Voice mail offers several advantages over an answering machine. It is easily accessible remotely, and can be accessed independently of the phone line, so important phone calls aren't thwarted by a busy signal. In addition, voice mail is more reliable than an answering machine. It is unaffected by loose wires or power outages. Replacing your answering machine with voice mail can seem intimidating initially, but it is quite simple.
Instructions
Purchase a Voice Mail System
1. Consider how many mailboxes your voice mail system will need. Standard voice mail packages come with one mailbox for all the users involved, while an expanded service package provides multiple mailboxes that can be accessed from the voice mail's menu.
2. Examine how long voice mail messages will be kept in the mailbox. The voice mail's mailbox keeps recorded messages for a limited amount of time before deleting them. This can be anywhere from 14 to 21 days.
3. Decide on how much time should be allotted for a voice mail message. Most companies offer a 3-minute limit, while others may provide up to 5 minutes to leave a message.
4. Figure out how many messages the voice mail system should be able to store. Most companies offer a storage space of 20 messages, with more space available upon purchasing an extended plan.
5. Look at the extra features available. Some advanced features will translate your voice mail into text, and then send the voice mail to an email account of your choice. Others will send you an email message to let you know you have voice mail, and a number of companies provide a number to dial to check your voice mail remotely. A more recent development allows faxes to be sent to a voice mail system and retrieved by the mailbox's owner at her convenience.
Configure the Voice Mail System
6. Dial into the voice mail system and get acquainted with the menu. Many voice mail systems have a set of instructions designed specifically for the first-time user, but after that, the user will be given a pre-generated voice mail. Learn what telephone buttons will perform what actions, and don't worry if you are slightly confused at first, as you'll learn with experience.
7. Keep a printout of the menu options for easy reference.
8. Replace the preset personal identification number with a personalized one. The voice mail system will usually generate a random personal identification number that you can then change as you see fit. Make sure to memorize your personal identification number, or replace it with a number that is meaningful to you in some way.
9. Record a personal greeting for people who have been transferred to your voice mail system. Keep it simple-the way you would when recording a message for an answering machine. Make sure to ask people to leave a call-back number, along with a brief message as to why they are contacting you.
10. Disconnect your answering machine from the telephone line. While this is not exactly required, keeping your answering machine connected to the telephone line after you replace it with voice mail may result in it answering calls before voice mail does, completely invalidating your purchase.
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