8-9 Call Pattern Change 3-15-2021

On Monday, March 15, 2021, DFT will change our dialing pattern for off-campus calls. This change will not cause any type of outage in our phone service. In an effort to help users adjust to this change, here is some detailed technical information about the impact of this change.

Forwarded Phones 
If your phone is forwarded for telecommuting, you will need to physically access the phone to remove the '9' in the forwarded number. If you are unable to come to campus to make this change, we suggest you work with your supervisor or department secretary to handle this adjustments. The forwarded number must remain a local number. You will follow the same steps you took to initially forward the phone, except you will leave out the '9' for the forwarding number and you will use the 10-digit number, even though it's a local call. The instructions for phone forwarding can be found here:
Office Phone Forwarding 

If you an unable to come to campus or receive assistance with changing your phone forwarding settings, please enter a Tracker ticket about your situation. You will need to include:

• Office Phone Location
• 10-digit Phone Number to Forward To

We recommend that you update your voicemail message to direct the caller to email you so you can return the call, until your call forwarding can be adjusted.

DFT Communications Recommendations will explain why you must use the 10-digit number when forwarding to a local phone number.

Fax Machines
If your department fax machine or multipurpose device stores frequently contacted numbers, you will need to change these. Every fax machine is different so we are not able to supply the exact settings change instructions here. If you need assistance acquiring your printer password or have difficulty editing your favorites, please enter a Tracker ticket. Keep in mind that you can always send a fax directly, without using a stored number.

International Calls
Callers will no longer need to dial '8' for international calls. We are confident that the change to dialing '011' will direct the call to the termination number, but have no way to test this until the change is made. If you need to make an international call on 3/15/2021 and have difficulty using your desk telephone, we suggest you use Google Meet, Zoom or a state issued cell phone to complete the call. If none of these options are feasible and the call is urgent, please enter a Tracker ticket about your situation.

Point of Sale (POS) Systems
Campus credit card systems need to be reprogrammed to remove the ‘9” from the validation number. You will need to contact your POS provider on 3/15 if you need assistance changing your stored number in the system.

Pilot Group Phones
If you've received a VoIP phone upgrade as part of the pilot group, your phone will need to be reprogrammed by Networking. Once it's reprogrammed, it will need to be rebooted. ITS will coordinate this change with your department in close proximity to the change.