But texting streamlines the entire process. And the COVID-19 pandemic quickly transformed this luxury service into a basic purchasing method consumers expected businesses to facilitate. And while we had seen restaurants and big box stores dabble with curbside pickup before the pandemic, innovative businesses in other categories quickly developed clever curbside experiences. Healthcare providers, salons, and other companies have essentially used “curbside pickup” to create safer and more comfortable curbside check-ins. Customers pull into the parking lot, check-in via text, and sit comfortably in their car, awaiting a text back telling them when it’s time to come in for their appointment.
If you are recording a voicemail message for business, be sure you include your name and your company's name, so people know who they are calling and were they are reaching them. If you do not include the business name, they may think they have mistakenly called you at your personal number. You will also want to make sure to give callers the option to speak to someone who is currently available, an operator or other representative, by pressing a certain key (check with IT personnel to see what this might be).

You have reached xxx-xxxx. We picked this machine up at a garage sale in “as-is” condition. You can try to leave a message on it, but we are not sure it will be recorded. If we don’t return your call, it means the machine did not work.
For over 50 years, Gartner has been providing business executives with expert insights into a wide range of industries. They conduct original research on a massive scale, and in 2016, they reported that “various sources” had seen SMS open rates as high as 98 percent, whereas with email, you can expect open rates to look more like 10 to 20 percent (depending on your industry).