voice mail

voice mail

Electronic system for recording oral messages sent by telephone. Typically, the caller hears a prerecorded message and then has an opportunity to leave a message in return. The person called can then retrieve the message at a later time by entering specific codes on his or her telephone. Voice mail is distinguished from an answering machine by its ability to provide service to multiple phone lines and by the more sophisticated functions that it offers in addition to recording messages.

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voice mail

A computerized telephone answering system that digitizes incoming voice messages and stores them on disk or flash memory. It usually provides auto attendant capability, which uses prerecorded messages to route the caller to the appropriate person, department or mailbox. Voice mail systems may also offer directory lookup by name.

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voice mail [′vȯis ‚māl]

(communications)

A method of storing voice-recorded messages and delivering them electronically to an intended receiver.

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(messaging, business)

voice mail - Any system for sending, storing and retrieving audio messages, like a telephone answering machine. A voice mailbox is typically associated with a telephone number or extension. When the number is called and the line is busy or not answered, the caller hears a message left by the owner and is given instructions for leaving a message or other available options, such as paging the individual or being transferred to an operator. The owner of a mailbox can change the outgoing message or listen to incoming messages after entering a PIN. Members of a voice mail system can generally forward or broadcast messages to other members' boxes. The experience of two people trying to reach other by telephone but always reaching each other's voice mail is referred to as "(tele)phone tag".