According to a research conducted by a trade group, NEARLY 70 PERCENT of houses in the United States have telephone answering machines, but this does not indicate that they are simple to purchase. A big consumer electronics retailer could carry thirty or more different models, each of which comes with an extensive range of options. And considering the proliferation of home voice mail systems, it’s probable that an answering machine isn’t the greatest solution for maintaining relationships with close friends and family members.

How do you decide between voice mail and an answering machine?

 

When deciding between an answering machines and voice mail, what factors should you consider? One factor to think about is the money involved. It is possible to purchase an answering machine for as low as $20 or as much as $300 if it is connected with a cordless telephone. The majority of individuals who use personal voice mail subscribe to the service through their local phone companies. The monthly prices for such a service start at $7 and go higher depending on the options, in addition to additional installation fees that vary nationally.

However, price isn’t the only factor to consider. For instance, Craig Elliott is someone who uses voice mail but acknowledges that answer machines are more cost-effective. However, the fact that he participates in young sports makes the month-to-month expense justified.

Voicemail can be a godsend for people who are too busy to answer calls during group events. The same is true for households that have only one telephone line but have Internet dependent children. Voicemail ensures that even during long Junior online chat sessions, callers can leave you a message even if you’re not available. A fax option that rings the pager after every message, or after a message that callers consider urgent, can be useful for business people, such as Call tracking reviews.

It’s possible that roommates will enjoy the seclusion that voice mail provides. Because there is no loudspeakers involved, it is possible to create individual mailboxes for each member of the household. This ensures that no one in the home overhears any of the messages that are sent. Voice message does not need any extra room on the kitchen floor, and it does not need any energy to function. Your communications will be preserved even if there is a power outage or if the extremely improbable case of a house fire causes you to lose your home.

Despite the fact that voice mail can bypass the effects of mother earth, the service often lacks two features that a lot of people in the United States want: the option to screen callers and a notice light or buzzer that informs you when there are new messages. You may check voice-mail calls and see that there are messages waiting with a $100 gadget dubbed the Smart Screen from Solo Point. Some modern cellphones come equipped with a light that illuminates when a voice-mail message is waiting to be retrieved. However, this is exactly what answering machines are designed to accomplish.

It might be confusing to choose an answering machine

 

The variety of options available for answering machines might be daunting. These machines can be purchased as freestanding devices or as space-saving variants that are coupled with corded or cordless telephones. Tape-based machines continue to be the least priced types available. According to the makers, these machines provide superior sound quality to low-end digital devices, but since they have moving components, they are more prone to become damaged. In addition, they provide a greater amount of space for texts, up to 30 worth, whereas their digital equivalents only provide 10 to 24 minutes’ worth of space. However, even ten minutes is plenty for the majority of house answering machines, according to Tom Catenzano of Philips Consumer Communications. This is because the typical duration of a message left at a home answering machine is fifteen seconds.

An answering machine will, at its most fundamental level, record messages, show whether or not any texts have been left, and allow you to screen incoming calls. Other important features include a time-date stamp that shows you exactly when visitors left their messages, which may be accessed at any time. If your device is placed in a location that makes it difficult to view it, having a function that provides audible notifications, such as a voiceover or a buzzer to signify messages, may be a very valuable addition. Consider purchasing a gadget that has an auto-disconnect feature if you find yourself screening calls on a regular basis. If you pick up the telephone while the welcome is playing, the machine will immediately stop playing so that you do not have to yell over the music to speak to the callers.

Multiple mailboxes, remote access, and management capabilities that help you rapidly go through, store, or delete your messages are just some of the ways in which many digital models offer alternatives that are analogous to voice mail in some sense.

Pete Anson, a marketing director for the maker Casio Phone Mate, stated that digital devices offer a great deal of versatility. You are able to delete a particular message inside a stream more messages, which is something that is not feasible with a device that uses tape.

Call forwarding is an additional feature that is available on some devices. This feature enables you to direct the machine to dial a particular phone contact because when a caller leaving a text on your home computer. Before a message may be played for you, you are required to enter a secret code in order to maintain your anonymity.

When you check your messages away from home, you may reduce the amount of money you spend by using a feature called toll saver.

The phone will pick up after two rings when there are any messages; otherwise, it will wait until after two more rings, giving you the option to stop the call and save any potential toll fees.

A small price may buy you a lot of options. One major retailer offers a standalone answering machine with features like toll-saving, power-failure protection, remote access, and more for about $20.

A lengthy feature list, however, does not imply superiority. Robert Winkel, a salesperson at Circuit City in Berkeley, California, claimed that you won’t know how excellent a device is until you bring it house and test it out. Given that, the return policy of a merchant ought to be examined before making any purchases.

Please, At the Sounds of the Beep

Voice mail is commonplace in many businesses, and millions of families use answering machines. You may assume that Americans are able to leave messages after so much experience. But you’d be mistaken.

Users of voice mail who were asked by Pacific Telephone about their biggest pet peeves this year mentioned messages that are too lengthy and rambling, difficult to comprehend, or lacking essential information.

Making a Decision

 

Should you subscribe to voice mail or invest in an answering machine instead? Several important considerations are as follows:

 

EXPENSE — In the majority of states, it only takes three months for an answering machine that cost $20 to pay for itself, whereas residential voice mail requires payment on a monthly basis.

 

PRIVACY — Adults who share a home phone may find it more convenient to have numerous voice mailboxes, each with its own unique password, rather than a shared answering machine that broadcasts messages to the entire household.

On the other side, parents could be interested in having the capacity to monitor the texts which are left for young youngsters.

Utilities–Answering machines are the only devices that can screen incoming calls without the need for pricey add-on equipment.

Just voice mail allows callers to leave a message for you whether you are using another phone, sending a fax, or browsing the Internet if you only have a single phone line in your house.

SPECIAL NEEDS — In contrast, a desktop answering machine needs both a wall outlet and some space on the counter in order to function. Voice mail may be accessed without being seen. That may be significant in a space with a lot of people.

Or maybe you need to record talks over the phone (which is illegal in some jurisdictions), or you want to add the capacity of using a speakerphone. Both of these functions and a great deal more are available on certain answering machines.