# Voicemail Greeting Overview

A voicemail greeting is the brief message a caller hears before they are prompted to leave a message. It is your chance to set expectations: let callers know when you will be reachable, point them to another way to contact you, or explain the options they have for getting help right away.

:::note
Voicemail exists in two forms in Cloud Voice: **extension voicemail** (the personal mailbox for a single user) and **group voicemail** (a shared mailbox for a ring group or department). The greeting choices below apply to both, except where noted.
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## Types of greeting

Both extension voicemail and group voicemail support two kinds of greeting:

- **System global greeting**: the default message that plays for a mailbox unless you replace it.
- **Custom greeting**: a message you record or upload specifically for that mailbox.

:::note
Every mailbox starts with the system global greeting, so callers always hear something even before anyone personalizes it. Setting a custom greeting only overrides the global one for that single mailbox: it does not change the global greeting that other mailboxes use.
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:::tip
Record a custom greeting for any mailbox that faces customers. Keep it short (a caller is waiting to leave a message), state who they have reached, and give one clear alternative such as a direct line or "press 0 for the operator" so urgent callers are not stuck.
:::

## Greetings that follow presence

Extension voicemail goes a step further and can play a different greeting depending on the user's current **presence**, which is the availability status the extension is set to. Each extension user chooses how their own greetings play across presence states, and can set:

- **A default greeting**: used for any presence state that does not have its own message.
- **Presence greetings**: a separate message for each presence state: available, away, do not disturb (DND), lunch break, business trip, and off work.

:::note
Presence-based greetings apply to **extension voicemail only**. Group voicemail uses just the system global greeting or a single custom greeting, with no presence variations. The default greeting acts as the fallback: any presence state you leave without its own recording will play the default greeting instead.
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For instance, a user might record one message for **Lunch Break** and another for **Away**:

- Lunch Break: "I'm currently on lunch and unable to take your call."
- Away: "I'm currently away from my desk."

:::tip
You do not have to record all six presence states. Cover only the ones you actually switch into (for many users, that is Away and DND), and let the default greeting handle the rest.
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