Transfer a caller directly to a Unity Express Mailbox using a prepend * character

Question

I have a CME and CUE setup for our phone system. I experiemented setting up the feature to automatically transfer a calle directly to a CUE mailbox.
In CME
ephone-dn 128
number 32252
call-forward all 2999
In CUE
At config prompt
username JoeWho phonenumberE164 32252
This set up worked and calls/transfers using 32252 went directly to the voicemail. However, is it possible to use * as the prepend and not a number. A comment in the following article suggests that you can:
http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/2287/callmanager_express_transfer_direct_to_unity_express_voicemail/
However, when I tried using the *, CUE objected saying that * was an invalid character.
Here is what I am running:
VicCME#sh telephony-service
CONFIG (Version=7.1)
=====================
Version 7.1
Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express
VicCUE# sh software version
Cisco Unity Express version (7.0.3)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport Copyright (c) 1986-2008 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Components:
- CUE Voicemail Language Support version  7.0.3

Answer 1

Thank you, Rob
Yes, I was actually doing more work than required. I cloned the production template and created a new template#3 and added the trnsfvm option as follows to the softkeys line of the template. I then applied that to my phone and reset my phone as shown below (Setting up softkey for trnsfvm). The transfer to voicemail works perfectly using the softkey. However, I cannot seem to get the fac option to work. That is, suppose I want to leave a message for someone in their voicemail (not transfering an outside call to someone's voicemail). For example, I have tried many keys my config is:
telephony-service
fac custom trnsfvm * (#* or #0 or #22)
I reset my phone and when I press the fac keys, I receive an undefined # on my phone. For example, if I define the fac as #0, then I would pick up the headset hit the #0extension# keys. So, if I wanted to leave a message to extension 2148's voicemail, I would dial #02148. However, this does not work.
Was there something else that I needed to do? Do I have to create the cnf-files?
telephony-service
create cnf-files
Or, do I have to reset the CME/phone system?
I also tried "fac-standard" that sets trnsfvm to *6, but that also does not work and I also get an "Undefined" display when I try to use it.
VicCME#sh telephony-service fac
  telephony-service fac standard
    callfwd all **1
    callfwd cancel **2
    pickup local **3
    pickup group **4
    pickup direct **5
    park **6
    dnd **7
    redial **8
    voicemail **9
    ephone-hunt join *3
    ephone-hunt cancel #3
    ephone-hunt hlog *4
    ephone-hunt hlog-phone *5
    trnsfvm *6
    dpark-retrieval *0
VicCME#
Setting up the softkey for Trnsfvm.
phone-template  3
conference drop-mode local
conference add-mode creator
conference admin
softkeys hold  Resume Newcall
softkeys idle  Redial Newcall Cfwdall Dnd
softkeys seized  Redial Endcall Meetme
softkeys alerting  Endcall
softkeys connected  Hold Trnsfer Endcall Trnsfvm LiveRcd Confrn ConfList
softkeys ringing  Answer Dnd
ephone  28
ephone-template 3