PennFlex Phone

PennFlex Phone is the next generation phone system now in use at Penn. Most Wharton faculty and staff are eligible for a PennFlex phone account (depending on your department's phone policy.) PennFlex Phone benefits include:

• A mobile application that allows you to receive, and place, calls from your Penn phone number using your desktop, tablet, or smartphone.
• Voicemail transcription sent to your email address.

Wharton will be migrating all existing PennNet phones to the new PennFlex phone system during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Wharton's PennFlex Phone Migration

All existing PennNet phone lines, which are most of the existing phone lines at Wharton, are being migrated to PennFlex Phone lines. If you have a PennNet phone, use this section to help you during and after the migration.

PennFlex is the replacement telephone system for PennNet Phone service. The phone number associated with the line will not change; however any physical handsets related to that line will need to be replaced with new handsets.

The Migration

If you currently have a physical phone handset (it is likely called "Soundpoint"), you will be part of the migration. You will have the choice to either:

• request that your phone be replaced with the new Polycom model., or
• opt to use the Mobile client only.

Your migration date will be set in partnership with your department and Wharton Computing, and there's nothing you need to do before the migration day. On the day of migration, here's what will happen:

• Phones Replaced. A technician will replace your old handset with a new Polycom VVX401 desktop handset.  
  
• Number Migrated. Your PennNet Phone number will be migrated to your new PennFlex Phone line. This takes about an hour, and your phone number will be unavailable during this time .
• Some (not all) Settings Migrated. Many, but not all, of the settings from your PennNet Phone will migrate automatically to your PennFlex Phone.  Please note that the following will NOT migrate:
  • Voicemail Messages - You can download a backup of your PennNet Phone greetings and messages beginning on the day of your migration.
  • Voicemail Passcodes - A new voicemail passcode will be set for you. On the day of migration you can retrieve the new code from the PPS (PennNet Phone Service) web portal.

The full list of settings that will be migrated has more details.

Phones that manage multiple lines are not part of the migration and will remain on PennNet for now.

Migration Day: Steps to Take

On the day of the migration, there are several steps you need to take:

1. Get your Temporary Passcode: Retrieve your initial PennFlex voicemail passcode from PPS (PennNet Phone Service) web portal on the day of your migration.  Your web portal should look something like this:
   
2. Change Your Passcode: Using the Mobile App with Webex, change your voicemail passcode (you may need to launch the Mobile App with Webex and then launch your voicemail to enter in your passcode.) You will use your temporary code from Step 1 to do this.
3. Test your Phone: Make an outgoing test call to confirm that your phone is functioning. From your mobile phone, call your office phone and confirm that calls are coming through to your line as expected.
4. Test your VoiceMail: If you have voicemail configured to email your messages, leave yourself a test message and confirm delivery to your email.

Mobile App with Webex

Penn now provides an application to use with this service, called the Mobile App with Webex.  Wharton staff and faculty should have the Mobile App with Webex already installed on any computers managed by Wharton Computing.

This app is available for anyone who is migrating, or already has migrated, from PennNet to PennFlex. It is also available for any recently hired staff who have been provided with a new PennFlex phone.  (Wharton is not offering the Video portion of the app)

See the section Using the App (Soft Client) for more information.

MobileConnect App (Old)

This app will stop working on December 31, 2022 and you should now be using the Mobile App with Webex. If you have questions about it, please contact your Wharton Computing representative.

Setting Up Your New PennFlex Phone

If you are new at Penn, or have been issued a new PennFlex phone (and you do not already have a phone/phone line that is part of the upcoming migration), use these directions to get yourself set up. 

This phone service provides a number of features to help with the increasingly wide variety of phone needs at Penn. For a complete overview of the new system see ISC’s announcement, PennFlex Phone service.

Handsets

If you have chosen to receive a new handset, you’ll need to set it up. Follow these directions to set up your new PennFlex Phone Handset.

For more information, see Using your PennFlex Phone below.

Using the App (Soft Client)

Whether or not you are using a handset, you will likely want to use the software application, Mobile App with Webex. This app can be set up on either your smart phone or your computer, or both. Use these instructions to get set up and start using the app.

If your computer is managed by Wharton computing, you will not need to install the app -- it has already been installed on your computer. Skip the first part about installation.

Computers Managed by Wharton Computing 

If your computer is managed by Wharton Computing, you do not need to install the app -- it has already been installed on your computer.

1. Launch the WebEx app.
   • Windows: Press the Windows Key and type WebEx to bring up the app.
   • Mac:  use Spotlight search and type WebEx
2. Skip the first part about installation in  these directions  and start with the section How do I sign in to Mobile App with Webex?.

Personal (or non-managed) Computers and Mobile Devices

Use these directions if you are setting up your application for the first time, or are shifting from the MobileConnect client. Make sure to choose the "Webex: Business" version, not the "Webex Meetings: Video Conferencing".

Forwarding Your Calls

You may have chosen the "Forward Only" option for your PennFlex phone number, which allows you to forward all your incoming calls to another device. Or, you may have a handset and wish to temporarily forward calls to another device. Here's how to forward your calls.

Forwarding from your Handset

To forward all incoming calls using the Home Screen on the PolycomVVX 400:

Full instructions for use of the Polycom VVX 400 can be found here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/smartlynk-vonage-assets/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/03211730/VVX-400-QSG.pdf

A video tutorial can be found here:  http://knowledgelink.upenn.edu/help/tutorials/VonagePolycomTutorial/story_html5.html

Forwarding from the App

To forward calls directly from the app you will need to first add the phone number you want to forward to, and then you can set the forwarding.

1. Log into the app.
2. Click on your profile, and choose Settings.
3. Choose Calling on the left navigation tree.
4. Under the Call Forward box on the right, enter the phone number that you want to forward to.
5. Click Save.
6. Go back and choose Call Forward from the drop down box.
7. Choose your phone number. 
8. Save.

To Unforward: choose Do Not Forward from the drop down box.

Using your PennFlex Phone

Your new PennFlex phone will provide many new useful services. You'll have access to a PennKey-based Single Sign-on (SSO) portal to view call analytics, configure voice and voicemail settings and access voicemail.  Once your phone is up and running, you'll be able to log into the portal, click the End User button, and explore all the new features and settings available to you.

International Calls

All users in the new phone system are configured to make international calls. To make a call outside of the US:  

1. Dial 011
2.  Dial country code
3.  Dial city code
4. Dial  phone number

For more information see the PennFlex FAQ.

Changing your Voicemail Greeting

There are several ways to customize your voicemail greetings on the new system. 

Use Standard Greeting

We recommend that you create a universal greeting that will work for most office situations. 

1. Access the standard voicemail greetings
   • From the PennFlex Phone: Press the messages button (or dial 99999), enter the passcode, then press #.
   • From another PennFlex Phone: Dial 86423, enter the mailbox's number, enter the passcode, then press #.
   • From a non-Penn phone: Dial 215-898-6423, enter the mailbox ID (the full 10-digit number), enter the passcode, then press #.
2. Press 1 to access your voice mailbox.
3. Press 8 to record your name for the standard messages.

Requesting a Customized Greeting

If you wish to create custom voicemails for different situations (i.e.: Away, Out of Office, etc.) please contact your Wharton IT Support Team for assistance.

Recommended Reading

Data Privacy: We want to make sure you understand how your data privacy is managed in this new system. 

Headsets: As with all phones there are some specific recommendations about headsets.

Voicemail and Passwords: They're critical -- here's how to check your voicemail and change your password.

PennFlex Phone Resources

• PennFlex Phone service details
• PennFlex Phone Migration details
• Training Videos: https://www.isc.upenn.edu/how-to/pennflex-phone-service-and-migration-resources#Training-Resources 
  • PennFlex Phone handsets
    • Poly VVX 401 Video Tutorial
    • Poly VVX 201 Video Tutorial
• PennFlex FAQ: https://www.isc.upenn.edu/how-to/pennflex-phone-service-and-migration-resources#FAQ