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.
Instead of leading with tired old lines like 'Your call is important to us', brush up on your telephone etiquette and start your voicemail with a thank you.

As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. Read your voicemail script aloud several times in order to get the flow and annunciation correct. Soon, you’ll be a voicemail pro!
It’s important to ensure the content is informative and relevant to the caller. And the rule ‘less is more’ very much applies to writing for the ear. It’s important to keep the sentences short and to the point. A popular way to get a message across is follow this structure: Introduce the topic in the first sentence e.g. Did you know that BusinessCo now offers no contract plans for hosted PBX and business VoIP? Explain how the information will benefit the caller in the second sentence e.g. And that means complete flexibility for your business and no long-term commitments. Wrap up with a call to action in the third sentence e.g. To find out more, visit our website businesspbx.com.au or speak to one of our Business Consultants when you come off hold.