ATLANTA (CNN) -- Voice mail, faxes, e-mail -- they're supposed to help business travelers keep in touch. Making it all work can sometimes be more challenging than convenient, but now there's a slew of new technology waiting to take the chaos out of communicating.

One such device is one-stop shopping to retrieve messages that arrive in many forms. E-mail and faxes are digitized to one source -- in this case, a voice mail.

"From basically anywhere in the world, a business person can access a telephone ... and dial their own personal 800 number," explains Greg Freishtat of Premier Technologies.

"Rather than wait until they're back at their office when they can see their e-mail and then respond, it ought to increase the efficiency and response time," says Premier's Randy Salisbury.

If you prefer the written word, use your laptop as your data center for e-mail and faxes, and listen to voice mail with a touch of the keyboard.

"If I'm traveling, everything goes into one in-box," says business traveler Paul Simmons. "I can listen to the voice message whether I have a phone next to me or not.... I can listen to it on headphones in an airplane."

For those who want to travel lighter, there's the interactive pager.

"A user can receive and send two-way messages to other subscribers or can also send electronic mail from this device," says MCI's Barry Zipp.

The interactive pager, however, takes a little bit of forethought.

"It may involve switching carriers," says CNN's business travel consultant Chris McGinnis. "You may have to remember a whole lot of new numbers -- special access numbers, 800 numbers. It might be kind of a turnoff to some."

And remember, you'll pay for all this convenience -- starting costs for these services are between $20 and $70 per month.

Based on a report from CNN's Business and Travel and Beyond. The segment appears weekdays on Early Edition at 7 AM (ET) and on Morning News at 10 AM (ET).

Sound off on our Travel Message Boards You said it...

Related stories:

• Wireless technology moves beyond the jet set - February 27, 1998
• Latest high-tech gadgets help keep you in touch - January 9, 1998

Related sites:

• Premier Technologies
• MCI

Search for related CNN stories:   [Help] Tip: You can restrict your search to the title of a document. Example: title:New Year's Resolutions

© 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
A Time Warner Company
All Rights Reserved.

Terms under which this service is provided to you.