Voicemails don’t necessarily have to be monotonous or extremely jazzy or funky. What you’re looking for is a balance between the two. Whenever I call someone and their voicemail greeting is playing, it tells me a lot about who they are, as a person. Which is why, you’ve got to put a little bit of “you” when it comes to voicemail. And the best part about all of this is, since you couldn’t come to the phone, at least the callers are having a good time listening to the message.
In short, more often than not, voicemail greetings feel bleak and boring to callers. If you’re a business, boredom is an awful way to start off the conversation with potential customers. Since the attention span of a human being fluctuates around 8-10 seconds, filling them up with a standard voicemail greeting is the worst idea you can have.

Hello. You have reached [Insert employee name here] in the [Insert department name here] office at UNI. I will be out of the office from [insert day of the week, month, date] through [insert day of the week, month, date]. Please leave a message and I will return your call on [insert day of the week, month, date]. If you require assistance prior to [month, date], hang up and dial our main departmental number at 273-[insert phone number here]. The main departmental voice mail will be checked daily on Dec. 28, 29, 30 and 31. Return calls will be made if an immediate response is needed.
While they are listening to your voice, they are internally deciding whether or not it is worth their time to continue or hang up. Look at your voicemail message as its own short advertisement.