How many times have you tried to call someone, and when the call ends it goes to a voicemail recording like this:
“You have reached the voicemail box of 1-2-3, 4-5-6, 7-8-8-9. At the tone, please record your message, or press one for more options.”
Probably more times than you can count, huh?
If you’re anything like me, that drives you absolutely crazy when you’re trying to leave a message for somebody. And it also detours people from wanting to leave a message as well; I know it does me.
This article gives advice on why you should have one of two types of voicemails, and what the two types are. From there, you can either take my advice and create a voicemail or just keep what you have now; it’s up to you.
The first type of voicemail (and the kind that I have) is the pre-recorded recorded one. In more simple terms: lyrics from a song/movie/video/etc. that make sense.
Having this type of voicemail not only eliminates the robotic voice that drives people crazy, but it detours spammers as they think you’re a spammer as well. It might not be the most professional, but since I’ve initiated the first 49 seconds of Pink Floyd’s “Waiting for the Worms”, I haven’t had a bogus voicemail message.
Now the next type (the one you probably should have set up) is your plain voice recorded voicemail. This is your most common voicemail type and is the one most widely used by professionals.
Having this type of voicemail allows your caller to know that you care about them, and also tells a little bit about yourself. If I were to create one, it would go something like this:
“Hi! You’ve reached Brooke Johnpier, but unfortunately, I’m not in a place to take your call right now, as I’m most likely at a sporting event, writing an article, or interviewing someone. Please leave your name, and the reason why you’re calling, and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks!”
Not only does that message allow your caller to get to know that you’re a real person, but it lets them into your life a little bit. The caller now knows that I’m a journalist, I like sports (and attend them), and I do it quite often. Doing this can also clarify things up as well, in case the caller has anxiety or other issues with why they think you’re not picking up the phone.
In conclusion, you should have one of two types of voicemails. One can be your favorite quote from some sort of pre-recorded media, and the other can be one that tells the caller all about you and why you aren’t answering the phone. In my personal opinion, either is better than having the average robotic voice that says each digit of your phone number individually.