These issues limit the quality of the recording because the amateur actor doesn’t know how to speak with the proper enunciation and cadence for phone system recordings, and there’s no experienced director handy to provide guidance.
“Thank you for calling [company/person’s name]. We are currently unavailable, but if you leave your name, phone number, and message, we will get back to you as soon as possible.”
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• Hello. You’ve reached XYZ in (name of department). I am in a meeting and cannot take your call right now, so please leave me a message after the beep.
This is frustrating on many levels because it leaves you wondering if there is a need to take a different route to get an answer to a problem or to just wait for the return phone call. When leaving a voicemail message, there are 7 pieces of information that can help the caller. 7 Things to Include in a Voice-mail Message 1. Identify the Voice
How To Make Professional Business Voicemail Greetings. A great business voicemail greeting will inspire your customer to leave a message rather than hang up, or get them to go somewhere else where they can get a more immediate response from your business. Since you only have those few seconds to make a great first impression, be sure to follow …
Just in case you fall victim to mumbling or speaking softly in your voicemail message be sure to repeat your contact information at the beginning AND end of your message so that the listener is more likely to be able to pick up on the information. This helps if you are speaking quietly or if the listener was not ready to record your information when you said it the first time. Repeating your information will save the listener time as they will not have to listen to your message again to get those details.
With OpenPhone you can record your own voicemail greetings directly in the app, upload your own voice clips or simply type your voicemail script. With the text to speech functionality, you can copy one of the 21 voicemail samples above and paste it into the OpenPhone voicemail interface to get your professional voicemail greeting instantly.
For example, a message like, “Hi, this is Jim. You know what to do.” Well, not everyone is going to know what to do—i.e. they won’t leave you inclusive information. Additionally, they may not leave you a message at all. Aside from this, humor can again be detrimental to your message, this time lending itself to ambiguity and costing you clarity. For example, if a message read, “Hi this is Jim, sorry I can’t answer your call right now. Please leave your name and number and I’ll call you as soon as I can, but you already knew that right? Do I need to tell you what to do?” This is worse than the previous example as this is confusing and can also come across as rude and unprofessional. Complicating a greeting with phrasing like this is sure to cause some harm. e. Ignoring Personality & Identity: Don’t use computer generated greetings. Some users leave default messages (‘you’ve reached the voicemail box of 777-777-777, please leave a message). Believe it or not, even this can cause problems. Callers may be unsure if the voicemail box belongs to you; therefore, they don’t leave a message. Also, some may even be uncomfortable leaving information through a message in a nameless voice message box. As such, impersonalization can cause ambiguity, which again can hurt the effectiveness of your voice message system. This doesn’t mean you have to make an elaborate greeting if you don’t want to, just insert your voice and name so at least callers know they’re calling the right person.
A professional voicemail should be short and succinct. Simply introduce your company, ask the caller to leave their information, and let the caller know when to expect a callback. Once you record your greeting, you can easily upload it into the OpenPhone app. Simply go to your phone number’s settings, then choose to record a greeting, upload an mp3 file, or use text-to-speech.
Rehearse or write down your message before recording it. Remember that old saying “practice makes perfect?” It’s certainly true when it comes to creating an electronic greeting. The more you’ve rehearsed, the easier the message will be to restate. If you don’t have time to practice, writing down the greeting before recording it – and then reading it aloud from the paper – may help you stay focused on the correct wording.
49. Hello, you’ve reached the customer service team for [X company]. Our representatives are currently unavailable, but if you leave your name and a callback number, someone will get back to you shortly.
Though it may seem weird and nonsensical to you, it really works. When you smile as you speak, you are able to sound happy, cheerful, and upbeat. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.
From time to time, the information provided in your voicemail greeting will update. Maybe your business hours or phone number will change. No matter what the change is, make sure that if the altered information appears in your voicemail greeting, that you update the recording as soon as possible. Don’t mislead customers through mistaken communication.
Professional voicemail greetings can be used for cross-selling your products and services and also divert your customers to your app and website. Here are some of the benefits of creating a business voicemail greeting: 1. Leave a great impression on your customers. 2. Tell them the reason for your unavailability.
It isn’t all luck. The reality is that 42% of sales reps feel unprepared for sales calls.
As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. Read your voicemail script aloud several times in order to get the flow and annunciation correct. Soon, you’ll be a voicemail pro!
Our blog is authored by Dr. Barbara LoFrisco, a Tampa, FL-based licensed mental health counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, and certified sex therapist.