Verizon Wireless has introduced Visual Voice Mail, a new application that lets customers manage their voice mail on their phones. Available on the LG Voyager, Visual Voice Mail provides an easy-to-use display screen with one-touch access to listen to voice mail messages. Customers can also delete, reply and forward their voice mail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions.
The service is powered by Alcatel-Lucent and Comverse.  The Alcatel-Lucent 5150 Messaging Applications Broker (MAB)  provides enhanced notification and content delivery services for voice, text and video messages through an intuitive visual interface. Alcatel-Lucent is also providing network integration services for Visual Voice Mail. Comverse is supplying its InSight Next-Generation Voicemail Platform.
Visual Voice Mail allows customers to see a list of all of their voice mail messages with important information, such as date and time of receipt, as well as message duration, in order to prioritise and efficiently manage their voice mail messages directly from their phones. When a caller leaves a new voice mail message, the Visual Voice Mail application pops up, alerting the customer that a new voice mail message has been received. From the phone display, customers can select from a number of options, including call back, reply, forward, add to contacts, and archive message (to internal or external memory).
Customers can store up to 40 messages for 40 days double the storage capacity and nearly double the retention time of Basic Voice Mail. In addition, customers can create up to 10 greetings, as well as up to 20 distribution lists and 50 distribution members to receive messages.
Verizon Wireless recognises that voice mail plays a large role in how customers conduct business and manage the balance between their personal and professional lives, says Verizon Wireless Executive Director for Marketing, Mike Willsey. With Visual Voice Mail, were able to offer customers more options to help them better prioritise voice mail messages from family, friends, colleagues, and business partners in a more timely and effective manner.
Verizon Wireless customers can find the Visual Voice Mail application on the Messaging menu under option 6 on their Voyager handsets. Visual Voice Mail is available for $2.99 (1.60) per month, per line, plus airtime or megabyte charges and messaging fees, depending on a customers plan. Customers can take their Voyager phone to any Verizon Wireless Communications Store to receive the free software update. Verizon Wireless expects to offer Visual Voice Mail on additional devices in the coming months.