What Your Answering Machine Message Says About You
"Please leave a message after the beep" is not a greeting. It is a symptom. Your voicemail is the first voice a potential customer hears when you cannot pick up. This is a medical chart of the sick greeting and a prescription for recovery.
Patient Intake: Diagnosing the Sick Greeting
Every voicemail greeting is either building trust or eroding it. There is no neutral. Below are the four most common conditions we see in business voicemail greetings, each with a severity rating and a clinical diagnosis of what the caller actually hears.
This connects directly to how your entire presence communicates when you are unavailable. If you have not considered what your website says when you are not looking, your voicemail is another version of the same problem: an unattended touchpoint speaking on your behalf.
Voicemail Greeting
Definition: The pre-recorded message a caller hears when a phone call goes unanswered. For businesses, it functions as an unattended first impression - a 10 to 20 second window where trust is either established or lost. A voicemail greeting is not an outgoing message. It is a micro-interaction that tells the caller whether this business is professional, active, and worth waiting for.
The Default Robot Voice
"The person you are trying to reach is not available. Please leave a message after the tone."
This greeting tells the caller absolutely nothing. They do not know if they reached the right business, the right person, or if this number is even active. Many callers hang up immediately because a default greeting signals an inactive or unprofessional line.
The Mumbled Name, No Context
"Hey, this is Mike. Leave a message."
Mike who? Mike the plumber they called for an estimate, or Mike from the wrong number in their call history? No business name, no indication of what Mike does, no reason for the caller to believe leaving a message will lead anywhere. Trust evaporates in ambiguity.
The Apology Loop
"Sorry I missed your call! I am probably helping another customer right now. Your call is very important to me. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message and I will get back to you as soon as I can!"
This greeting tries too hard and says too little. "As soon as I can" is meaningless. The caller needs a timeline, not reassurance. Over-apologizing suggests disorganization, and "your call is very important" has been so overused it now signals the opposite of what it intends.
The Outdated Holiday Message
"Happy holidays! Our office is closed December 24th through January 2nd. We will return your call when we are back."
It is February. This greeting tells every caller that the business either forgot to update their voicemail or does not pay attention to details. If they cannot manage a 15-second recording, the caller wonders what else they let slide. Outdated messages are a trust killer that compounds every day they remain active.
Treatment Plan: Anatomy of a Healthy Greeting
A healthy voicemail greeting has five components, delivered in order, in under 15 seconds. Miss any one of them and the greeting is incomplete. The same principle applies to voicemails nobody listens to - both the greeting and the message you leave need structure to earn attention.
Healthy Greeting Formula
Each element serves a purpose: Name confirms identity. Business confirms the caller reached the right place. Status explains why you are unavailable. Timeline sets expectations. What to leave tells them what information you need to call back efficiently.
Sick Greeting
- No business name mentioned
- Default carrier greeting still active
- "I will get back to you as soon as possible"
- Outdated holiday or seasonal message
- Background noise, music, or rushed delivery
Healthy Greeting
- States full name and business name clearly
- Explains why they are unavailable right now
- Gives a specific callback timeline
- Tells caller exactly what info to leave
- Clean audio, steady pace, under 15 seconds
| Greeting Element | Purpose | Example Phrasing | Time Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
Name | Confirms identity | "Hi, this is Sarah" | 2 sec |
Business | Confirms right place | "with Bright Path Plumbing" | 3 sec |
Status | Explains unavailability | "I am on a job right now" | 3 sec |
Timeline | Sets expectations | "I return all calls by end of day" | 3 sec |
Instructions | Guides caller action | "Leave your name, number, and what you need help with" | 4 sec |
Vital Signs: What Your Greeting Communicates
Your greeting is not just words. It is a series of signals the caller reads in seconds. Each element either raises or lowers their confidence that leaving a message is worth their time. Businesses that never answer the phone compound this problem because the greeting becomes the only human touchpoint.
Professionalism
Stating your name and business name tells the caller they reached a real operation, not a personal cell phone that might or might not belong to the right person.
Reliability
A specific callback timeline tells the caller you have a system. "By end of day" or "within 2 hours" is a commitment. "As soon as possible" is a shrug.
Attentiveness
A current, relevant greeting proves the business is actively managed. An outdated greeting proves it is not. Every day an old holiday message plays, it tells a new caller this business does not pay attention to details.
Care
Telling the caller what information to leave shows you respect their time and want to help them efficiently. A greeting that ends with just "leave a message" puts all the work on the caller to figure out what to say.
The 15-Second Interview
Think of your voicemail greeting as a job interview where you have 15 seconds and the interviewer decides whether to leave a message or call someone else. The caller is not patient. They are comparing you to the next business on their list. If your greeting does not answer "who is this, can they help me, and when will they call back" within those 15 seconds, the caller moves on. Just like knowing what to say when you leave a voicemail, the structure matters more than the words themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
QHow long should a business voicemail greeting be?
Between 10 and 20 seconds. State your name, your business name, and when the caller can expect a return call. Anything beyond 20 seconds risks the caller hanging up before the beep.
QShould I mention specific hours in my voicemail?
Only if you consistently update it. Stating hours builds trust, but outdated hours destroy it faster than having no hours at all. If your schedule changes often, use a general return timeframe instead.
QDoes the default voicemail greeting actually lose customers?
Yes. A default greeting gives the caller zero confirmation they reached the right business. Many callers will hang up and call the next option on their list rather than leave a message with an unidentified voicemail box.
QHow often should I update my voicemail greeting?
Review it quarterly at minimum. Update it immediately after any schedule change, holiday closure, or staffing change. Set a calendar reminder so it never goes stale.
QWhat should I never include in a voicemail greeting?
Never include background noise, music, jokes, or the phrase 'your call is important to us' without a specific action to back it up. Avoid listing every service you offer. The greeting is not an advertisement. It is a trust checkpoint.
QIs it better to use a personal voice or a professional recording service?
Your own voice is better for small businesses and solo operators. Callers want to hear the person they are trying to reach. A professionally produced greeting can sound polished, but it can also feel impersonal if the business is a one-person operation where personality is part of the value.
Your voicemail greeting is one piece of a larger picture. The way a business handles missed calls, follow-ups, and first impressions all compound. If you want to understand the revenue cost of silence, nobody reads your about page but everyone judges it explores the same dynamic: every unattended touchpoint is forming an opinion about your business.
Prescription Pad
Record a custom greeting with your name and business name
Once. Then re-record quarterly.
After any schedule change, holiday, or staffing update.
State a specific callback timeline
Every greeting. Every time.
When your response time changes for any reason.
Tell the caller exactly what to leave
Every greeting. Name, number, and what they need.
When you notice callers leaving incomplete messages.
Delete the default carrier greeting immediately
Once. Today.
Never. There is no reason to go back to default.
Set a quarterly calendar reminder to review the greeting
Every 90 days. Listen to your own greeting as a caller would.
Ongoing. Your greeting will always need maintenance.
The Bottom Line
Your voicemail greeting is a 15-second trust test that runs every time you miss a call. A default greeting tells the caller you did not care enough to record one. A vague greeting tells them you do not have systems. An outdated greeting tells them you are not paying attention. A clear, current, specific greeting tells them they reached someone who runs a real business and will call them back. That is the difference between a message left and a competitor called instead.