The simple truth is that you need to be more aware of what you’re leaving for other people to hear. Sure, this doesn’t always register as a priority for users, but it’s never too late to reassess your greeting. a. Reading/Speaking in the Imperfect Tone: Tone is absolutely everything. Users don’t want to come off as being too nice, as it sounds insincere, or being too terse, as it can be interpreted as being rude. That being said, striking the right balance is absolutely essential. Your greeting exists as its own entity, and therefore, it should NOT rely on callers’ familiarity with you. Instead, it needs to appeal to the masses. As such, your inflection, i.e. the way you state your name and directions, needs to be both welcoming and firm. b. Injecting Humor & Insincerity: While humor/light heartedness can be welcoming, it can also convey a sense of informality, insincerity, and ultimately unprofessionalism. Why, because you’re not there to lend your humor or to contextualize. Instead, you’re assuming the caller has a working knowledge of your personality to ground the message. Though this might not sound like it’s all that terrible—it can be detrimental. As stated above, one should NEVER rely on a caller’s familiarity with you. Instead, aim to appeal to the masses. Humor is ultimately subjective, meaning not everyone has the same tastes; therefore, someone is bound to be turned off by a quirky or off-color remark. While implementing a light-hearted or even tongue and cheek tone can work, it’s just a really bad idea.
If it works better for you, offer your callers the option to email you, or even send over a text to a VoIP texting app, or even your personal number if you don’t mind. Many people will prefer the ability to quickly text or email, and callers will appreciate the increased level of service.

The transcribed text is expected to be approximately 85% accurate, which means eight (8) words out of every ten (10) should be translated correctly. Since the voice mail transcription is done by an automated program, accuracy depends on several factors, including the caller’s accent and noise levels during the message recording. Names and nouns may not translate accurately. To ensure the receipt of a message, a copy of the .wav file “audio” is sent along with the text transcription. English and Spanish. Other languages will result in an error message, but voice mail will be attached in the email notification. In the email version, you will see ellipses (three periods) after the last successfully translated word if the next word or words cannot be translated successfully. You may also see question marks next to words that the transcription did not understand. To ensure receipt of a message, a copy of the .wav file “audio” will be sent along with the text transcription. How do I know who called if the system incorrectly transcribes the caller’s name? You can still listen to the audio version attached to the email message, or just listen to voice mail over the phone. If I delete the email containing the audio file, will that delete the voice mail on my phone?
1. Hello, you’ve reached [your name]. I’m currently unavailable, but leave your name and number and I’ll return your call as soon as I can.