Abstract: A method is described for electronically recording messages after the called telephone goes off-hook. The method may be physically implemented by an apparatus in the home or office, or by a system installed in a service provider central office. When a call is received, the telephone receiver is taken off the hook and the caller is asked if they would like to leave an electronic message. If the caller decides to leave an electronic message, the record function is initiated by the answering party via a record button physically provided on the system, by a keystroke sequence on the telephone station set keypad, or by voice command. The message speech is sampled, each sample is processed to extract speech information, each extracted signal is encoded, and then each encoded signal is stored in memory.