When answering machines became widely available in the 1980s, people began personalizing their greetings in a variety of ways. Today’s cellphones allow for the same type of voicemail personalization, and you can choose from several different types of greetings. Here are the most common voicemail greetings and what they say about you.
Default Message
“The person you’re trying to call is unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone.”
The default message is the robotic voice telling callers to leave a message. While it’s good to at least have the voicemail set up and ready to go, it also lacks any form of personalization. People calling you might wonder if they’ve called the wrong number, and they might be hesitant to leave a message without knowing for sure that they’ve called the right person.
Witty Message
“This is Bob. Sorry I missed your call. Unless you’re a telemarketer, and then I’m not sorry at all. Leave a message.”
While witty messages are fun, and they’re certainly something new and different, they’re also only appropriate at the right time and place. People receiving this message will assume you probably don’t use that phone for business. However, if you do use that phone for business, consider leaving the witty message that lets your personality shine through on your personal phone, and go for a more professional greeting for your business phone.
For a good voicemail greeting, identify yourself by your first and last name, apologize for missing the call, ask the callers to leave their name and phone number, and let them know you’ll return their call as soon as you can.
Curt Message
“You know what to do.”
While you might think a quick and to the point message seems witty, it might actually come off as rude and curt to people calling you. Like the default message, they also might wonder if they’ve reached the wrong number because you don’t identify yourself. Instead of using this as your voicemail greeting, consider switching it out for something more professional. This way, your callers don’t get the wrong impression about you.
No Message
“The person you’re trying to call hasn’t set up their voicemail. Goodbye.”
Whether you purposely decided not to set up your voicemail or you don’t realize something went wrong and it’s not completely set up, the no message greeting could mean many things to someone trying to call. They might think you’re not good with technology and can’t figure out how to set up your voicemail. They also might think you’re lazy. Regardless, you’re making it hard for people to get in touch with you.
Luckily, T-Mobile explains how to set up your voicemail, so you know this won’t be an issue for you. The process is simple, and once you’ve completed it, you’ll be able to enjoy the fast and reliable 4G LTE network and crystal clear calls.
Background Noise Message
“Hi, you’ve reached WHOOSH. Please leave your HONK HONK, and I’ll SWISH.”
While your greeting might be professional and let your callers know what information you need them to leave in their voicemail message, the background noise makes it impossible for them to hear you. People listening to this message might think you’re distracted and too busy. When you’re creating your greeting, make sure you’re in a quiet room without any distracting noises.
Professional Message
“Hello, this is John Smith. I’m sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message, and I’ll call you back as soon as possible. Thank you.”
The professional message is ideal whether it’s for your personal phone or your business phone. It lets people calling you know they’ve reached the right person, and it leaves a good first impression for anyone calling you for the first time. To make sure you leave a professional greeting like this, write down what you want to say and read it. This helps you not have any awkward stammers or pauses during the greeting.
Now that you know what type of impression each of these common voicemail greetings leave, you can select the best one for your own phone.
Article Submitted By Community Writer