You can control message playback by pressing the desired number under the commands shown on the left in GREEN.
Website: https://beyondthereceptiondesk.wordpress.com/2013/07/19/answer-machine-messages-get-it-right/
.
15. “Hello, you’ve reached the Sales Department at [Company name]. All of our representatives are currently helping clients [insert goal such as, ‘achieve 40% growth through streamlining HR’] and are unable to take your call. Instead of putting you on hold and taking up your valuable time, please leave your name, company, and phone number and we’ll give you a call back ASAP. Thank you!”
7. Direct Customers to Your Account Login Page. Thank you for calling [Company Name]. Our offices are currently closed for the day. Standard office hours are Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 8 PM Eastern Time.
Cindy Hubbard and her 17-year-old son, Zach, have resolved the eternal telephone battle between adult and teenager with this message: "Hello, this is Zach's mom. He can't come to the phone right now, but leave a message, and I'll be sure he returns your call. Oh, and by the way, I live here, too."
9. Outgoing Message with Samuel L. Jackson Treatment. Stephen Colbert asked Samuel L. Jackson to record his infamous voice on his outgoing message recording.
“Hey, this is [your name] over at [XYZ company]. So anyway I’m about to give in my resignation right now. Please don’t call here again. Just kidding!
-So long as phones can ring and eyes can see, leave a message, and I’ll get back to thee.
I finally got an answering machine. But how does this useless thing work? Aah, the record button, which I already pressed. The light is on. I wonder why the machine is not working properly? I wonder what this button right here does… beep
Telling a quick joke or including a little more information can keep you safely within the 20-second timeframe while letting the caller understand a little more about you.
Give The Caller Instructions: Instruct the callers what topics you want them to leave voicemails for, and what topics you want them to call back for during office hours.
4. Voicemail greetings for calls received after business hours. You don’t want to answer calls 24/7 (unless you’re serving clients globally and there’s an expectation of 24/7 support).
Press 6 after listening to a message to forward a copy of it to another person's CenturyLink voicemail. For example, you get a message at home that you want to forward to your neighbor, or your children share time in two households. Whenever a message arrives for them, just press 6 to forward it on.
3. Offer Clear Next Steps. For many small businesses, the announcement will send the caller straight to a voicemail box. But larger organizations may decide to direct callers to a phone menu or forward the call to an external destination, depending on the situation.
5) To keep this greeting, press Stop again. To delete it & try again, press Delete. Record Time sets the duration for recording the incoming messages. You have three record time options. The options "1 minute" or "4 minutes" set the duration for recording the incoming messages. "Announce only" answers the call but prevents the caller from leaving a message. 1) Simply move the "Record Time" switch to 1 or 4 is which found on the side of the base 2) Press skip & repeat or volume up & down arrows to get to desired record time.
Website: https://grasshopper.com/blog/perfect-voicemail-greetings-10-tips-for-recording-effective-and-professional-messages-plus-examples/
If you drone on and on, there is a good chance that some of your callers are going to hang up before leaving their message.