Student Telephone Service - Instructions
For phone or TV questions, problems, repairs: call 7999.
Making Calls [Receiving Calls][Using Telephone Features]
Emergency Call - Dial 7777. You will be connected to Public Safety. Do not dial 911. If you do, emergency aid may be delayed.
Call on-campus - Dial just the four-digit extension number.
Call off-campus - (From most administrative phones, dial 9-12345678 instead of 9 for off-campus access.)
Local and toll-free calls - Dial 9 plus the number you are calling, using 1 plus the area code for toll-free (800, 888, etc.) calls. Do not dial 1-860 for local Hartford area calls.
Long-distance (toll) calls - May not be dialed direct from student residence phones. Pre-paid calling cards generally offer the lowest rates. Be sure to select a card providing a toll-free number for access.
Operator-assisted credit card and collect calls - Dial 9+0 and any additional numbers needed to complete your call. Our operator services provider will accept some phone company cards as well as some bank cards. The operators will not allow you to have calls billed to the number from which you are calling. Operator-assisted rates are usually much higher than pre-paid calling cards or cards that bill to your home telephone service.
International calling – Use a calling or credit card.
900 and 976 calls - Cannot be dialed directly from the UH phone system. Check with your calling card provider for instructions on placing such calls via their toll-free access number.
Directory assistance - Use a calling card to reach the provider of your choice. You will avoid expense by using one of the many free directory services available on the Internet.
Receiving Calls [Top of Instructions][Using Telephone Features]
On-campus calls - are indicated by a single interrupted ring (Ring . . . ring . . . ring . . .). If you do not know your extension number, dial 0 from your campus room and ask the operator what number you are calling from (Monday-Friday, 8:30-4:30).
Off-campus calls - are signaled by a double-interrupted ring (Ring-ring . . . ring-ring . . . ring-ring). Your number for off-campus callers is 768- plus your on-campus extension number. The area code here is 860.
For More Information:
If you have problems using the UofH telephone system or wish to know more about how to use it effectively, please call the Telecom help line at 7999. Our job here is to ensure that your system is working for you.
Using Telephone Features [Top of Instructions]
Speed dialing - You can program your extension to remember up to 10 phone numbers and then call them by touching just three keys. To program a speed number: lift the receiver, key in ##3 and a digit from 0 to 9, then the four-digit on-campus number (or: 9 and the off-campus number); then hang up. To use the speed number you entered: lift the receiver, key in #3 and the digit from 0 to 9 you used when you programmed the number. The system will dial whatever numbers you programmed. There is a limit of 20 digits per entry.
ADVANCED FEATURES WITH FLASH
More features are available if you wish to learn to use a technique called "FLASH," which places one call on temporary hold and alerts the system that you want to use a feature or make a second call. You can reconnect to your first call again, or hang up and the system will ring your phone to remind you that you left somebody on hold.
FLASH by pressing the phone's switchook (hang-up button) for about ½ second (long enough to say "One"). If the receiver is at your ear, you will hear a brief beep and then dial tone. You need to be careful to make sure that you don't FLASH when you really wanted to hang up and make another call. To disconnect from a call: hold the switchook down more than a full second (long enough to say "One-thousand"). If you don't hold it long enough, you only FLASH. This can put a ringing phone, a busy signal or somebody's answering machine on hold while you make your next call. Your calling card provider may charge you for held toll calls; so please be careful!
To order FLASH - Because FLASH seems difficult for many people to use, we don't give your extension the ability to do it unless you specifically request it in writing. To do so, please send us a note stating:
"I request FLASH service for my UofH telephone line. I understand that FLASH and "disconnect" are different and that I must be sure that I don't FLASH when I want to disconnect from a call. I accept responsibility for any toll charges that may result from improper use of FLASH from my UofH telephone line."
Sign the note, print your name and phone number on it and send it to Telecommunications via intercampus mail. Once we receive the note, we will give your line the ability to FLASH within one week. There is no charge for FLASH service, but because misuse can be costly to you we must have your signed request to provide it.
Features with FLASH:
Call Waiting - If someone calls when you are on the phone, they will hear a busy signal. If they stay on the line for 8 seconds, they hear music and you hear a beep on your phone. Connect to the waiting call with FLASH, *1. Remember that this only works if your callers know about it. That keeps you from getting interrupted by unwanted callers. You should warn long-distance callers that they get billed for listening to our music if they use this feature and you don't connect to them promptly.
Call forwarding - If you want all your calls to ring at another student phone on campus, you can tell the system to "forward" your calls. Lift the receiver, key in #9 and the on-campus number where you want your calls to go; then hang up. All your calls will ring at the number you entered. (It's good to check there first to be sure they want to take your calls!) When you no longer want your calls forwarded: lift the receiver and key in ##9.
If you find someone else has forwarded calls to your phone and you want it to stop, just dial the number that is forwarded to you. This cancels the unwanted forwarding. Find out what number it is by asking a caller what they dialed.
Call Transfer - To transfer your call to another campus phone, FLASH, key in *7 and the number to transfer to. If the number you dialed is busy or unanswered, FLASH then key in *1 to connect back to your caller.
Callback Busy - If you call an on-campus number and it's busy, FLASH, key in #1 and hang up. The system will call you back with a long ring when they're not busy any more. Answer the ring and their phone will start ringing. Remember, this only works for ON-CAMPUS calls.
Conference Call - You can join up to 8 phones in a conference. No more than 2 of them should be off-campus. To add another party: FLASH, dial the next number (use 9 for off-campus numbers), FLASH, key in *4 and talk to both parties. Add more calls by following the same steps again. If a new party is busy or doesn't answer: FLASH and key in **4 to drop the last party and get back to your conference call.
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