The simple truth is that you need to be more aware of what you’re leaving for other people to hear. Sure, this doesn’t always register as a priority for users, but it’s never too late to reassess your greeting. a. Reading/Speaking in the Imperfect Tone: Tone is absolutely everything. Users don’t want to come off as being too nice, as it sounds insincere, or being too terse, as it can be interpreted as being rude. That being said, striking the right balance is absolutely essential. Your greeting exists as its own entity, and therefore, it should NOT rely on callers’ familiarity with you. Instead, it needs to appeal to the masses. As such, your inflection, i.e. the way you state your name and directions, needs to be both welcoming and firm. b. Injecting Humor & Insincerity: While humor/light heartedness can be welcoming, it can also convey a sense of informality, insincerity, and ultimately unprofessionalism. Why, because you’re not there to lend your humor or to contextualize. Instead, you’re assuming the caller has a working knowledge of your personality to ground the message. Though this might not sound like it’s all that terrible—it can be detrimental. As stated above, one should NEVER rely on a caller’s familiarity with you. Instead, aim to appeal to the masses. Humor is ultimately subjective, meaning not everyone has the same tastes; therefore, someone is bound to be turned off by a quirky or off-color remark. While implementing a light-hearted or even tongue and cheek tone can work, it’s just a really bad idea.
9. “Hey, it’s [your name] at [your company] – thanks for giving me a call! I can’t wait to chat. Just leave your name, number and I’ll call you back as soon as I have the chance. Better yet, send me a text with the best time to reach you and the reason for your call. Looking forward to hearing from you.” Text communication is becoming much more relevant now. Direct your caller to text you in case they have a question you can answer easier via text. Who knows, they might prefer text messages to phone calls too.
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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
In fact, scripted voicemails receive an increased conversion rate of anywhere from 3% to 22% over unscripted voicemails.
If you’re a small business owner, we recommend going with the RIY (record it yourself) route. First, it’s more affordable. Second (and more importantly), if your clients expect to work with you directly, they will expect to hear your voice when they place a phone call.
“Hey, there! This is [your name]. Please leave me a message with your name, number, and the reason you’re calling. If you also tell me [insert random fact] I’ll be sure to move you to the top of my call list. Have a great day!”
The number you have xxx-xxxx (your number) has been changed, the new number is xxx-xxxx (again, your number). CULATA!
16. Hi, you’ve reached [X Business Name]. Our regular business hours are [State opening hours]. If you need to reach someone immediately, please call [contact’s name] at [cell phone number]. If not, leave your name and contact information and a representative will get back to you when we re-open.
There you have it, a basic introduction into how to write the best voicemail greetings. As you have seen, they’re not as easy as you’d think, but once you get comfortable with the type of information required by each, writing and recording your own should be a piece of cake. If you’ve tried to write one yourself and still don’t ‘feel you’ve captured the right essence, then please look at one of our voicemails greeting templates. When it comes to recording it, remember to rehearse your script and speak clearly. If you don’t care for your own voice, then have someone else record it, or hire a professional voice actor. Remember, there are also free audio editing software programs like Audacity, where you can manipulate your recording until you get exactly what you want.
When calling any business number, you are often greeted with an automated voicemail greeting that helps guide you through the company directory, hours of operation, contact information and alternative steps for the call, such as leaving a message.
To best assist your callers and effectively route their calls, you will need to classify your call types.
How do I record my Voicemail Greeting over the Phone? Dial the Voicemail Access extension 899 (default) Enter password followed by #. Press 0 for Mailbox Options. See Also How do I record personal greetings for Voicemail Options.
Voicemail and voice messages are among the top ways every professional business can use to enhance their customer services. Though this idea may sound strange to many in the internet age, this kind of mail is a proven source of solutions for business communications and customer service.
KEEP PHONE GREETINGS SHORT: If someone is listening to your voicemail greeting it's only because they intend to leave you a message. Don't make them listen to 3 minutes of rambling in order to do so. Plus, you're more likely to deliver a clean, professional read if you stick to shorter greetings. If more specific information is needed, direct
Remember that Brittney Spears song where you hear her voicemail greeting at the end and she does that fake-out “beeeeep” and says “do yo thang?”
41. Hello, you’ve reached [X company]. Leave a message so we can call you back as soon as our team has a spare moment.