After the tone

An original literary non-fiction-style account of recording a greeting for a newly shared office telephone.

I wrote the greeting before the telephone was connected. It named our small office, explained our opening hours and promised that every message would receive a reply. On paper, it looked like evidence that we were ready to begin. I volunteered to record it because I had written it.

The first version was too fast. In the second, I paused so carefully between phrases that my colleague asked whether the machine was broken. I laughed, then asked her to leave the room while I tried again. Without an audience, I could almost imagine the voice belonged to someone competent whom we had employed.

My colleague listened when she returned. She asked what we meant by every message. We both knew that we would receive offers for services we did not want and calls intended for other businesses. I said that the promise sounded welcoming. She said that sounding welcoming would not make it true. I crossed out the word every.

A visitor arrived while we were making the next version. Hearing us through the open door, he waited quietly instead of knocking. We did not notice him until I stopped. He said that he had thought the office was busy. My colleague pointed to the two empty desks, and we all laughed.

The final greeting was shorter. I gave the office name and asked callers to leave their name, number and a brief message. My voice still sounded unfamiliar when we played it back. This time, however, I listened for whether a stranger would know what to do next. We connected the telephone and put the script in the recycling.

Explain how the narrator's priorities change while recording the greeting.