A unified messaging system is configured to store and retrieve email, facsimile, pager, and voicemail messages. A telephone operated by a person is operatively coupled over a public switched telephone network to the unified messaging system. The system receives over the public switch telephone network a signal from the telephone corresponding to an administer multiple messages command for multiple messages having a common trait. In one form, the multiple messages having the common trait are then deleted from the database in response to this command. In another form, the multiple messages are filed into a folder specified by the person.