Creating a voicemail greeting might not be fun, but with the scripts I’ve shared, you should have an easier time. No need to practice time and time again — simply plug in your name, company title, and other details, then read it out loud to your phone’s voicemail greeting recorder. With a professional greeting, you’ll continue nurturing prospects even if you don’t pick up the phone.
Categories Categories Select Category Accounting Automotive Brand Business Goals Business Skills Business Success Communication Construction Customer Service Data Design eCommerce Efficiency Employees Environment Event Planning Featured Posts Finance Health and Safety Infographic Insurance Internet Legal Logistics Management Manufacturing Marketing Medical Mindset Motivation Outsourcing Productivity Property Relationships Sales Security SEO Social Media Software Start-up Technology Training Websites Workplace
.
After all, a professional voicemail recording boosts your credibility, makes you seem more competent, and encourages whoever's listening to it to continue the relationship.
My snarky colleague sure did in his out-of-office message below. We send thank-you letters in response to holiday gifts, so it’s only natural to expect the same gesture in our work inboxes …
Are you fully inspired by the creative out-of-office messages above? It’s time to write your own — your upcoming vacation depends on it. Try HubSpot’s OOO Email Generator if you’re feeling stuck, and remember, an out-of-office email doesn’t need to be boring. On the contrary, it should inform and entertain. You don’t want people hating on you because you took a much-needed break.
Time to turn off Facebook’s digital fire hoseThere Is Nothing for You Here by Fiona Hill — memoir from Trump White HouseMilan brings sexy back, with mixed resultsThe growing pains of Tony SopranoDivinity and damnation — why Dante still matters
Of course the people on my project never use the calendar for work trips. I don’t find out that someone is on travel until I get the OOO autoreply. Weirdly, everyone puts their personal leave on the calendar and includes the reason, especially doctor visits. I don’t need to know why you are absent.
After one negative service experience, 51% of customers will never do business with that company again. Hence, delivering excellent service is the most important part of customer retention strategies. Auto reply messages are the best ways to maintain a transparent connection with your clientele.
So far it only works for texts, and both my customized reply and the URGENT (annoying) language is sent back with every auto-text. Phone calls are NOT answered unless I let my routine vm pick it up, which I will. If I turn off the phone, it does not work (which would be great if it did, like an auto-email) and if I turn my phone off and on, I must RE-SET the DND. Still better than nothing. I have a 7plus
How to turn on "Automatic Replies (Out of Office)" or the "Out of Office Assistant" Click the File tab, and then click the Info tab in the menu. Click Automatic Replies (Out of Office). In the Automatic Replies dialog box, select the Send Automatic Replies check box. How do you include a holiday in an email?
I can’t remember if this was just an outgoing voice message before routing you to an individual, or for a voicemail, but I remember a fun December phone message from a small company (I think an insurance agency) sung to the tune of a Christmas carol–something like Jingle Bells. The content was something like: you’ve reached our office during this holiday season, hope your holidays are happy, please 1) leave a message or 2) press X for who you want. Other than the tune, it wasn’t overly holiday-centric (for those who don’t celebrate the holidays) and it was cute.
If you super, duper need to contact me, you can find me on Facebook or Twitter and use the hashtag #I’mGonnaRuinYourVacation
Voicemail is also horrible for non-native speakers. I’m reasonably fluent in German but have to listen to voicemails at least 3 times to get everything. Why people can’t just type a text message is beyond me.
Remember to change the dates, and double-check to make sure they’re correct if you’re resuming the same message you used the last time.
The other being I did it once at my current job, pointed them to my boss, and he called me every time someone reached out to him. It was SUPER annoying, because not a single thing was time sensitive or really even remotely important, and if I hadn’t given a contact person they would have just waited. But I’m really the only person that does that I do, so when I’m gone, they just have to wait. :shrug:
Out of office messages can be as concise or detailed as you need but should follow a standard structure. Here are two templates you can use to create your own message.
Kat is a Midwest-based freelance writer, covering topics related to careers, productivity, and the freelance life. In addition to The Muse, she's a contributor all over the web and dishes out research-backed advice for places like Atlassian, Trello, Toggl, Wrike, The Everygirl, FlexJobs, and more. She's also an Employment Advisor at a local college, and loves helping students prepare to thrive in careers (and lives!) they love. When she manages to escape from behind her computer screen, she's usually babying her two rescue mutts or continuing her search for the perfect taco. Say hi on Twitter @kat_boogaard or check out her website.