The above eight rules of engagement for voicemail greetings may sound easy enough, but they’ll require some practice to get just right. Let’s look at some examples to provide some context in how to apply the rules to various types of greetings and situations.
A good first impression goes a long way, and a voicemail greeting is the first impression to your business. An expertly crafted voicemail script lets your clients know you’re dependable, capable, and confident. An unprofessional voicemail script, on the other hand, can do the exact opposite.
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The easiest way to record and program professional voicemail greetings for your phone system is to write down a script. Choose someone to record your script - the one who can speak without hesitating or stuttering, has a friendly voice and can annunciate and pronounce each name and word clearly.
Rehearse your greeting a few times before you press record. Plan your pauses and select natural places to take a breath. If you are recording directly into your phone don't hold it to your ear like you are talking on the phone. This can produce a muffled tone. Hold the phone out in front of you a few inches from your mouth for the clearest recording. This may require some trial and error. So playback your greeting and make necessary adjustments on your re-record.
Does your organization have a witty catchphrase or slogan? If so, use that to your advantage. Here is one that could be tailored towards a custom software company:
3. Call your voicemail. Using the dial pad, type in the phone number assigned to your voicemail account, and then press the green Call button. Or, just press and hold the 1 key if that's easier.
There is one very important last step. Return all of your calls as soon as possible. Prompt, professional callbacks, even if you then must leave a message, get you off on the right step toward a job interview.
Now that the importance of having current and applicable voicemail greetings has been established, the big question of how remains, right? How does one create this stellar voicemail selection and improve their business voicemail greeting?
14. “Thanks for giving us a call! We promise it’s never a bad time for [company name], but you’ve reached us after-hours. Please leave us your name, number and the best time to reach you and we’ll give you a call when we are open.” Let’s face it, you’re not always open. Yet that doesn’t mean you don’t want to help your caller. Let them know you’ll call them right back when you’re open again.
You may rearrange your voicemail record depending on the voicemail service provider you use.
check words for the English /oʊ/ vowel. Many non-native speakers make this more like a single vowel and it’s a double vowel so it should have /o/ and /ʊ/ smoothly joined together. Check it in the word ‘phone’ . Another double vowel to look out for in your Voicemail Greeting example is the diphthong vowel /eɪ/. This vowel is in words like ‘wait’ and ‘able’. Many people use the word ‘can’t’ in their Voicemail greeting example. This can be a trap for non-native English speakers. That’s why we chose ‘unable’ instead! Watch out for the word ‘can’t’! In American English and British English the vowel in ‘can’t’ is pronounced with the vowel /æ/ like in ‘pat’ – /kænt/.
(Wondering how you can receive texts from your business callers? Check out the OpenPhone App today)
11. Hello, you’ve reached [your name]’s cell phone. I can’t take your call at the moment, but if you leave a brief message, I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.
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)
The best voicemail messages are friendly, concise, and get straight to the point. So, what is a good voicemail script? In this post, we’ll discuss why you need a script, give you five voicemail templates, and show you how to record a professional greeting.
• You have reached (name of company). Thank you for calling us. If you have the extension number of the person you want to contact, dial it now. Press 1 for (name of department). Press 2 for (the HR). Press 3 for the telephone directory of the company, or press 0 for the operator.
You don’t want to answer calls 24/7 (unless you’re serving clients globally and there’s an expectation of 24/7 support). If you’re unavailable during specific hours of the day, use the voicemail examples below for after-hours business calls.