#8 “Hey this is Bryan, sorry that I couldn’t make it to my phone in time or that I’m on the other line. I’ll get back to you when I can. Unless the reason i didn’t pick up was because I was just in an accident or dropped my phone in the toilet. Then you might never hear from me. But trust me, there is a good reason I’m not picking up. Leave a message!”
Repeat the process for the other recordings by following the prompts. When you're finished, simply hang up. Hi, this is Tom Anderson with Anderson Plumbing. I am away from my desk at the moment. If you would like to speak to someone else, you can press 0 now. If you would like to try me on my cell phone, press 1 now. Otherwise, please leave a message when prompted and I will return your call as soon as possible. Thanks for calling Anderson Plumbing. Hi, this is Tom Anderson with Anderson Plumbing. I am on another call at the moment. If you would like to speak to someone else, you can press 0 now. Otherwise, please leave a message when prompted and I will return your call as soon as possible. Thanks for calling Anderson Plumbing. (Notice we left out the part about pressing 2 to try the cell phone. If you're already on a call, calling the cell phone won't accomplish much.)

The simple truth is that you need to be more aware of what you’re leaving for other people to hear. Sure, this doesn’t always register as a priority for users, but it’s never too late to reassess your greeting. a. Reading/Speaking in the Imperfect Tone: Tone is absolutely everything. Users don’t want to come off as being too nice, as it sounds insincere, or being too terse, as it can be interpreted as being rude. That being said, striking the right balance is absolutely essential. Your greeting exists as its own entity, and therefore, it should NOT rely on callers’ familiarity with you. Instead, it needs to appeal to the masses. As such, your inflection, i.e. the way you state your name and directions, needs to be both welcoming and firm. b. Injecting Humor & Insincerity: While humor/light heartedness can be welcoming, it can also convey a sense of informality, insincerity, and ultimately unprofessionalism. Why, because you’re not there to lend your humor or to contextualize. Instead, you’re assuming the caller has a working knowledge of your personality to ground the message. Though this might not sound like it’s all that terrible—it can be detrimental. As stated above, one should NEVER rely on a caller’s familiarity with you. Instead, aim to appeal to the masses. Humor is ultimately subjective, meaning not everyone has the same tastes; therefore, someone is bound to be turned off by a quirky or off-color remark. While implementing a light-hearted or even tongue and cheek tone can work, it’s just a really bad idea.
If you find that your business voice message is running a bit long, break it down into sections and decide which parts you can cut out to reduce the message’s length.