Creating a Voicemail Message Cooler than Michael Jordan

I think we all hate creating voicemail messages. Even for those of us who have done theater, the thought of recording two or three perfect lines in one go psyches us out and leads us to listen to and re-record the same message over and over trying to get that “perfect” message. Well, while I still re-record these messages over and over again, I’ve developed at least a few steps I’d like to share with you to minimize the re-recording process.

First, get yourself in a quiet room with minimal distractions. I usually keep a glass of water nearby (I mentioned the re-recording, didn’t I?) and I usually write a little script on a piece of paper of what I should say (but never do).

To determine what you want to say and prepare your notes, you can follow this generic formula as a base:

“Hello, you’ve reached [name] with the [job title] division at [company name]. I’m currently [where you are], please leave your [data you need to get back to them] and I will return your call as soon as possible.”

So as a sample, one of these might read, “Hello, you’ve reached Bob with the Sales division at Buffalo Wired. I’m currently away from my desk, please leave your name, number, and a brief message, and I will return your call as soon as possible.”

From there, you can spice-up the message using more personal or exciting words, but this serves as a good base to start from. For example, a spiced-up sample could be,

“Good Day, thank you for calling Buffalo Wired. You’ve reached Bob with the Sales division. I’m currently away from my desk, or on the line assisting other customers. I’m sorry I missed your call but I will make it a priority to get back to you as soon as I can. Please leave your name, number, and a message, and I will get back to you as soon as I am able. Thank you for calling Buffalo Wired.”

Well, there you have it. Happy recording (or re-recording)!