Voice mail system, is a centralized system for managing telephone messages simultaneously for a large group of people. In its simplest form it mimics the functions of an answering machine, but uses a central shared server rather than dedicated equipment at the individual telephone. The system has capability to forward messages to another voice mailbox, sending messages to multiple voice mailboxes, adding voice notes to a message, storing messages for future delivery, making calls to a telephone upon receipt of a message (outcall, SMS, e-mail, etc. notification), transferring callers to another phone for personal assistance and playing different message greetings for different callers.

Voicemail messages are stored in media currently available like hard drives, optical drives, and tape drives.