Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: Rich Zellich Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Answering Phrase Message-ID: <11442@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 28 Aug 90 14:11:08 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 14 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 603, Message 8 of 12 My answering machine says "Hi, this is Rich and Michelle's. Please leave your message..." (or, during immediate pre-convention season "Hi, this is the Archon hotline, also known as Rich and Michelle's. Please leave...". This immediately lets callers know they've reached the right (or wrong) place, yet gives neither a number or last name for random-dialing harassment callers to use in calling you again. I could answer the phone myself the same way, which would probably be useful to callers, but a lifetime of simply saying "hello" is hard to overcome (except when I answer with "telephone" every once in a blue moon).