Getting Your Voicemail by Email

Although voicemail has been around for some time now, users have always been limited in how they could check their messages. Typically, the owner of the mailbox would have to call up their voicemail over the phone and navigate menus with their keypad. Now voicemail users can check their voicemails by e-mail! When there is a new voicemail, the voicemail system instantly digitizes the message and sends it to the mailbox owner''s email address.

Now there is no need to call up a number on a phone to access the messages, although this is still an option. This not only is a great convenience to many, but also actually works to save time. Because e-mail and voicemail can be accessed in one place, users do not have to log onto various accounts and be calling up phone numbers. They just sign onto their e-mail account and everything is right there!

The concept of voicemail forwarding is simple. First, the voicemail message is captured and digitized into an audio file for playback. Next, the file is formatted and delivered in an easily usable format to the user''s email account. Finally, the user accesses the voicemail by opening it up like any other e-mail in their inbox. The voicemail can be in a variety of audio formats. Most users choose to play back their voicemail with any number of available programs, the most popular being Windows Media Player, QuickTime, and the RealPlayer. Therefore, whatever the format of the voicemail is, it can be played with whatever program the user feels comfortable using.

Most of the files are either PCM audio (.wav files) or MP3. The great think about receiving voicemails in MP3 format is that they are easily playable by countless programs across any platform, which allows users to forward voicemails they received by e-mail to other people without fear that they wont be able to play them back.

It has been observed that users widely prefer to receive their voicemail by e-mail. Not only can the voicemails be saved and archived like any other e-mail, they are easily forwarded and copied to other people. Also, because the voicemails are in MP3 format, they do not take up a lot of space on the voicemail box owner''s computer, allowing them to save their voicemails for later reference.