A good voicemail greeting is short and professional, lets people know that you’ll get back to them, and invites callers to continue engaging with a call-to-action. You should also show your personality if you’re in an industry or role that allows that. If your industry is more conservative, however, you’ll want to keep humor and personal touches to a minimum. A greeting Your name Your company A simple explanation for missing the call (e.g. you’re away from the phone or are on holiday) A rough estimate of when you’ll get back to the person An alternative person to reach out to (if you’re out of office) An alternative mode of communication (if you prefer email or text) A call-to-action such as “Leave a message” or “Send me an email at [email protected]”
True emergencies - such as extraordinary weather - should be addressed in your voicemail if it impacts your business. Thank you for calling the Carona Surf Shop. We are currently closed due to the inclement weather. Our normal business hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 9 pm. Please visit www.caronasurfshop.com to order merchandise and to check our schedule during the hurricane.
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You may be tempted to just record the message and be done with it. Remember, however, that this message will potentially leave a lasting impression on first-time callers. Take a little time to practice your speech, pronunciation, and tone of voice. You want to sound your best!
There are several key tactics you can use that are proven to increase your chances of getting a prospective client to respond.
Out of town? Your callers should know. Let them know with the following vacation voicemail greetings.
You’re growing tired. Your eyelids are getting heavy. You feel very sleepy now. You are gradually losing your willpower and your ability to resist suggestions. When you hear the tone you will feel helplessly compelled to leave your name, number, and a message.
Make sure you don’t use a monotone voice when you record your business voicemail greetings. Use inflection in your voice so you don’t sound like a robot.
This means you’re contacting the prospect in multiple ways and increasing your chances of somehow getting a response — Whether it’s via phone or another way.
For a medical office, call types may include billing, emergencies, appointments, cancellations, etc. 2. Determine How To Best Route Calls The best method of routing your medical office calls will depend on your office size and budget. If you have a small staff, setting up a standard voicemail greeting system may be a more practical approach. For a larger health organization with multiple departments, it makes more sense to route calls to their intended destinations by using an auto attendant. For example, “If you have a question about billing, press 1. If you’d like to schedule an appointment, press 2. If this is a medical emergency, press 0 for an operator.” If you want every caller or patient to experience a professional and compassionate call, you may consider working with a medical office answering service. You can forward calls to an answering service after business hours, on holidays, during overflow, or any other time you may need help answering calls. 3. Draft A Script
If you started your company more than a year ago, it’s probably time to change your voicemail script. Your recording should match the brand, tone, and voice of your company — just as though a caller were speaking to a member of your team.
In previous blogs, I’ve mentioned the importance of making a good first impression on a potential client. Most of the time, the first contact will be over the telephone. Since we are often in session, it is very likely that the first time a client hears our voice is on our voicemail greeting. This is why a professional greeting is so important. Identify yourself because you need to reassure the client that they have called the correct number. Clients will be a lot less likely to leave a message if they wonder who will get it. Use a warm friendly voice to say something like, “You have reached xxxx, licensed mental health counselor.” Tell clients what to do if they are in crisis. Although it seems obvious to us, clients may not realize that it could be several hours until we can return their call. I suggest something like, “If you require immediate assistance, please dial 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.” Ask for what information you need. Yes, the obvious name and number, but if it would be helpful to get their insurance information, ask for that, too. Give clients an idea about when you’ll return their call. Common business practice is within 24 business hours. Any extra messages or information you’d like clients to know. For example, if you are no longer accepting a particular insurance plan, the end of your voicemail greeting is a great place to convey that information.
*Note: Some of your users don’t celebrate all the same holidays you do. Remember to keep these voicemail greetings neutral 🌟
Record your voicemail away from background noise. While recording your voicemail, background noise can make your message very difficult to understand. Make sure to record your voicemail in an environment with minimal background noise. If you want to optimize your voicemail, practice a lot. Also, do not forget to take notes about the content of your voicemail. Practicing and taking notes while leaving an electronic voicemail is essential. A lot of practice will be so helpful in recording your message. But in some cases, you may not have time to practice. It may help to write your voicemail text on a piece of paper and read it in such cases.
Tip: write down what you’d like to say, and then read it when you are recording your greeting. Try not to speak too quickly. Then, play the recording back to make sure you like how it sounds. Working in Community Mental Health with Katie Fleming: Ep. 22 Podcast Top 50 Counseling Blogs Counseling Resources 50 Free Open Courseware Classes About Psychology and the Human Brain Education Psychology 18 Beautiful Infographics About the Human Brain Brain Psychology
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What benefit are you offering if they decide to listen… and if they decide to call back?
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.