Outbound Voice Mailbox Service

Disclosed is an outbound voice mailbox service that would send a message at programmed times, such as when phone rates are lowest or when the recipient is most likely to be accessible. Similar services are available for facsimile transmission--most commercial facsimile machines and facsimile/modems on computers have the capability of transmitting a document at programmed times; some can even store a facsimile in a mailbox until the recipient inputs a facsimile number to which it may be sent. In an outbound voice messaging service as proposed here, a caller enters a voice message into a system during the day, for example, and delays transmission of the call until that night when rates are lower or a recipient in a different time zone will not be disturbed at an inconvenient hour.