Is it possible to receive SMS alerts for missed calls when they don't leave a voicemail?

[hamisherskine]

According to a previous thread from January 2016, it seems that it used to be possible to choose text alerts for missed calls by dialling 121 then choosing options 4 > 3 > 5. Now however, when you select option 4 (mailbox settings), the only available options are 2 (mailbox security), 5 (advanced mailbox settings) and 1 (main menu). There is no option 3, so it seems to me that it's no longer possible to setup SMS alerts for missed callers who don't leave a voicemail. If that's true, it's a deal-breaker for me and I need to switch networks. But I'd like to be sure before I take that step.

My daughter's phone contract is with EE. If her phone is switched off, then as soon as she turns it back on again she receives SMS alerts for any missed calls, irrespective of whether they left a voicemail. But it seems that with Vodafone you can only get SMS alerts when they leave a voicemail.

I spent some time speaking to Vodafone's technical support yesterday, and they told me SMS missed call alerts are only possible if they leave a voicemail. Are they right? The person I was speaking to didn't come across as an expert who necessarily knew what he was talking about.

I have an iPhone 5S running iOS 10.3.2. If a call comes in but I am too slow to answer it, it is flagged as a missed call within my phone app. But if I am out of signal coverage at the time, unless they leave me a voicemail I don't receive any missed call alert when I come back into signal coverage, even though everything is enabled within Settings > Notifications > Phone, etc.

I use my phone for my plumbing business, so no option for missed call SMS alerts means a lot of lost business.

[jeffkinn]

Forget Vodafone - get Hullomail Visual Voicemail app. A superior voicemail system and it'll notifiy you of all missed calls even when no message left.

[hamisherskine]

Thanks Jeffkin, I've started a one month trial of HulloMail's business service, and I think this should give me what I need.

[DroneOn]

No need to forget Vodafone - you can indeed get an SMS for missed calls when no voicemail is left (Vodafone call it a 'slam down' alert), and for me at least, it was on by default. Also, I've just called voicemail to check, and I do have an option 3 within mailbox settings.

[jeffkinn]

Hullomail is far superior to Vodafone voicemail and gives a business a lot of extra useful functionality.

I've used it for years - wouldn't be without it.

[DroneOn]

Good for you. But the fact is that Vodafone's own voicemail service does exactly what the OP wants.

[hamisherskine]

DroneOn, I don't know why you have an option 3 in mailbox settings when I don't. I wonder if it's because I was a One Net customer until yesterday? Vodafone's tech support guy had clearly never heard of a slam down alert. After being told SMS alerts were not possible unless the caller left a voicemail I asked to be put through to the leave team so I could get a PAC code and port my number to another network. But the retentions guy convinced me to stick with Vodafone for now and offered me a cheap discounted deal on their standard service without the One Net virtual landline. I now have 30 days in which I can trial their standard service and cancel the new 12 month contract if necessary. Given that the virtual number is still diverting to my mobile, I guess the switch-over hasn't yet fully completed and I'm still actually getting their One Net service. What Vodafone contract are you on?

[DroneOn]

Yes it is a bit strange. I'm on a 12-month SIM-only personal (non-business) contract, I think the tariff might be called '20GB Red Entertainment'.

I have heard before of certain network features only working for customers who are on Vodafone's latest billing system (and as I only joined 10 months ago, I'm confident I am), so maybe that's got something to do with it. Although I can't imagine why which billing system you 're on should affect a feature like this.

It might be worth asking them if they can reset your voicemail?