When someone reaches your voicemail, it’s important that you help them confirm that they have reached the right person by providing all of the relevant information that they will need. Who have they reached? Did they contact the right person and the right business? Should they leave a message? When will you get back to them? Is there a better time for them to call?
Donald G. Gould, of Northwest Washington, is nothing if not au courant. Here's his message: "Hello. You have reached {the phone number} in the nation's capital, a city now permanently on the Dole and where even the best periodontist cannot cure Gingrichitis. Please leave your message."

Your voicemail greetings give you an excellent opportunity to give your brand a personality and provide you with opportunities to make callers aware of special promotions or new products. The trick, of course, is to get your message across in a clear, concise, and professional manner.
iPhone users have another option: You can send a voice message from Apple's Messages by tapping the microphone button inside the text box (this works only when you're messaging other iPhones). By default, these voice messages last for only two minutes before they are deleted, but you can change that. Either tap Keep under any sent voice message or go to Settings > Messages and tap Expire under Audio Messages. You can set the expiration date to Never, but this affects only your record of the conversation, not the recipient's.