Ensure that you use push-button or touchtone dialing during your call to make menu selections or enter data. Many TTY devices, including the Avaya Model 8840 TTY, can generate touchtones to dial a number. However, after the call is connected, these devices switch automatically from touchtone mode to TTY mode. For this reason, you need to use a separate touchtone telephone with the TTY device. One way to do this is to use an acoustic coupler to connect the TTY device and the telephone.
An alternative approach is to use the TTY with an Avaya IP Softphone. Configure the IP Softphone to be in Telecommuter mode and designate the TTY device as the associated analog telephone. The IP Softphone user interface allows touchtones to be transmitted to Messaging.
When you use Messaging with a TTY device, the system displays menus and prompts on the TTY device. The menus and prompts present options for Messaging features. Frequently, you get Messaging prompts to press numbers or type letters and characters on the telephone keypad. When you press the keys on the telephone keypad in response to the prompts, you send commands in the form of touchtone signals to Messaging. The only time that you type on the TTY device is after you receive the Go Ahead (GA) prompt.
When you receive a voice message, the TTY device either displays no text, or occasional random characters. When a message contains voice, the signal indicator on the TTY device fluctuates randomly. The TTY device converts the TTY tones to text on the TTY device display, but cannot similarly convert audio voice messages to text. If necessary, request assistance from another person, such as a relay operator.