Hi, we are not home at the moment. If you want to sell us something that we don’t actually need, start speaking now and hang up once it beeps. Everyone else, please speak after the beep and hang up once you’re done.
Most people screen their phone calls and often avoid answering unknown numbers. If you’re applying for new positions, you should try to view each unexpected call as an exciting opportunity! In the event that you simply can’t pick up the phone, you’ll want a polished voicemail greeting to let the caller know they’ve reached the right person.

Thank you for calling BusinessCo. We are currently closed for the public holiday in Victoria. Our normal hours are 8.30am to 5.30pm Easter Standard Time. Your call is important to us, so please leave your name, phone number and a short message and we will return your call on our next business day. Thank you.
In Australian English it’s pronounced with the vowel /a:/ like in ‘part’. Problems arise when people use the /ʌ/ vowel (like in ‘up’) instead of /æ/ or /a:/. If you do this is will sound like the worst swear word in English. Many non-native speakers often pronounce the vowel /æ/ more like /ʌ/ because they don’t have a vowel like /æ/ in their first language. Many speakers of European languages will do this (Spanish speakers and Italian speakers) and also speakers of Japanese and Korean. This problem with /æ/ also means that if you say the word ‘back’ in your voicemail greeting sample, you are likely to pronounce it more like ‘buck’. remember to pronounce word endings in English. Check you aren’t dropping any endings off or mispronouncing them.