What are the differences between O365 UM and CallTower hosted Voicemail?
Skype Voicemail service will deliver the original recorded message with a text transcription to the provided email address. When using Office 365 with Unified Messaging, there are additional retrieval options. With Office 365 Unified Messaging, users can access voicemail natively in the Skype for Business client, through email, and the subscriber access number. Below is a list of the features available for each service.
| Feature | Unified Messaging | Skype Vmail |
| Access to their Exchange mailbox - Users can access a full set of voice mail features from Internet-capable mobile phones, Outlook 2007 or later versions, and Outlook Web App. These features include many voice mail configuration options and the ability to play a voice message from reading pane, using an integrated Windows Media Player, the message list or using computer speakers. |
Yes |
No |
| Play on Phone - This feature lets users play voice messages over a telephone. |
Yes |
No |
| Voice mail form - The voice mail form resembles the default email form. It gives users an interface for performing actions such as playing, stopping, or pausing voice messages. |
Yes |
Yes |
| User configuration - Users can configure several voice mail options for UM using Outlook Web App. For example, the user can record personal greetings, configure missed call and text message notifications and a voice mail Play on Phone number, and reset a voice mail access PIN. |
Yes |
No |
| Call answering - Call answering includes answering incoming calls on behalf of users, playing their personal greetings, recording messages, and then sending the voice mail to their Inbox as an email message. |
Yes |
Yes |
| Voice Mail Preview - Unified Messaging uses Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) on newly created voice mail messages. When users receive voice messages, the messages contain both a recording and text that's been created from the voice recording. |
Yes |
Yes |
| Message Waiting Indicator - Message Waiting Indicator is a feature found in most legacy voice mail systems and can refer to any mechanism that indicates the existence of a new message. Enabling or disabling Message Waiting Indicator is done on the user's mailbox or on a UM mailbox policy. |
Yes |
No |
| Missed call and voice mail notifications using SMS - When users configure their voice mail settings with their mobile phone number and call forwarding, they can receive notifications about missed calls and new voice messages on their mobile phones in a text message through the Short Messaging Service (SMS). To receive these types of notifications, the users must first configure text messaging and also enable notifications on their account. |
Yes |
No |
| Protected Voice Mail - Protected Voice Mail is a feature that enables users to send private mail. This voice mail is protected and users are restricted from forwarding, copying, or extracting the voice file from email. Protected Voice Mail increases the confidentiality of voice mail messages, and lets users limit the audience for voice messages. |
Yes |
No |
| Outlook Voice Access - Users who dial in to the voice mail system can access their mailbox using Outlook Voice Access. However, when a user is searching the directory for your organization, they must use the key pad on their phone to search for a user. |
Yes |
No |
| Voice Command - Access voice mail. | Yes | No |
| Voice Command - Listen to, forward, or reply to email messages. | Yes | No |
| Voice Command - Listen to calendar information. | Yes | No |
| Voice Command - Access or dial contacts who are stored in the organization’s directory or a single contact or contact group located in their personal Contacts. | Yes | Yes |
| Voice Command - Accept or cancel meeting requests. | Yes | No |
| Voice Command - Set a voice message to let callers know the called party is away. | Yes | Yes |
| Voice Command - Set user security preferences and personal options. | Yes | Yes |
| Voice Command - Search for users in the directory of the organization. | Yes | Yes |
| Group addressing - In UM in Office 365, when a user signs in to their mailbox using Outlook Voice Access, they can also send email and voice messages to users in a group stored in their personal Contacts | Yes | No |
Call Answering Rules - These rules allow users to determine how their incoming calls should be handled. By using call answering rules, a caller can:
| Feature | Unified Messaging | Skype Vmail |
| Leave a voice message for the user. | Yes | No |
| Transfer to an alternate contact of the user. | Yes | No |
| Transfer to the alternate contact's voice mail. | Yes | No |
| Transfer to other phone numbers that the user has configured. | Yes | No |
| Use the Find Me feature or locate the user through a transfer from an operator. | Yes | No |