The answering machine, answerphone or message machine, also known as telephone messaging machine (or TAM) in the UK and some Commonwealth countries, ansaphone or ansafone (from a trade name ), or telephone answering device ( TAD ), is used for answering telephones and recording callers' messages .
8. Let Your Callers Know What To Tell You. This tip is more for you than your callers. It’s particularly helpful if you need more information than the standard name and phone number.

In order to ensure customer satisfaction, it is not only important how a business records their outgoing voicemail greeting, but also how they respond to incoming messages. It has been reported that most individuals do not mind leaving voicemail messages, but they can often become frustrated and disheartened when a business does not return their call in a timely manner or ignores the voicemail altogether.
For many small businesses, the announcement will send the caller straight to a voicemail box. But larger organizations may decide to direct callers to a phone menu or forward the call to an external destination, depending on the situation. These options can include: Listing individual voicemail boxes for different departments or employees. Forwarding calls to a professional answering service. Giving callers an option to connect to an after hours or emergency support line. Directing calls to a personal cell phone. Presenting menu options for additional recordings about office locations, ongoing promotions, and other information.