The above section details types of phrasing to avoid; however, it doesn’t detail what users should NOT say on their greeting. Though this is a bit loaded, as there are hundreds of combinations of things one shouldn’t say, there are some key components users should ALWAYS avoid. a. Forget About Slang: You should strive to be as professional and welcoming as possible in your greeting. While this may steer you towards using slang, in an attempt to make callers comfortable, it’ll most likely work against you. As a professional, your demeanor, tone, and speech should be clear cut and well articulated. Using slang undercuts this and works against you. b. Don’t Even Think About Profanity: This is a no-brainer. Never, under any circumstances, curse in your greeting EVER! c. Keep Your Sentences Clean, Don’t Ramble: Introduce yourself and give your caller specific direction. Avoid long diatribes detailing tangent thoughts. Keep it simple and quick. d. Always Return Your Calls: It’s important for callers to feel they are valued. Nothing dissolves this quicker than a greeting that doesn’t stress this. For example, “I’ll call you when I can,” “If I don’t return your call, please call back”—these phrases are terrible and completely destroy any good will you may have with a caller.
It’s as much a truth with residential phone service as it is with business communications, though those numbers are much lower. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service provider Vonage reported in April that voicemail deposits among its residential customers had dropped by 8 percent since October 2013, and retrieved messages were down 14 percent.

I am not a voice talent, and I hate the sound of my own voice. Every time I lose my cell phone (daily), I call it from another line to help myself find it. And every time I do this, I wish my voicemail message sounded…different. I’m always reminded that I should sit down and rerecord it, so it makes a more professional first impression.
A well written script is the cornerstone of any great on hold message. It must capture the caller’s attention, so they remain engaged while navigating menu options or waiting on hold. The script that callers hear can set the tone for the rest of the conversation. It should also be in line with your goals, which can be broken down to 3 main objectives. It can be to inform the caller, promote the brand or product, or just entertain the caller. Most of all, it has to be engaging.