Cincinnati Bell - Home Phone Support

Follow these easy steps to set up your new Cincinnati Bell voicemail box:

Dial the access number: Greater Cincinnati (OH and IN): 513-554-1234 Greater Cincinnati (KY): 859-392-1234 Greater Dayton, Middletown and Springfield: 937-619-1234
Enter your 10-digit telephone number
Enter your temporary password, 1111
Listen to the New Subscriber Tutorial, an automated lesson in setting up your mailbox

How do I know that I have a new Voicemail message?

If you have new messages waiting, when you pick up your phone you will hear a stutter dial tone (short, quick tones). If your phone includes a message waiting indicator light, it will be on.

How do I check my voicemail messages?

To listen to your voicemail messages:

Dial *966 or *11
Enter your password and press #. If you have purchased Cincinnati Bell’s Per-Line Privacy feature, dial *82 plus the access number to release your number to the voicemail system.

Voicemail main menu:

To listen to new messages, press 11
To listen to saved messages, press 12
To change your greetings, press 43

How do I turn off my voicemail?

Voicemail can be removed or added to your Cincinnati Bell account anytime by selecting the Add Calling Features option for Home Phone under the My Services in your My Cincinnati Bell Account.

What features are available?

Enhanced Voicemail can include any or all of the following features: Single or multiple mailboxes (up to nine); Distinctive Ring, Zero Transfer; Voicemail.

Do I need to use all of these features?

No, all of the Enhanced Voicemail features are optional. You can take advantage of any or all of them. Enhanced Voicemail allows you to customize your voicemail to best suit your needs.

How does Enhanced Voicemail with Distinctive Ring work?

Prior to ringing, your main greeting will prompt the caller to select a single digit number, 1-9, that's been assigned specifically to you. You know whom the call is for by the distinctive ringing pattern assigned to your extension.

If I do not have Distinctive Ring with my Enhanced Voicemail, can I add it later?

Yes! You can add Distinctive Ring to your Enhanced Voicemail by accessing the "Manage My Voicemail" link within your My Cincinnati Bell account. If available in your area, you will see an option to add Distinctive Ring to your Enhanced Voicemail service.

How do I set up my Distinctive Ring feature?

Call 513-721-0231.
Enter your home phone number and your temporary password which is 1111. (Note: if you are calling from your home phone, you will be prompted to enter your password only.)
The first time you call, a tutorial will step you through changing your password, recording a greeting, and activating the service. Additional calls to this number will play the normal Main Menu.

Can I change my ring patterns?

To change your ring pattern, pick up your receiver and dial *963. Listen for a second dial tone, then press the number of rings desired followed by the pound sign (#). (Example: For 6 Rings, press 6#) Listen for the stutter dial tone to confirm.

Can I deactivate my Distinctive Ring feature?

Yes. You have two options:

To activate Distinctive Ring from your home phone, dial *959. To deactivate Distinctive Ring from your home phone, dial *958.
You can turn your Distinctive Ring on and off on the web by accessing the "Manage My Voicemail" link within your My Cincinnati Bell account and clicking the button to indicate that "Distinctive Rings are: On" (or Off).

How many mailboxes can I have?

With Enhanced Voicemail, you can have up to 9 personal mailboxes.

How do I add or delete mailboxes?

You can add or remove mailboxes by accessing the "Manage My Voicemail" link within your My Cincinnati Bell account and using the Add or Delete mailboxes functions.

What is the purpose of the Base mailbox?

With multiple mailboxes the Base Mailbox Introductory Greeting is only active if you are not using the Distinctive Ring service or if you turn off the Distinctive Ring feature. In that case, the Base Mailbox Introductory Greeting will be played when the phone is unanswered so callers can select a mailbox for their message. If you do not wish to record a personalized Introductory Greeting for your Base Mailbox, you can use the message that comes prerecorded with your Multiple Voice Mailboxes. If callers hear your base mailbox greeting and do not press an option to be connected with a personal mailbox, they may leave a message in your base mailbox.

How do I change my mailbox password?

Call your voicemail access number
(513) 554-1234 - Cincinnati or Indiana
(859) 392-1234 - Northern Kentucky
(937) 619-1234 - Dayton area
Listen to the introductory prompt
Press # (You can interrupt the introductory prompt by pressing the # key)
Enter your ten-digit mailbox number (your telephone number including area code)
Enter your password (if you have multiple mailboxes, this is the password associated with the mailbox you are checking)
Press 4 for Personal Options
Press 2 for Administrative Options
Press 1 to Change Your Password

Why do I have to have a different password for each mailbox?

When you have multiple mailboxes, your 10-digit telephone number along with the unique mailbox password is how the voicemail system distinguishes one mailbox from the other.

Will Call Waiting work with my Voice Mail box?

Call Waiting works with Voice Messaging. If you are on the phone and you hear the Call Waiting tone, you can choose to answer the call or ignore the call and let it go to Voice Mail. If you choose to put the first call on hold to answer the second call and a third call comes in, the third caller will hear one ring before being forwarded to your mailbox.

Can I forward my calls to a different telephone number at certain times?

If you subscribe to Call Forwarding Variable or Anywhere Call Forwarding on the telephone line with Voice Messaging, you can choose to forward your calls straight to Voice Mail or to a different telephone number. When Call Forwarding Variable or Anywhere Call Forwarding is activated on your telephone line, you will not be able to answer incoming calls at that telephone line.