PURPOSE: To provide an automatic multi-function answering telephone service incorporating a telephone exchange which can reduce the personal cost with the specific functions like an automatic answering function, etc., provided on a communication network itself and also can inform the subscribers of the arrival of messages with the use of a function which informs an optional user of the arrival of a voice mail and a message board in a voice mail or message board service.

CONSTITUTION: An exchange station 100 is provided with a stored program control electronic exchange consisting of a time division message channel 4a, a controller 7a and a trunk circuit 5a. A voice storing and reproducing device 8 is provided on the station 100 to store and reproduce the messages, i.e., the analog voice signals or the digitized voice signals. Furthermore informing function is added to the station 100 to inform the subscriber telephone sets of the storage of messages when the messages are stored in the device 8. Then the automatic answering function of a subscriber telephone set 1 is carried out by the device 8.