It’s a simple fact of life that we can never be by our phones 24 hours a day and our cell phones are not always a good backup plan. We have our lives to live and work is not everyone’s life and blood. That is why it is important to create a personalized voice mail greeting that will work for you.

Unless you have an assistant working for you to take messages, chances are that you have set yourself up a voice mail message. Call me a psychic, but I’m sure yours sounds something like this; “Hi, you’ve reach (Insert Name). I’m out of my office right now but if you leave your name, number, and a brief message I will return your call shortly.” A message like this does not fill in for a qualified personal assistant and surely won’t give you that golden edge.

Personalizing Your Voice Mail Greeting
Voice mail should be treated like an extension of your identity. Your voicemail should reflect your professionalism and courtesy to others. You can express courtesy to others by updating your voice mail message regularily. Let others know when you’re going to be out of the office by updating your message. You can personalize your greeting but that does not mean you should add sound effects, music, or humor to spice it up. Your greetings should go something like this:

Sample Voice Mail Message
“Thank you for your call. I am out of the office at the moment and will return tomorrow morning at 8:00am. For immediate concern, please dial Joe Swanson at extension 767. Otherwise, leave your name, telephone number, and a message. I will return your call promptly.”

If acceptable, you can include a notification to reach you by cell phone for “immediate concern.” Remember not to plugg up your voice mail message with details of your schedule either. Keep it short and simple.