In an ideal world, voicemail would be unnecessary. There would always be someone available to take customer calls and no one would complain about their calls not being returned and/or rejected. But of course, this perfect world isn’t possible. That’s why it’s important to give your callers options when you are unavailable. For example, aside from leaving a message, callers can also choose to listen to some relevant information about your business (such as a list of your services, your address, directions, hours of operation, and more).
“Hello, you’ve reached [X company]. We can’t take your call right now, but please leave your name, contact information, and reason for reaching out, and one of our team members will be in touch within 24 hours.” “Hi, you’ve reached [company]. Unfortunately, we’re currently unavailable. But we want to talk to you — so please leave your name and number, as well as your reason for calling, and someone will call back ASAP.” “Hi, you’ve reached [company]. We’re available by phone from [hour] to [hour] [time zone] Monday through Friday [optional: and from hour to hour on the weekends]. You can also contact us by going to our website, [URL], and live-chatting or emailing us. If you’d like us to call you back, please leave your name and number after the beep.” “Hello, you’ve reached [company]. If you’re looking for information on [X], please check out our [Facebook page, company website, etc.] If you want to know more about [Y], take a look at [Z page on our site, our YouTube channel, etc.] Still have more questions, or just want to hear our lovely voices? Leave your name and number, and we’ll return your call straight away.”

With Business Communicator you can see the number of new messages in your mailbox, call voicemail to retrieve messages, and manage voicemail features. You can access your voicemail using your call history or by using the dialpad to manually call the voicemail system. From the menu on the left in the main window, click Call History (the handset with a clock icon). The number of new voicemail messages in your mailbox shows under Voice Mail. To retrieve your messages, double-click the Voice Mail link. Business Communicator calls your voicemail, and an active call window opens next to the main window. When the voicemail system answers and prompts you, type your passcode and the # sign using the dialpad in Business Communicator or your keyboard. To play, delete, and forward your voicemail messages, or manage your voicemail settings, follow the voicemail system prompts. When the voicemail system answers and prompts you, type your passcode followed by the # sign using the dialpad in Business Communicator or your computer keyboard. To play, delete, and forward your voicemail messages or manage your voicemail settings, follow the voicemail system prompts. To learn more about voicemail features and functions, you can access the Voicemail quick reference guide. Installing Business Communicator on your computer Setting your audio and video device preferences Accessing voicemail Exploring Business Communicator Viewing your IM/chat history Turning Call Forwarding on and off Adding a profile picture or avatar Transferring a call Signing in to Business Communicator Making a phone or video call from Business Communicator Topics covered on this page: Business Communicator VoIP
Recording the message yourself doesn’t mean it can’t be done professionally. You can still get studio time with an experienced audio engineer. Studio time can cost $60-$100 per hour, which may or may not come with an engineer. If you need to hire one, their rates are usually $100-$300 an hour. Mind you, their feedback, professional experience, and editing capabilities are typically well worth the extra expense.