Glossary / Voicemail and Messaging
📬 Voicemail and Messaging covers how your Cloud PBX handles voice messages, fax, and text-based communication. This section contains 8 terms, from basic voicemail to transcription, visual voicemail, and business SMS.
On this page: Voicemail · Visual Voicemail · Voicemail-to-Email · Voicemail Transcription · Shared Voicemail/Group Voicemail · Greeting · Fax over IP/T.38 · SMS/MMS in Business Telephony
Voicemail
A system that records a voice message from a caller when you cannot answer the phone. The caller hears a greeting, leaves a message, and hangs up. You can listen to your messages later from your phone, a web portal, or an email. Voicemail is a standard feature on every Cloud PBX and replaces the need for physical answering machines.
Related: Voicemail-to-Email · Greeting · Do Not Disturb
Visual Voicemail
A feature that displays your voicemail messages as a list on a screen, similar to an email inbox. Instead of listening to messages one by one in order, you can see the caller's name, number, time, and duration, and choose which message to play first. Visual voicemail is available on most modern softphones and mobile apps.
Related: Voicemail · Voicemail Transcription · Softphone
Voicemail-to-Email
A feature that sends voicemail messages to your email inbox as audio file attachments. When someone leaves a voicemail, the system emails you an MP3 or WAV file along with the caller's number and the time of the call. You can listen to the message from your email client on any device without calling into the voicemail system.
Related: Voicemail · Voicemail Transcription
Voicemail Transcription
A feature that converts voicemail audio into written text using speech recognition. The transcribed text is delivered by email or displayed in your phone app. This lets you read your messages quickly, even in meetings or noisy environments. Accuracy depends on the speaker's clarity and the language. Some systems use AI to improve transcription quality.
Related: Voicemail-to-Email · Visual Voicemail · AI Transcription
Shared Voicemail/Group Voicemail
A voicemail box that is shared by a team or department instead of belonging to one person. Calls to a sales queue, support line, or general office number that go unanswered land in the shared mailbox. Any team member can listen to and manage the messages. This ensures no customer message is missed when one person is unavailable.
Related: Voicemail · Call Queue · Ring Group
Greeting
The recorded message a caller hears before leaving a voicemail or when reaching an auto-attendant. Common types include a personal greeting ("You have reached John Smith..."), a busy greeting (played when the line is in use), and an unavailable greeting (played after hours). Cloud PBX systems let you record greetings by phone or upload audio files.
Related: Voicemail · Auto-Attendant · Night Mode
Fax over IP/T.38
A method of sending and receiving fax documents over an internet connection instead of a traditional phone line. T.38 is the standard protocol that makes this reliable by converting fax signals into IP packets in real time. Many businesses in legal, healthcare, and government sectors still rely on fax. Cloud PBX providers offer virtual fax numbers that deliver incoming faxes as PDF files to your email.
SMS/MMS in Business Telephony
The ability to send and receive text messages (SMS) and picture messages (MMS) from your business phone number. Some Cloud PBX providers enable SMS on your office number so customers can text you at the same number they call. Messages appear in a web portal or app. Business SMS is useful for appointment confirmations, order updates, and quick replies.
Related: CPaaS · Omnichannel
Related Sections
🔀 Call Routing and Features — IVR, queues, forwarding, and 30+ call handling terms
💬 Unified Communications — UCaaS, video, chat, and contact centres
🔒 Security — Encryption, fraud prevention, and access control
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