Looking for answering machine software

[Blackspear]

I am looking for recommendations of answering machine software to go on my computer.

Suggestions please.

Cheers ;D

[Mrkvonic]

Hello,
How's the budget? Free or not?
I have a friend who uses cable voip phone and he uses some sort of the software you might like. I'll ask him if he got it from the provider or if he bought / downloaded it.
Mrk

[ThunderZ]

I believe this link came from a Member here so credit go`s to "insert proper name here". Hope you find what you are looking for. http://freeware.intrastar.net/telephone.htm

[Blackspear]

Thanks for that, I'm currently looking at http://www.ancyba.com/ and anything else I come across.

Cheers ;D

[Blackspear]

About to try IVM Telephone Answering Attendant 2.42, it looks really impressive from the screenshots (http://www.nch.com.au/ivm/screenshots.html) and only US$19.50 (http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/downloads/IVM_Telephone_Answering_Attendant_582_p/)

Cheers ;D

[MikeNash]

Hi Blackspear,

Depending on how far you want to go (and if you have a spare box lying around) then you could try out Asterisk.

It's probably (nay, almost certainly) overkill for what you want, but its an open-source Linux PBX system. There's an asterisk@home project which should work pretty much out of the box (although I have never tried that distribution).

It also supports VOIP through a number of providers - you can get a number for around $10 per month.

It has pretty much all of the features you'd want in an answering machine and, all of the features you'd want in a top-end PBX system - such as IVR, call queues, voicemail, music on hold, etc.

When we first started using it, we diverted our standard telstra number to our voip indial number and voila - cooking on gas :)

Probably overkill, but if you get bored it's definitely worth playing around with.

Mike

[dallen]

My advice is that you change the way you are looking at things. If you have cable internet (broadband) then you should consider using Vonage (http://www.vonage.com) as your VOIP provider. $25 / month and you get all the bells and wistles (3-way calling, caller ID, call waiting with caller ID, and much more). When someone leaves me a voice message, I get an e-mail letting me know and the e-mail contains a .wav file attachment of the message.

That doesn't include the fact that I can call anywhere in the U.S., Canada, and now Europe for free. The call quality is awesome and you can use your regular phone. You take your small Vonage box with you and plug it into any broadband connection anwhere you go and your phone service goes with you. Also, the online account manager is cool. I can see, almost in real time, an activity sheet that tells me who called me, who I called, when, and how long we talked. Oh, and I can set my calls to be forwarded to any number without having to do it from my phone. I can make all adjustments to my phone from anywhere that has internet access.

[Blackspear]

-{ Quote: "Probably overkill, but if you get bored it's definitely worth playing around with." }-Thanks Mike, when I start playing with Linux I'll have a further look in this direction.


-{ Quote: "My advice is that you change the way you are looking at things. If you have cable internet (broadband) then you should consider using Vonage (http://www.vonage.com) as your VOIP provider." }-G'day dallen, they don't appear to operate in Australia.

Cheers ;D

[Notok]

I've been using CallStation (http://www.imptec.com/) for years, and absolutely love it. I tried out a bunch of others, but this was the one that I liked the most, with the best set of features (there's lots). I even made a custom skin for the CallerID popups ;D

[dallen]

-{ Quote: "G'day dallen, they don't appear to operate in Australia.

Cheers ;D" }-
My apologies for assuming that you were American. I hope that you don't consider the assumption insulting.

Your comment caused me to call Vonage to verify that they do not offer service in Australia. That is a fact. They offer service in Austria right now, but not Australia. I could not get any information as to when, or if, the service would be offered there. All I can say is that you should keep your eye on Vonage because if you have broadband service and they begin to offer service down under, I think you would not regret giving the service a try.

[Blackspear]

-{ Quote: "I've been using CallStation (http://www.imptec.com/) for years, and absolutely love it. I tried out a bunch of others, but this was the one that I liked the most, with the best set of features (there's lots). I even made a custom skin for the CallerID popups ;D" }-
Thanks Notok, that is one I have downloaded ready to try.


-{ Quote: "My apologies for assuming that you were American. I hope that you don't consider the assumption insulting.

Your comment caused me to call Vonage to verify that they do not offer service in Australia. That is a fact. They offer service in Austria right now, but not Australia. I could not get any information as to when, or if, the service would be offered there. All I can say is that you should keep your eye on Vonage because if you have broadband service and they begin to offer service down under, I think you would not regret giving the service a try." }-No worries dallen, and I shall keep an eye on it.

Cheers ;D