Skip to main content
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Telecommunications (12 Things To Know)

  1. Batteries – We supply batteries for pagers only. We provide this service at our cost as a convenience to our individual pager users. You must trade your old battery (we recycle!) for the new battery. We cannot provide batteries for any device other than pagers. Even for pagers, we cannot provide batteries in bulk. If you need batteries for other uses, or want more than one battery for a pager, your department can purchase batteries directly from Corporate Express or Central Distribution.
  2. Automated Directory Service (“ANNIE”) – Callers can now reach individuals and departments with one step, without having to go to the WebXchange on their computer or wait in queue for a live operator! Simply spell out ANNIE on your keypad (2-6643, or 962-6643 from off campus).When you ask for a person or a department by name, ANNIE will automatically transfer you there directly. Give ANNIE a try — we think you’ll become a big fan. By the way, we could use your help to insure the system is fine-tuned and recognizes everyone listed in the WebXchange database. From any hospital phone, just call ANNIE and say your first and last name at the prompt. Make sure the system recognizes your name and transfers you to the proper number. If not, please let us know.
  3. 216 and 347 Pager Swap – If you have temporarily forgotten or lost your 216 or 347 pager, we will cover yout number with one of our loaner 123 pagers. While you’re covered, if someone pages you via WebXchange or through the Hospital Operator, the page will go through seamlessly. If the caller simply pages you through the phone keypad, the message will NOT be sent to the covering pager. This is a technical limitation – there is absolutely no way for the paging system to forward these messages.One potential option to overcome this problem is to change the Custom Greeting message on your pager if you have it** . Ifso, you can re-record the Custom Greeting to announce the 123 pager number you are carrying today. See someone in Telecom for instructions on how to change your existing personal recording.** Most pagers do not currently have the Custom Greeting option. We can request the vendor to program it on your pager for the future – it will usually become active the day we request it. There is a $1.10 monthly charge for the Custom Greeting service. In order to upgrade to the Custom Greeting option, simply send an e-mail to com@unch.unc.edu
  4. 123 Pager Swap – If you have temporarily forgotten or lost your 123 pager, we will cover your number with one of our 123 loaner pagers. The loaner 123 pager will receive all pages, whether made from WebXchange, through the operator or from a telephone’s keypad. (If your 123 pager is lost for more than one week, your department will need to order a replacement pager at the cost of $45.
  5. Pager Instruction Manuals – The pager manufacturers are no longer providing paper instruction manuals for individual pagers. However, you can view and print the manual for all of our pagers at http://intranet.unchealthcare.org/hospitaldepartments/telecom/
  6. Shorten the time you listen to a voicemail greeting!– To save time while listening to someone’s campus voicemail greeting, you can dial the pound (#) button to take your directly to the “beep” to start leaving your message. (Note — this trick does not work for cell phone voice mail boxes).
  7. Conference Unit – If you ever have the need to hold a conference call with multiple participants in one room, we have a high quality conference unit we will loan you for your call. It is a full duplex, high quality speaker phone, allowing multiple people to hear and talk to a remote site. There is no cost to borrow the unit (4 hours per session). To use the unit, you will need an analog line (most conference rooms have one of these). Ask us to verify if you’re not sure. Please call 6-2354 to reserve the conference unit.
  8. Meet Me Conference – Meet Me Conference – If your conferencing need is to talk to more than two remote parties at the same time, you can be provided with a single “virtual” phone number that can be dialed by up to 30 parties. Any party can dial this number from anywhere in the world. There is no cost for this service – if interested, call the University operator to set it up at 2-2211.
  9. What does the LINK Button do? – Almost all multiline desk phones in the hospital have a button labeled “LINK” (on some phones, this is called “Transfer”. This useful button will easily allow you to transfer a call to another number or establish a three party conference call.To transfer a call, simply press the “Link” button while on the line, and dial the phone number you’d like to transfer to (5 digits internally, or 9+7 digits externally), and hang up the phone once the line starts ringing. The call is transferred and is no longer on your phone. (Note – don’t put the caller on hold during the transfer process)Or, you can add a third party to make it a conference call. Simply press the “Link” button while on the line, and dial the phone number you’d like to add (5 digits internally, or 9+7 digits externally), and press the “Link” button again when the party answers. All three of you will be on the line. (Note – don’t put the caller on hold during the conference process)
  10. Change your Pager Status via the Phone (966-1100) – This self-service number allows you to make the same pager status changes you now call the operators to do. By calling 966-1100, users can cover their pager with another pager, change their status to “Not Available”, “Available”, “Reachable At” or other availability options. You can reach this number from on or off campus.Also, you can establish or change your personalized pager greeting, allowing callers to confirm that they have reached the correct pager via this number.
  11. On-Line Service Requisition, Voice Mail Request, and Directory Update – Go to http://intranet.unchealthcare.org/hospitaldepartments/telecom/If you need Telephone Repair, the best way to let us know is by calling our main number 6-2354. It’s answered 24 x 7, and will be the fastest way to get your trouble taken care of immediately. Reporting troubles on-line or leaving a voice mail for a staff member may delay the resolution of your repair need.
  12. Recorded Driving Directions to the Hospital – 966-3464 – If you frequently give patients, visitors, or vendors directions to the hospital, you can simply direct them to phone number 966-3464. This recorded menu has specific and accurate directions from any direction a caller is coming from. Referring visitors to this number will save you the time it takes to give directions, and makes sure they get specific detail they need.