Before the digital era, he says more than 80 percent of business lines had voice mail. Now, he estimates only a third of office phones have it.”For customers, even the most professional voicemail greeting is impersonal, and may even harm customer experience (millennials, in particular, avoid using voicemail altogether).
VoIP RequirementsVoIP RemediationVPN for VoIP ServiceNetwork Health CheckNetwork MonitoringNetwork Bandwidth
.
• 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.
In this quick guide, we’ll take a look at what makes a good business voicemail greeting, breaking it down into the elements that every voicemail greeting should contain.
We’re all familiar with this type of voicemail greeting. Simply put, a caller reaches you by dialing your number or extension directly. For an optimal personal voicemail greeting, be clear about who you are, the team you’re on, and when the caller can expect a callback. Unlike company and department voicemail greetings, you may not be able to configure a greeting for open and closed business hours. If that’s the case, use a general voicemail greeting that accommodates both scenarios.
Let the song in your heart play on your voicemail greeting. Lady Gaga's "Telephone" works perfectly "Sorry I'm not home right now. I'm walking into spiderwebs. Leave a message and I'll call you back." Say it up front with "Spiderwebs" by No Doubt. Stevie Wonder practically intended this to be used as a voicemail message.
A voicemail and voicemail greeting are two different things. A voicemail serves to leave a message and contact information to an individual or business. A voicemail greeting serves to welcome those who call while you are out, encouraging them to leave a message and contact information. A well-crafted voicemail greeting also serves as a tool where one can leave a good first impression.
Show that you’re human! Not everything in business needs to bland and boring. Add some personality to your voicemail while still maintaining professionalism. Do you have a fun fact about yourself or something unique to you? Share that in your voicemail and then ask for the customer to leave you with a fun fact so that you can call them back.
In today’s digital-first world, it can be extremely easy to treat things like your business voicemail as an afterthought. Your voicemail has the potential to communicate so much more effectively than its digital counterpart.
When you leave a voicemail do not use your full name because that immediately raises a red flat that you are a salesperson making a cold call. Instead, say your first name only followed by your company name. This will make your customer feel that you are much more familiar with each other than you really are. Saying your last name would defeat the whole purpose of demonstrating familiarity.
Your voicemail recording should include several key elements to communicate with your customers. The most important parts of your greeting are: Announcement and identification (“Hello! You’ve reached [your name] with [your business’s name]”) A brief apology (“I’m sorry, but we are unable to take your call as we are [closed, assisting guests, away from the desk, etc.]”) Invitation to leave a message Information you want from them (“Please leave your name, number, and reason for calling”) Promise of a callback and timeframe (“You’ll hear from us within 24 hours!”) How to Sound Your Best
“Thanks for calling the desk of (insert your name) at (insert your company name). I’m either on a call or away from my desk but if you leave your name, phone number, and the reason for calling, I’ll return your call as soon as possible. Thank You.”
Hi, this is [Name]. I’m not currently available at the moment, but I look forward to talking with you. Please leave your contact information, along with a short message, and I’ll make certain to return your call.
What voice do you want to convey when speaking with customers? This may be professional, casual, or even humorous.
5. Go to your voicemail settings. Once you are in your voicemail system, the specific options that you have – and the keys on the dial pad that you have to press to access them – will differ slightly, depending on your telecom carrier.
Have a positive attitude while recording your voicemail greeting — it will carry through in your voice. If you find it difficult to convey positivity over a phone system, try smiling while you’re recording. (We promise, you will hear a difference.)
Calmly and steadily record your voicemail. Don’t rush it to the point where the customer can’t decipher everything you’ve requested on the message. To ease the process, write your voicemail down with pause points. This will ensure you annunciate everything clearly and can assist in managing your speed.