Optus voicemail
These days, most people prefer sending text messages. Voice calls have become quite rare, so when you do get one, there’s a good chance it’s important – whether personal or business related. But what happens if you’re not able to answer that phone call?
With Optus voicemail, you’ll be able to keep track of your calls when you’re unable to answer them. This message bank comes with some unique features that make your SIM plan work even better. Here’s a quick look at some of them:
- Get voicemails all the time
While some voicemail systems only allow callers to record a message when you’re in a service area, Optus voicemail feature will allow callers to leave a message even if you’re out of coverage or your phone is turned off. - Call return/reminder
Optus allows you to return a call directly from the voicemail, and you can also set a reminder to call back whenever you’re free. - Personalised greeting
Set up a customised greeting for your callers. And if you’re using Optus voicemail for your business line, you can record different greetings for business hours and when you’re closed. - Voicemail playback options
You can listen to your voicemail by dialing 321 from your mobile handset. But there are other unique ways to do this as well: Get your voicemail sent to you as an MMS message, or send an SMS command to have Optus call you and playback your message.
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How to use voicemail
You can access Optus voicemail on all Optus mobile phones, as well as other phones or while outside of the country. To set up your Optus message bank, set your phone to divert calls to the voicemail number – 321. Diversion options include:
- When your phone is busy
- When you’re out of coverage
- When your phone is turned off
- Or when you just don’t want to receive any calls
Setting up your voicemail is easy. Just dial 321 from your Optus handset and follow the prompts.
- First, Optus will send you a PIN via SMS to access your messages.
- You’ll then be asked to change that default PIN to a 4 to 9 digit PIN of your choice, which ensures you’re the only user who can access your message bank.
- You’ll also find options to customize the mailbox name and greeting that callers will hear whenever they can’t get through to you.
Although Optus have already set up diversions on their end upon setup, you’ll have to check if your phone’s diversion have been set as well. Doing this depends on the type of handset you have – whether an Android phone or an iPhone.
And if you’re having difficulty setting up your message bank. Optus have provided a Voicemail User Guide to get you up to speed.
Pros and Cons of using voicemail
Like everything else, Optus voicemail has its benefits and drawbacks. We’ll look at some pros and cons briefly.
Pros of using Optus voicemail:
- Never miss voice calls again
Calls are diverted to voicemail whenever your unavailable. - Access from anywhere
You can access your voicemail from your Optus handset, or any other phone. If you’re within Australia and on another handset, just dial 133 321 and enter your PIN when prompted. If you’re overseas, dial +61411000321 or send a letter ‘A’ to ‘321’ via SMS. - Different ways to receive messages
You can receive your voicemail as an MMS message, or send an SMS with the letter ‘A’ to 321 and Optus will call you and playback your message. And, of course, you can dial 321 to access your mailbox. - Other great features
You can return a call directly from voicemail, or set a call back reminder. You can also customize voicemail greetings for different times of the day.
Cons of using Optus voicemail:
- It’s not free
Unfortunately, Optus Voicemail is not free to use – you get charged for diversions and retrievals, and the fees vary. Between 7AM and 7PM on Monday through Saturday, retrieval charges are 11 cents per 30 seconds. All other times will cost you 16.5 cents per 30 seconds. You’ll also be charged a 5.5 cents per 30 seconds diversion fee. Call Return feature will also draw charges based on your plan, but Call Recall (reminder) is free. Accession your voicemail from outside Australia will draw normal International call charges.
Conclusion
The real benefit of having a voicemail account associated with your Optus service is to the person calling you. When they dial your number, they have something they want. At a personal level, it’s probably just a chat. From a business perspective, they may well want to buy your services.
In either case, that’s a good thing. If you can’t pick up the phone because you’re busy – you don’t want to miss out on that intent. Voicemail allows them to continue doing what they have set out to do without changing channel (for example, moving over to an SMS message to tell you what they want) or breaking their ‘cognitive flow’ (hanging up and trying you again a few hours later – or not at all).
It might be inconvenient for you to go through the process of retrieving messages from your message bank and returning calls. But this way, you won’t miss out on important calls, and both sides get what they want.