Voicemail — set up your greeting

Each Ody number has its own voicemail greeting, set from Settings → Numbers (or Settings → Work schedule). Callers hear one of two things — pick which with the toggle at the top of the editor:

• Your recording — a greeting you record in the browser or upload as a WAV/MP3, played exactly as recorded.
• Generated voice — text you write, read to callers by a natural voice you choose. Leave the text empty for the default greeting with your workspace name.

The line under the toggle always tells you what callers hear right now.

Before you start

• Only owners and admins can edit voicemail settings.
• Recording, uploading and switching between the two greetings is done on the web app (app.ody.co, desktop or phone browser). The iPhone and Android apps edit the generated-voice text and voice.
• Recordings can be up to 60 seconds; uploads must be WAV or MP3, up to 4 MB.
• Your browser will ask for microphone permission the first time you record.

Step-by-step — use your own recording

1. Click Settings in the left sidebar, then Numbers (on your phone: More → Settings → Numbers).

2. On the number's card, under Voicemail & recording, click Configure next to Voicemail. The voicemail editor expands below.

3. Under WHAT CALLERS HEAR, select Your recording.

4. Click Record greeting and allow the microphone if your browser asks.

5. Speak your greeting — for example, "Hi, you've reached Cedar Park Dental. We can't take your call right now; leave your name and number and we'll call you back." The timer shows how long you have (recording stops automatically at 60 seconds).

6. Click Stop. Ody processes the audio for a moment and shows a Preview player.

7. Press play to listen. Happy with it? Click Use this recording. Not quite? Click Discard and record again.

8. The status line now reads Right now: your recording. — it's live immediately, no separate save needed.

Prefer a file? Click Upload WAV/MP3 instead of recording (up to 60 seconds and 4 MB), listen to the preview, then Use this recording. Handy for a professionally recorded greeting or one from your previous phone system.

To change it later, click Re-record or Upload WAV/MP3. To delete it entirely, click Remove recording — callers go back to the generated voice.

Step-by-step — use the generated voice

1. In the same editor, select Generated voice under WHAT CALLERS HEAR. If you have a recording, it stays on file — the status line changes to Right now: the generated voice reading your greeting text.
2. Under VOICE, pick a voice from the dropdown — the default is Joanna, natural female (US).
3. Under GREETING, type what callers should hear before the beep (up to 600 characters). Leave it empty to use the default greeting with your workspace name.
4. Click Save voicemail.

The same editor is available from Settings → Work schedule — click Voicemail greeting on any number in the "Numbers on this schedule" list. On iPhone and Android, edit the generated-voice text and voice per number in the app's Settings; use the web app to record or switch.

Voicemail inside a call flow

If the number answers with a call flow, each Voicemail step in the flow can have its own greeting text — useful when one flow takes different kinds of messages (say, an "After hours" box and a "Sales" box). Leave a flow voicemail's greeting blank to use the number's greeting from this page — whichever of the two is selected. A step with its own greeting text always reads that text with the generated voice, so callers hear the message the flow was designed with. The step's mailbox name is shown with the voicemail in the inbox so your team knows which path the caller took.

Troubleshooting

• I can't select "Your recording" — there's no recording yet. Click Record greeting or Upload WAV/MP3; saving one selects it automatically.
• "Microphone access was blocked" — click the lock/site icon in your browser's address bar, allow the microphone for app.ody.co, and try again. Or use Upload WAV/MP3 instead.
• "No microphone found" — plug in or select a mic in your operating system's sound settings, or upload a file.
• "Please choose a WAV or MP3 file" — M4A, AAC, OGG and video files aren't accepted. Export the recording as MP3 or WAV from your audio app first.
• "That file is over 4 MB" — a 60-second MP3 is well under 1 MB; very large WAVs can be trimmed or converted to MP3.
• Callers hear the generated voice but I recorded a greeting — check the toggle: the status line should read Right now: your recording. If it says the generated voice, select Your recording.

Related articles

• Listen to voicemail
• Set up a call flow on your number
• Business hours call routing
• Ring order — who rings first