You have many alternatives to generic voicemail greetings for your cell phone.
Deciding on an outgoing message for the voicemail on your cell phone depends largely on the types of callers you intend to receive and the impression you would like to convey. It can be professional or casual as long as it convinces the caller to leave a message. Getting too silly will run some business callers off, but humor has just the opposite affect on family, friends and close acquaintances. Regardless of your choice, no one wants to listen to a long drawn-out greeting and many will hang up without leaving a message.
Professional Greetings
If you are job hunting and expecting calls from employers, speak clearly on your voicemail greeting and keep the wording short and polite. An appropriate option is a generic message such as "Hello, you have reached "555-5555". We are not available to take your call, but if you leave you name and a return number, we will return your call. Thank you." If you run a business where you receive calls from customers and other businesses, adjust the message to include specific information such as the business name and hours of operation to assure callers that they've reached the right place and when to call back.
Humorous Greetings
If your calls are mostly from casual acquaintances, opt for a humorous greeting imploring the calling to leave a message. Funny lines from a movie or using your own wit will suffice. Record a humorous song in your own singing voice or download a pre-recorded musical greeting from a web-based voicemail service. Choosing a song which was specifically recorded as a phone greeting will be more useful in convincing callers to leave a message than a few random verses from your favorite song.
Personalized Greetings
Opt for personal outgoing greetings for friends and family. Subscribe to a web-based voicemail service that allows you to personalize your greeting based on the person calling, whether it's an individual or an entire group. With this type service, you record your own message or choose from a library of pre-recorded greetings and assign them to the phone numbers of your selected callers. Include the caller's name in a personal greeting or download clips of professional, celebrity-voice impersonations of iconic figures like Bob Marley, Bart Simpson or Austin Powers for your close acquaintances while leaving a more professional greeting for all other callers.
Informative Greetings
You can also use a web-based voicemail service to inform specific callers if you'll be away from your cell phone for an extended period of time. Record a temporary greeting with your vacation or trip plans, including the expected return date and time. This will prevent friends and family from worrying and/or filling up your mailbox with repeat messages. If you live alone, choose the people for this call list carefully, since you will be informing each one that no one will be at your home and for how long.
Tags: cell phone, leave message, voicemail service, web-based voicemail, web-based voicemail service