The present invention relates to a new feature for e-mail services which
provides a telephone call alert to a particular e-mail user when their
e-mail server, web page e-mail server, or other e-mail receiving server
receives new e-mail addressed to them. One or more designated telephone
number (or numbers) are automatically called by an auto dialer at the
e-mail server in response to the receipt of particularly identified high
priority e-mail senders (e.g., from clients, from family, etc.). The
particular designated telephone number(s) to call for a particular user
are configured in a priority alert profile for that particular user, as
are the possibility to limit the activation of the telephone call alert
system to electronic messages received only from a select list of
senders, and/or after a predetermined number of electronic messages have
been received, and/or if a current time corresponds to a predetermined
time to alert a recipient.