An application server is configured for initiating a messaging session for an incoming call by accessing a subscriber profile information from a directory server and a subscriber announcement from a messaging server. The application server includes a fault tolerant routine for initiating a messaging session, enabling playing of the subscriber's spoken name during the messaging session based on a determined unavailability of the messaging server. The subscriber announcement and the subscriber's spoken name (or another audible subscriber identifier) are stored in the messaging server as first and second data files having first and second sizes, respectively, where the second size is substantially smaller than the first size. The second data file also is stored in the directory server with the subscriber profile information. If, during initiation of the messaging session the application server determines that the messaging server is unavailable, the application server retrieves the second data file from the directory server and plays the corresponding audible subscriber identifier as an alternate announcement for the messaging session. Hence, the application server is able to initiate a messaging session that provides positive identification of the subscriber, enabling messages to be recorded for storage even when the messaging server is unavailable.