Voicemail
Voicemail is a telecommunications feature that allows users to receive and store voice messages for later retrieval, providing a significant advancement over traditional answering machines. Originating in 1975 with IBM's Steven J. Boies and gaining popularity in the early 1980s through commercialization by Octel Communications, voicemail transformed communication by enabling individuals and businesses to manage messages more efficiently. In the corporate context, each employee could have a dedicated mailbox, facilitating better message organization and enhancing communication without the need for immediate live interaction. Voicemail systems allow users to listen to messages remotely, store them, and even forward them, making it a versatile tool for both personal and professional use.
Despite its benefits, voicemail also presents challenges, such as the time spent listening to messages and the potential for unwanted calls. Additionally, the convenience of voicemail can lead to situations where individuals feel pressured to remain accessible, contributing to a culture of being "always on call." By the early 2000s, voicemail became an integral part of cell phone communication and business operations, illustrating both its utility and its drawbacks in modern life.
Voicemail
Centralized telecommunications technology in which spoken messages are recorded for later retrieval by the recipient
The popularity of voicemail in the 1980’s sped up business and family life.
Prior to the invention of voicemail, phone users employed answering machines, which were cumbersome. Voicemail originated in 1975 with Steven J. Boies of International Business Machines (IBM), and the concept caught on in the early 1980’s when it was commercialized by Octel Communications. In the late 1980’s, after the American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) breakup, Scott Jones of Boston Technology found it possible to make the system more accessible to everyone.
Voicemail added a large number of features that answering machine systems lacked. In the corporate realm, it allowed each member of a business to have a separate storage for incoming messages. Eventually, companies were able to centralize their voicemail work on one system. Voicemail was easy to use: Messages could be left even if the recipient was on another call, and users could hear instructions on the phone about how to use it. Each employee was assigned a mailbox, and a person could record a personal greeting for callers. With the introduction of voicemail, business people could make many more calls without having to rely on other staff members, thereby saving companies money as well as lost time and messages. Educators could reach students’ parents without getting a busy signal. The recipient could store messages, play them back remotely and at any time, or forward them to another location.
The downside to voicemail was that the recipient might have to spend a lot of time listening to calls. At home, people received unwanted sales calls on their voicemail. For people who wanted to speak with each other live, a lot of time might be spent playing “phone tag” with each other before they actually connected. People who called businesses often were automatically redirected without being able to speak to a customer service representative.
Impact
By the early twenty-first century, voicemail had become a ubiquitous feature for cell phone users and many businesses. People found voicemail to be both a blessing and a hindrance. While it liberated them from many of the hassles associated with earlier phone systems, it required people to be always “on call”—always able to be contacted.
Bibliography
Bates, Regis J., with Donald W. Gregory. Voice and Data Communications Handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006.
LeBon, Paul. Escape from Voicemail Hell: Boost Your Productivity by Making Voicemail Work for You. Highland Village, Tex.: Parleau, 1999.