You or your friends might have one on a home machine, but what about when you call a business and hear kids greetings on the voicemail? Is this cute and funny, or just unprofessional? We have friends and family that have put kids greetings on the machines and they can be a nice alternative to the typical generic phone greeting from Ma Bell. What would you think if you called a business and heard children on the machine?

I could understand it working for businesses that cater to some children, but what about a professional office? Do you expect to hear an adult? I spoke to a friend whose daughter grabbed the cell phone one day when it was ringing. Of course, it was a work cell phone, and she explained that daddy was busy. Very cute!

If you have a home business, do you have a separate business phone line? Here are my thoughts for having a separate business line:

1. Your voice or voicemail might be the first impression for a client. You want your clients to think you are working in an organized office.

2. You can always turn off your business phone ringer when you are done for the day. Using the same phone for home and office can cause conflicts when kids want to call friends.

3. Think about using a cell phone for business. You would have complete control and could carry your office anywhere you go. Just make sure your kids don’t answer the phone.

Have you ever called a business and heard a kids greeting on the message? What was your thought, and did it have any impact on your decision to do business with them?