Voice mail interface

1. Field of the Invention A method for interfacing a subscriber to a voice mail component of a telecommunications system is provided. The method includes playing messages to the subscriber when the subscriber is in a message review area and providing a plurality of functions to the subscriber while the messages are playing and including an option of accessing a settings area. The method further includes placing the subscriber in a settings area in response to a subscriber's command and sequentially listing a series of persistent settings features when the subscriber is in the settings area.