Several options let you stay reachable on your district phone number while working away from your office. This article compares them so you can pick the one that fits, and covers the practical steps for each.
Your options at a glance
| Option | Best for | Requires VPN? | Where voicemail lands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward your desk phone | A simple, temporary redirect to another number | No, if you forward from the phone before you leave or from Jabber | On the destination phone — not your district mailbox |
| Single Number Reach | Being reachable on your cell without losing your district voicemail | Yes, to configure it in the Self Care Portal | Your district mailbox, and your email inbox |
| Jabber soft phone (computer) | Working a full day from a district laptop | No, for calling | Your district mailbox, and your email inbox |
| Jabber mobile app | Calling students or the public from your cell without exposing your personal number | No | Your district mailbox, and your email inbox |
| Zoom | Meetings, video, screen sharing, larger groups | No | — |
ETS encourages using Zoom as your main means of holding meetings and calls while working remotely.
Update your voicemail greeting first
Before anything else, re-record your greeting to set expectations — something like "I am working remotely, so expect a slight delay in response." See Managing Your Voicemail Greetings. Consider turning on your alternate greeting with an end date so it turns itself off when you're back.
Forwarding your desk phone
From the phone, before you leave
- Press the softkey below Forward All at the bottom of the display.
- Dial the number you want calls sent to, or press the Messages button to send everything to voicemail.
Watch the label carefully. If it reads Forward All, forwarding is currently off. If it reads Forward off, forwarding is already on — pressing that button turns it off.
From Jabber, after you've left
Open the Phone Controls drop-down at the lower left of the Jabber window and select Forward Calls To. This works without the VPN, which makes Jabber the easiest way to forward your desk phone once you're already away.
The trade-off
When you forward your phone, callers hear the greeting belonging to the destination phone, and any message they leave stays on that phone's voicemail — not in your district mailbox and not in your email. If keeping messages in your district voicemail matters, use Single Number Reach instead.
Single Number Reach
Single Number Reach — sometimes called Follow Me or dual ring — makes calls to your district number ring simultaneously on another device such as your cell phone.
The advantage over plain forwarding: if you don't pick up, the caller hears your district greeting and the message lands in your district voicemail, which means it also shows up in your email inbox.
Set it up in the Cisco Self Care Portal at https://cucm-pub.voip.ad.fhda.edu/ucmuser/. You must be connected to the district VPN to reach the portal. Full steps, including the schedule option and the advanced ring-timing settings for cell phones, are in Cisco Self Care Portal.
Checking voicemail remotely
Voicemail is still delivered to your email as a .wav attachment, so in most cases you can just play it from your inbox. To listen by phone instead:
- Dial 408-864-8999.
- Press *.
- Enter your four-digit extension followed by #.
- Enter your PIN followed by #.
The Jabber soft phone off campus
The Jabber desktop application works off campus as long as you have an internet connection. You do not need the VPN to make and receive calls. The mobile app works wherever you have a cellular or Wi-Fi signal.
Two things to expect:
- Call quality depends on your connection. On campus Wi-Fi you may hear drops, because the district wireless network prioritizes instructional data over voice.
- Computer speakers and microphone work, but a USB headset gives better audio. ETS has a limited number of USB headsets — submit an ETS Request for Help to ask.
If you see a message saying the Cisco Desktop Notifier can't connect to Informacast, that's expected when you're off the hardwired network. It doesn't affect your phone. See Troubleshooting Jabber.
When you do need the VPN
The Cisco Self Care Portal is only reachable from the district network. If you need to change speed dials, set up Single Number Reach, adjust ring settings or edit call forwarding rules in the portal, connect to the district VPN first. Making calls in Jabber does not require it.