, then you need a bigger phone system. Of course this runs into bigger expenses. But if your volume calls for it, then hopefully you have the income from your business to warrant such a purchase. If not, another solution would be to consider hosted PBX services where you pay only a small monthly service fee plus usage.
Can the system create departments like press 1 for sales, press 2 for accounts payable and so forth? And can a department ring on more than one phone?
Yes you can create a menu with single-key options for departments just like you said. You can make any menu option ring a single extension or ring several extensions that you specify.
When transferring a call to a cell phone, can the VoicePro be programmed to take a message after a delay if the cell phone is not picking up when switched?
Yes. You need to enable "remote call screening" with function 17. Then the system will take the call back again if there is no answer or if you answer and do not accept the call after hearing the caller's name.
If your cell phone answers automatically, it will not respond to the screening request. So the VoicePro will take the caller back and it will play the greeting of the extension's voice mailbox before taking a message.
One other thing to keep in mind is that the above will only work if you let the system transfer the forwarded calls using the hook-flash transfer method. If you program it to use a second line to forward calls, it will not take unanswered calls back again. Hook-flash transfer works only if you have 3-way calling or Centrex on your phone line(s).
Does the VoicePro have a battery back up?
The Voice Pro has a battery that keeps its memory for up to five hours during a power failure. But it does not provide power to ring the phones. Therefore, during a power failure, the VoicePro simply passes the calls through to the phones as follows...
Line 1 rings to extension 10, line 2 ring to extension 11, and so on.
When power comes back, it will use the automated attendant to handle the calls assuming you had created a custom menu.
For extra security, it is recommended that you put the VoicePro behind a UPS that also provides surge protection. The UPS will also allow the full functioning of the unit during a power outage.
How do I set up the different voice mailboxes and record messages for each mailbox?
First of all, not all mailboxes are associated with an extension. Only the first 6 or 12 (depending on which VoicePro you have) are real extensions where you can connect phones. All the rest are "greeting-only" mailboxes. Also known as "broadcast" mailboxes.
You can change the broadcast mailboxes to full-featured voice mail on any of the additional mailboxes up to mailbox 99 by changing its password to a 4-digit code that starts with a numeric. Broadcast mailboxes have a password that starts with a * and defaults to "**99". All the mailboxes beyond the physical extensions are broadcast mailboxes by default.
The physical extensions have mailboxes that are full-featured by default.
"Greeting only" mailboxes differ from full-featured mailboxes in the following way. They do not allow a caller to leave a voicemail message. After the greeting the caller is returned to the system main greeting and they can select other menu options.
I have no need to connect any phones to the unit. I want to use it just as a message center for callers to leave messages for my employees. Can I do that?
Yes, you do not need to connect phones to the extension ports in this case. Just have one phone on extension 10 so you can program it through that phone and record the greetings for the various mailboxes. Of course you can do that by calling in from the outside as well.
Program all extensions to forward their calls to voicemail so the unit doesn't waste time ringing a non-existent phone in case someone tries to dial one of the extensions.
You can forward all extensions to one common mailbox if you wish.
I know that most PBXs have a privacy mode so I don't get disturbed. There are times when I just want my calls to go to voice mail. How do I do that with the VoicePro?
Each extension can be programmed to forward calls to another extension, to a remote phone number, or to a voice mailbox. Actually you can forward to any voice mailbox, not just your own.
Enter station programming by pressing * then #. Then follow the prompts to set up forwarding. Forward your calls to any mailbox by placing a "3" in from of the extension number. Example: If you are programming extension 14 to go to its own voicemail you would specify the mailbox as "314".
We need to see the Caller ID on all incoming calls. Does this work?
The Voice Pro passes Caller ID through to the phones connected to the extension ports. If you have a display on the phone it will show the Caller ID name and number, if available from your phone company.
We need to be able to transfer a call from one extension to another and to conference both within the office and outside.
You can hook-flash on any extension to transfer a caller to another extension or to an outside number, or conference with all three of you.
Can a call ringing on a particular extension be intercepted by another?
Yes, you can pick up any extension and dial *50 to connect to the caller who is ringing to another extension.
Can we set the Daytime Greeting by the day of the week as well as for the hours?
Yes. You can specify what the daytime hours are for weekdays and you can specify what those weekdays are. Anything else is considered a weekend. You can also record another greeting that plays on weekends.
What is the difference between the Voice Logic version I see elsewhere and the one you sell?
Voice Logic used to make the older units. Those units had a number of problems that were corrected in the new units we sell today. Manufacturing was taken over by TCL Communication Int'l Ltd.
We sell the newer TCL version and we include an updated version of the programming manual that we wrote to conform with the newer software that is installed in the TCL VoicePro units.
In order to keep the cost down we continue to use the Voice Logic plastics on the VP206. The VP412 has the new TCL logo on its metal case. All units we sell are completely new and recently assembled and tested.
Are you aware of any shortcomings or complaints about the product?
The main shortcoming is that it does not use flash memory. The internal battery will only last about four to five hours. After long power failures it may lose voicemail messages, may have to be reprogrammed and greetings re-recorded. That is why we recommend using a UPS for extended service during power outages.
One other shortcoming is that it does not have a computer interface to program from a PC. The only way to program it is via a touch tone phone and greetings recorded via phone. WAV files cannot be uploaded from a PC.
Finally, the Voice Pro is not compatible with all VoIP adapters. If you plan to use it on VoIP lines, check that you have one of the modem/adapters that we have tested with the Voice Pro.
Of course the cost would increase quit a bit for a unit with these additional features.
Can I transfer a call from one extension to another?
Yes. You can transfer a caller from one extension to another by pressing 'flash' and then dial the other extension. If you don't have a flash key on your phone you can always press the cradle button as if you were hanging up, but just for a second and then release it. This is the same as a flash...you will have placed the caller on hold and you will hear another dialtone so you can dial another number.
After dialing the other extension, you hang up and the caller will be transferred. Or you can stay on the line and announce the caller to the new party before hanging up.
Does the VoicePro have a call waiting option?
There are two ways to answer that question...
- If another caller dials your extension and you are busy then you will not get call waiting.
Instead the caller will hear your voice mail greeting and can leave a message.
Every extension has its own voice mailbox.
A solution is to program your extension to transfer to another extension if busy or no-answer. Then when another caller dials your extension, the other extension will ring if you are on yours. You can either answer the other, or place the present caller on hold and dial *50 to connect to the other caller. - If you have call waiting service from your phone company, the VoicePro will not respond to this.
But if you are talking and you hear the call waiting tone, you can answer the other caller
by forcing a hookflash to the outside line.
If you just press the flash key on your phone, the VoicePro will put the present party on hold and give you dialtone to make another call. That's not what you want to do. You need to force the flash to go to the CO. You do that by dialing "52" after you press the flash button.
I would like to know what your return policy is and if there is a warranty on the product.
Since we took over importing the new TCL VoicePro at the end of 2010, we now offer a One-Year Warranty retroactive to all prior purchases.
We will repair or replace your VoicePro if a problem occurs up to one year from date of purchase.
If you aren't satisfied with your VoicePro, simply return it to us within 30 days in its original packaging and we will give you your money back in full.
See our return policy guidelines.
How can I find out more?
We welcome you to become a member of the VoicePro Support Group where you can ask your own questions and search or browse the database of questions and answers.
