answering service

American  

noun

1. a service providing operators who answer a subscriber's telephone and take messages when the subscriber does not answer.

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Etymology

Origin of answering service

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

You’ll note that this was a game show about the news, in which the only prizes are bragging rights and an audience member’s chance to have Bill Kurtis provide the voice for the outgoing message on their phone’s answering service.

From Salon

He worked for Crocker National Bank and for Pacific Bell Telephone, where his duties included testing software and answering service calls in an office complex with 6,240 cubicles and enough bureaucracy to inspire decades of gags.

From The Wall Street Journal

A chip shop manager said he has programmed an AI answering service to take orders in a bid to cut costs.

From BBC

“We also had an answering service at the time. I’d do all my own billing.”

From Seattle Times

That neurologist wasn’t on call, she was told by the answering service, but someone would call her back.

From New York Times