Answering Machine Buying Guide

Standalone vs. In-Phone

Both stand-alone and in-phone answering machines have their advantages. In homes or offices where the telephones themselves are in frequent use, standalone answering machines let you listen to, replay and organize messages without the use of the handset. Standalone machines are the best choice for busy households and small offices as they tend to offer more message storage space and more robust features than their abbreviated, built-in counterparts. If you don’t need to save or log messages for later reference or rely more on your cell phone for incoming calls, in-phone answering machines offer you the basic benefits of standalone units without a host of features you’re unlikely to use.

Recording Options

Digital recording has replaced the tape-recording technology and delivers greater audio clarity on playback. Whether you’re considering an in-phone or standalone answering machine, look for answering machines that allow you to determine the length of recorded messages at a variety of increments (usually one minute, four minutes or no-limit). Setting message length determines the overall number of messages your answering machine can record as well as dictates how long each caller can speak. If you’re purchasing the answering machine for a business, you’ll want the one you choose to let you set the message length to no limit so customers and vendors are able to leave as much or as little information as they need to.

Higher-end answering machines may also feature the ability to record your actual telephone conversations which may prove invaluable in small business applications. Recording a conversation so you can refer to it later for questions, order details or service requests means you won’t have to make repeated calls back to your customer to get the information straight. It’s handy at home too, if you’re speaking with the pharmacy about medications or are getting directions and don’t a pen or paper to jot down notes.

Message Storage

Unlike their tape-based predecessors which had a message storage capacity of about 45-60 minutes, the average digital answering machine typically stores about 15 minutes of message time. Fifteen minutes may be fine for personal use, but home-based or small businesses look for higher-end machine that record up to 45 minutes. You’ll pay significantly more for the convenience, but if means the difference between landing or losing a new account, you’ll be glad you made it.

Busy households, home-based and small business will also want to choose answering machines that organize messages by mailbox. If each family member or employee has its own mailbox with security access, the only one who can accidentally erase a message for you is you. Of course, tapeless recording means you’ll never lose important messages when the machine ‘eats’ your tape.

Remote Access

Remote access is a key feature of answering machine technology. You’ll want your machine to allow you to call in from elsewhere to listen to, save or erase messages as well turn your machine on and off. You’ll also want to consider how the answering machine you’re looking at asks you to do to retrieve your messages. Some message retrieval systems require that you press # or * or various combinations of number keys to navigate its menus. If keeping track of details isn’t your strong suit choose an answering machine that features voice prompts instead. You’ll still need to remember your security code, but the prompts will simplify the message retrieval process.

Finally, if you travel a great deal and use calling cards to phone home for messages, look for your answering machine to have the “toll saver” option. The toll saver sets your answering machine to pick after four rings when there are no messages or two rings if you do. You’ll know after the second ring whether you have messages or not and can hang up on the third ring if you don’t and not be charged for the call.

Backups and Additional Features

In the event of a power outage, digital answering machines will offer either a battery backup or record your messages on flash media. Battery backups ensure your machine remains functional when the electricity’s out, but the caveat is that it’s up to you make sure the batteries are working. Either method works to save your messages, but if you don’t want the hassle of checking and replacing batteries, choose a machine with a flash media storage option.

When it comes to additional features, there are a few that we think are worth investing in. Auto-disconnect turns the answering machine off when you answer a call after the machine has picked up; some machines only disconnect if the call is picked up during the greeting while others will disconnect at any time—but only if you answer the telephone connected to the machine (extensions won’t activate the auto-disconnect feature). Time and date stamps help you keep track of who called when and Caller ID announcement reads back the incoming telephone number so you don’t even need to check to see who’s calling—your machine will tell you.

Need to know more?

• Answering Machine Reviews
  http://reviews.cnet.com/4244-3494_7-0.html?query=answering+machines&sort=mostrecentreview&fOrder=&type=&tag=srt.rdate
• History of Answering Machines
  http://inventors.about.com/od/astartinventions/a/Answering.htm
• How Stuff Works: Answering Machines
  http://products.howstuffworks.com/answering-machines-buying-guide.htm