At a prior job (and awesomely high paying), we had to drive through a remote controlled guard gate everyday to get in and out (like a drive thru speaker). We had to say our name and company. It was horrible and I had many block instances of simply staring at the camera until my head almost bursted. It was a terrible way to start and end the day. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. So, I thought about it. I don't know who's on the other line. They could be in another state or at home in their bed for all I know. I NEVER had to see them. I did 2 things: 1. Changed my accent. I used a Southern draw. 2. I stopped saying the first letter in my first name. That was what I got stuck on every time. So I just skipped it and started with the second letter. I thought "Most brains will probably "hear" or "pre-fill" the whole name and move right along without thinking" 1. Example: Elizabeth. Nobody is going to hear a difference between "elizabeth" and "lizabeth" Answering the phone, I've also used "Hi" instead of "Hello". Or "Good morning" "Good afternoon" "Good evening" or any other synonym for "Hello".