Those without voice mail may opt to rent.

Want to add voice mail to your phone system? Who doesn't? Voice mail is an essential component of business communications. But many business owners and operators balk when they learn it can cost as much as, if not more than, the phone system itself.

That doesn't mean that voice mail is out of reach altogether, though. One low-cost alternative to purchasing a system outright is to rent voice mail from a service bureau.

With this option, you rent one or more voice mail boxes from a service bureau that maintains its own phone and voice mail system.

Service bureaus usually offer two basic options: renting boxes individually or in a "tree" format. …