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I have a confession to make: I haven’t recorded a new voicemail greeting since 2014. In the past four years, I (hopefully) have become more articulate, poised, and self-assured. But hear my voicemail recording, and you’d think I was still new to the work world, a little unsure of myself — and probably not an authority. Obviously I need toupdate it. And if you haven’t changed your voicemail greeting in over a year, you’re likely in the same boat. After all, a professional voicemail recording boosts your credibility, makes you seem more competent, and encourages whoever’s listening to it to continue the relationship. A relatively unprofessional one — like mine, for instance — does the opposite: It encourages prospects, recruiters, and potential connections to run in the other direction. With that in mind, I’ve written 18 unique voicemail greetings for every situation. Pick your favorite, practice a few times, then record your new voicemail.

If you have a landline — and many people still do — there’s always a chance that you will miss an important call when you’re not at home. If you don’t have voicemail service through your phone provider, it’s definitely worth investing in a quality answering machine. Today’s answering machines use an internal memory chip to digitally record your voice messages rather than the old audiotapes of yesterday. A digital answering machine can timestamp your messages, and you rarely have to worry about running out of message space.
Greetings can make or break an interaction with current and future customers. Especially when they’re encountered after work hours, voicemail messages can define how an individual will speak to a customer in need.