留言機(Answering Maching)
this is a telephone with a tape recorder. when there is no one in the office, you can leave the answering machine on so that people who call you up can leave a message. when you return to the office the following morning or after the hoiday,you can listen to the messages and take any necessaary action.
many offices use answering machines to give information.imagine a railway station, a bus company or a cinema, which many people need to ring to find out the times of trains, buses or films. you can print the telephone number of your information service in the newspaper. then, instead of having someone answering the phone all day, people can ring up the railway station and listen to a tape recording of the information.what's more this information line "operates 24 hours a day."