Telephone Services

The University of Minnesota Crookston owns and operates the Crookston campus telephone system (PBX) and is responsible for providing telephone services to the campus community.

UMC telephone services are centrally funded. Users are charged per extension and for long distance charges incurred.

To report a problem or request service, contact us today!

About UMC Telephone Services at UMC

UMC Operates a Cisco IP Based Telephone System. IP phones reside on the campus LAN. Campus locations with analog phones are converted into IP at the nearest switch location. The campus WAN is used to avoid toll for metro area long distance calls. Local Qwest trunks carry outgoing local & other long distance traffic as well as incoming calls. Traffic will alternate to either the WAN or Qwest trunks in the event the other fails.

Services offered include Voicemail, Fax server, automated reporting, caller ID & more. For a list of phone features see most commonly used features.

Safety Features

When 911 is called from any phone on campus the call is routed to the 911 emergency center in Crookston.
All 911 calls are immediately reported to campus security as they are made.

Caller ID in & outgoing
Power backup at the Call Manager hub & battery backup at many switch closets
Failover to redundant calling trunks

Efficiency advantages

Allows the campus to maintain a single telecommunications infrastructure. Computers & telephone share the same cable & switch infrastructure.
Automated billing & reporting
No toll for calls to Metro area codes
Browser based management of hardware & software

Reports Sent to Users

Call detail record sent to budget authority/supervisors monthly
911 report sent to campus security monthly
Cross charge billing sent to the Business Office & budget authorities monthly
Other reports available on request

User Charges

Long Distance:

Intrastate: .06/minute
Interstate: .054/minute
Twin Cities Metro Area Area Codes: No charge

Per extension charge: $20/month

How To Use

How to dial to on and off campus numbers

To reach an on campus extension: dial the 4 digit extension
Off campus local calls: 8-281-XXXX
Long Distance: 8-1-Area Code-7 Digit Number
911 calls: Dial 911

Frequently asked questions

Who do I contact for service or report problems?
Contact our technician.

How do I call off campus?

Local calls: Dial 8 then 7 digit local number (8-xxx-xzxxx)
Long Distance: Dial 8, 1, area code, then 7 digit number (8-1-xxx-xxx-xxxx)

How do I access my voicemail?

See "Voicemail Brief"

Can I access my voicemail from home or another phone?
Yes, see "Voicemail Brief"

How does the voicemail-to-email work?

Phone Services has set up voicemail-to-email for campus phones. If you receive a voicemail, an email will be generated with a copy of the voicemail as an attachment. The email will be titled “Message from (caller id and number)”. The message will come from “Cisco Unity Messaging System.” Your office phone will still show a new message even if you listen to the email and you will need to continue to delete old voicemail messages just like you did before. If you do not delete old messages, your mailbox will become full and no new voicemail-to-email will be able to be created. If you have any questions, please email UMC Computer Help Desk (umchelp@crk.umn.edu) and the ticket will be assigned to phone services.

How many parties can I join in a conference call?

Six parties can join in a conference call. See "Using Your Phone Brief"

Can I forward my calls when I am out of the office?

Yes, see "Using Your Phone Brief"

What do I do if my voicemail won’t let me in?

Call Service to unlock your password at 218-281-8499. You can also see "Voicemail Brief"

How do I transfer my calls?

See "Using Your Phone Brief"

How can I make long distance calls from a campus phone with restricted access, i.e. meeting rooms?

See "Using Your Phone Brief" and sub-head > Authorization code.

How can I save voice mail messages to my desktop?

See "Cisco Unity Inbox Guide"