VOICE MAIL SYSTEM FOR OBTAINING FORWARDING NUMBER INFORMATION FROM DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS HAVING SPEECH RECOGNITION

A voice mail system today offers a user the option to forward a message that he or she has reviewed, alone or along with a message recorded by the user. However, to forward the message, the voice mail system needs to receive the telephone number of the party intended as the recipient of the forwarded message. To eliminate the need for manual output of the destination telephone number, the voice mail system is coupled for communication with a voice responsive directory service system. The directory service system or alternatively the voice mail system prompts the user to speak the name of the party intended as the recipient of the forwarded message. The directory service system analyzes the input speech information, identifies a desired destination and retrieves the number for that destination. The directory service system may announce the number to the user, for manual input to the voice mail system. Preferably, the directory service system supplies the number directly to the voice mail system. The voice mail system uses the number to forward the message.