Voicemail Service with API

Question

I am looking for a service provider that will allow me to transfer calls to voicemail. Then I can use an API of there's (in PHP preferably) to access the voicemail and any metadata and then do with it what I like such as generating emails, tapping into a transcription service, etc...

I know that http://www.ribbit.com/ is new and looks like it might have some of what I need, however, I would also need a number to dial in to leave the message.

The company I am working for is developing a virtual receptionist that will allow them to forward calls to voicemail, so I would need a way to forward to a specific voicemail box for a specific customer.

Any suggestions, or does something like this not (yet) exist?

Answer 1

Take a look at Tropo. It seems to have much of the functionality you describe, and a few more which will tickle you pink - including SMS service. It's also free for development and cheap for production.

I don't work for Tropo or affiliates, i just have heard good things about the service.

Answer 2

I believe Asterisk is a very popular way to go. I use it for very specific purposes, and don't know much outside of my use, but it sounds like that might be a good solution for you. It's free, but you need a VoIP provider.

Answer 3

Consider Twilio. I've used them for a work project in the past. It's cheaper than Tropo, though it has fewer features (like voice recognition). They can still transcribe if I remember correctly (it costs extra, just like Tropo). You should easily be able to script the behavior you want and hooking into their API.