2 Line Answering Machine

2 line answering machines can answer two lines simultaneously with two different messages.

A 2 line answering machine fulfills a very important function for small businesses and home business offices. One of the most challenging problems for successful small businesses is dealing with incoming phone calls both during and after business hours as they cannot afford to miss the opportunity to connect with potential customers no matter what the day or time is.  2 line answering machines are a solution that don't cost as much as answering services or voice mail systems and with the new technologies available today, are versatile enough to handle many messages and multiple extensions over two lines and be incorporated with multi line phones. They can make even a single-person business operating out of a basement sound and feel like a professional company.

Most such multi line answering machines will work with the "distinctive ring" feature that phone companies offer, diverting calls to the appropriate line and extension and playing back the appropriate message which not only sounds professional but is immensely helpful to the business owner. Obviously, it also works equally well if the machine is installed for family use and has distinctive rings for parents and children or husband and wife.

A 2 line answering machine can only record one message at a time and this may be one problem. However, if two calls come in at the same time, a work around is to play a message asking the caller to wait a moment while the other message is recorded. Earlier models used micro cassettes to do the recording but the newer ones almost all have digital recording which offers many advantages, the most important being the ability to skip forwards and backwards through messages instantly which is not possible with the tape models.

Some of the high end answering machines will have voicemail capability allowing several different mailboxes for incoming calls. They can also have different outgoing messages for each mailbox and each mailbox can have its own passcode and be accessed remotely.

If the machine is integrated with multi line phones, including a 2 line phone, it may be able to forward the recorded message to a programmed-in phone number. So as soon as the message is recorded, the machine will call your phone number and you can listen to it after you enter your passcode.

Here is a description & some reviews of the typical 2 line answering machine:

Uniden TRU9496 2-Line Corded/Cordless Digital Answering System
Expandable to a total of 10 handsets--1 extra handset included! 2 mailboxes, Power failure operation through corded base, IntegriSound life-like audio, 100-name phonebook with 2 phone numbers per name, up to 100-number Caller ID memory, Handset speakerphone, Headset compatible, 7-qay conferencing, Base to handset call transfer, Intercom between handsets, Transfer phonebook memory between handsets, Room/baby monitor, DirectLink 2-way radio feature, Call screening, Trilingual voice prompts, New message LED indicator, Time and date stamp, Call and memo recording, Animated display, Backlit display, Trilingual menus, Dual caller ID display, Clock display, IntegriSound natural sounding answering system, 20 ring tone options, Personal ring feature, Do not disturb setting, Lighted keypad, Belt clip included, Last 3 number redial, Mute/Hold features.

Reviews:

"...After trying the Panasonic KX-TG6700B (defective), the Motorola MD7081 and MD7091 (both have terrible sound quality), and the AT&T EP5962 (poor button layout and feel and display) I decided to try a Uniden product. So far, the TRU9496 is getting the job done..."

"...Nice unit but a few odd characteristics get in the way. Why is the message retrieval switch harder to reach than the switch to turn off the answering machine. Why is the messaging capacity separate for each line? Why do you have to delete messages as they play instead of by number?..."

"...I was able to link the two cordless phones I had purchased as well as the cordless phone that came with the original base to the new base unit (although Uniden advised me that that would not be possible). Overall this is a functional system and performs as advertised..."

More Info

Give your business communications a boost with a 2 line answering machine.