Voicemail emails not arriving

Symptom

Callers leave voicemail, but the email with the message never arrives. Or callers can’t leave a message at all.

Quick checks

1. Look in your spam or junk folder, and any quarantine your email provider or IT team uses.
2. Check the email address in the Voicemail object on the PBX tab.
3. Leave yourself a test message from a mobile, and note the time.

Likely causes and fixes

1. The mailbox is full

If Local storage is on, the mailbox holds up to 50 messages by default (the Voicemail settings show your limit). When it’s full, callers can’t leave new messages, and Voicemail to email stops working too.

Fix:

• Click Open local storage in the Voicemail settings and delete old messages. Users with access can also delete them in the Webphone.
• Turn on Automatic deletion of read voicemail and set Older than, days.
• If you only want voicemail by email, turn Local storage off. This deletes every stored message, so save any you need first.

2. Voicemail to email is off or the address is wrong

Fix: open the Voicemail object, check Voicemail to email is on, and check each email address for typos. Click Save and Apply configuration.

3. The emails go to spam, or are blocked

Email filters sometimes treat automated messages with audio attachments as spam.

Fix: mark the message as “not spam”, and ask your email administrator to allow voicemail emails through. Safelist the address your provider sends voicemail emails from: check the sender of a previous voicemail email.

4. The call never reaches the Voicemail object

If the call isn’t routed to voicemail, no message is recorded.

Fix: follow the call on the PBX canvas:

• The No answer path of the User, Ring group or Call diversion should connect to the Voicemail.
• A User’s No answer path only works for calls that reach the user directly, not calls from a queue or ring group. For a Queue, connect Maximum waiting time exceeded and All users offline or on DND mode instead.
• Click Apply configuration after any change.

5. A mobile’s own voicemail took the message

If calls ring a mobile (an External number device or a Call diversion), the mobile’s voicemail can answer before your PBX voicemail does. The message is then in the mobile’s voicemail, not your email.

Fix: turn on Need to accept a call after the answer on the external number (on a Call diversion: Need to accept a call after the answer).

6. Callers hang up before the beep

If the greeting is long, some callers hang up before leaving a message. Check the Greeting in the Voicemail settings, or set it to Disabled.

When to contact support

Create a support ticket with:

• the name of the Voicemail object and the email address it should send to;
• the date and time of a test message (with your time zone) and the number it was left from;
• whether the message appears in local storage or the Webphone;
• whether you checked spam and quarantine.