Remember to watch out for ambient noise on your end of the call as well. Train signals, traffic, or even outside conversations can be very distracting to your callers and project an unprofessional image. Don’t forget the beep. Every millisecond – yes, millisecond – between the end of your greeting and the beep is time callers could potentially drop the call. That’s why the anticipated beep should sound the moment your greeting is finished. Leaving lengthy, silent gaps may cause your customers to wonder if they’ve been disconnected. Don’t give them the opportunity to hang up waiting to hear that affirmative tone. Check and then recheck your greeting. After you complete your outgoing voicemail message, play it back to verify you’ve said everything you intended to say. Then take it a step further and dial in to experience the greeting for yourself, and be mindful to contemplate the greeting from the customer’s perspective.
26. Thank you for calling [your name] at [company name]. Unfortunately, I can’t take your call right now. Please leave your name, number and a message, and I will call you back as soon as I have the opportunity.

If you live alone, it’s best not to advertise that fact in your outgoing message. If you do, you may leave yourself vulnerable to burglars, stalkers, and other criminals. Instead of saying, “I can’t come to the phone,” say, “No one can come to the phone.”
11. Hello, you’ve reached [your name]’s cell phone. I can’t take your call at the moment, but if you leave a brief message, I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.