Ideas for Recording Greetings

Make your greeting sound friendly.

Cell phones play an integral role in our society. The Wireless Association, a nonprofit organization representing the cell phone industry, estimates that 96 percent of Americans own a cell phone. When people can't reach you on your cell, they are diverted to your greeting. If you don't have a greeting, the caller hears an impersonal, automated message. The greeting should be informative, clear, friendly and brief. Remember that the caller might be incurring call charges to hear your greeting.

Standard Greeting

This is the greeting people will hear most often --- for example, if you are briefly out of range, on a call or in a meeting. Key information to convey in your standard greeting includes your name and the action you'd like the caller to take. For example, "Hi, this is Jeff Lincoln. Please leave a message." You can elaborate on this greeting to give the caller options --- for example, "Hi, this is Jeff Lincoln. Please leave a message or send an email to [e-mail]. Thanks."

Extended Absence Greeting

Should you be planning a vacation or visiting an area with poor cell phone coverage, you can change your greeting to inform people of this fact. By letting them know of an extended absence, you'll prevent them from worrying about any delay in your getting back to them. Include the dates you'll be away and, when necessary, information on whom they can call in the meantime --- for example, "Hi, this is Sarah Sharpe. I'm on vacation until March 20. If the matter is urgent, please call the head office and ask for Whitney."

Multilingual Greeting

If you have friends or work colleagues from different countries, you may find it helpful to record a greeting in two or more different languages. Naturally, you must make each message brief to allow enough time to record all necessary translations. Record your greeting in English first, then record the translations in order of likelihood that the caller will need them. For example, if you have 20 colleagues in Italy and one colleague in France, record the Italian greeting before the French one.

Alternative Contact Greeting

If you have a personal cell and a business cell, you may wish to instruct callers to try you on another number. However, giving out your other numbers may lead to unwanted calls on either phone. For example, you may not want somebody calling about your gym membership to call at work or find out your email address. Simply give enough information so those you want to contact you can do so. For example, "Hello, you've reached Roberto's phone. If it's urgent, try my business number or send me an email at the normal address. Otherwise, please leave a message."

Specific Subject Greeting

You can use your greeting to give important information to eliminate the need to make multiple return calls --- for example, "Hi, this is Clay. If you're calling about the Honda Civic, I'm afraid it's sold. If you're calling for anything else, please leave a message."

References

• CTIA Advocacy: US Wireless Quick Facts
• Elegant Woman: Business Phone Etiquette