If you’re actively looking for a telecommuting gig, or you’re a small business owner looking to project a polished, professional image, do yourself a favor and call the number you’re giving out and listen to your voicemail greeting or, heaven forbid, see how your phone is answered by whatever family member happens to pick up the ringing phone. Are you impressed, or embarrassed? Was it useful, or was it a colossal waste of your time? Could you understand every word clearly, or did it sound like you were in a tent in the middle of a monsoon? Is the information you provided recent, or was it dreadfully out of date? Did it sound like someone you want to work with or hire? Or not?
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.

Instructions can also be found at www.coxbusiness.com/voice mail. The Voice Mail Quick Reference Guide will walk you through frequently used prompts and commands. After the migration of voice mail, will I be able to retrieve messages from my original voice mailbox?
1. Set up voicemail online. The online voicemail Setup Wizard walks you through every step of setting up your voicemail. For more info about voicemail, check out the AT&T Phone for Business Voicemail (PDF, 6.28MB).