Don’t be fooled by other business’ mediocrity…Excellence matters. First impressions also matter. Let your clients and investors listen in on just how exciting and professional your business really is.
Hi. You have reached [Business Name]. Our offices are currently closed for the holiday season. We shall return on January 2, 2020, working office hours from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday thru Friday, closed Saturday and Sunday. Until then, please leave a short message and number, or email address, and we’ll get back to you shortly. Thank you for calling.
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You have reached (Your Name) at (Your Business). I was unable to take your call, but if you leave a brief message I’ll call you back as soon as possible.
Some of us may still remember a time when voicemail was a blank canvas for pranksters and humorists. They would use voicemail greetings as a place to begin recordings as if they were answering the phone (“Hello? I can’t hear you… Just kidding! Leave a message…”) or to flash some personality with music or themed messages. Unless your business is a costume rental facility or joke and magic trick shop, it’s best to avoid this strategy. Instead, try to remember a few key points to focus on-
Most mistakes are made right at the beginning. Many people do not know what they are going to say in advance and so they try to make a voice mail recording on-the-fly. Even only having a general idea of what you are going to say won’t really cut it. These types of greetings lack professionalism and sincerity. Write out your voice mail greeting word for word in advance and be sure to include information like: – The type of information that you need to return the call (name, number, details, etc)
When you frequently update your business greeting, there is a chance more people will listen to the message. You can update your voicemail with relevant information about your business as a way to keep your customers well informed.
For those with voicemail greetings that get changed about as often as a new president is elected, know that this is doing a serious disservice to the caller-recipient relationship. It signals to callers that the business is anything but an authority, most likely not very detail oriented, and has questionable overall credibility and competency. Those aren’t traits that any business wants to associate itself.
And make sure in the queues you leave for yourself as notes you write it down as a reminder to say it out loud.
3. Be courteous of your customers’ time: “Hi! You have reached [your business]. All of our staff are currently busy helping other callers. We understand how valuable your time is, and rather than keeping you on hold, we will make sure to call you back.Be sure to leave us a detailed message with your name and number.
The most important aspect of a voicemail message is that the listener must be able to understand your message. Don’t mumble your words and be sure to speak loudly and clearly. Speaking softly will make it difficult to understand you and may result in the listener not being able to call you back.
Don’t leave customers and colleagues on edge. If you say you’re going to call them back, follow up. If you tend to fall behind in this area, encourage them to email you or reach out in another way. Better yet, learn how to forward voicemail to email so you can access the message anywhere.
If your business is off for a holiday, it's a common courtesy to update your voicemail to acknowledge the closure. Mention the closure in the beginning of the message, convey when your business is reopening, and don't forget to wish the callers a happy holiday if the occasion calls for it. If you're away from your office, check your voicemail remotely to keep up with incoming messages if necessary. Or get voicemail to email capabilities set up on your phone system. Thank you for calling Merlow Plumbing. We are closed for Christmas from December 24th, 2015, until January 2nd, 2016. Our normal business hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 am - 6 pm. Please leave your message after the tone. Have a happy holiday, and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year. 5. Emergency Situation Voicemail Greeting
Record your greeting. Under Voice mail, select Greetings. Select the type of greeting you want to record. Select Call me to play or record the selected greeting. Enter your phone number and select Dial. Follow the instructions in the recorded message to record your greeting. When finished recording, click Save.
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The concept may seem simple, but when the pressure is on and the clock is ticking, it’s sometimes easy to forget this extremely important detail.
Typically, a good business voicemail greeting should comprise the following elements: A warm greeting. Your name, the name of your company and department name. Make an apology for being unable to take the call. Ask the caller to leave a message. Let the caller know when to expect a return call.
2. Professional voicemail greetings for your business cell phone number. It’s a good practice for each of your team members to have their own personal business phone numbers.