The phrase ‘Your call is important to us’ is very overused and can sometimes come off as insincere. Instead your professional voicemail greeting should say something like ‘We appreciate your call and look forward to speaking with you soon.’
“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. We will return your call within two business hours. Thanks!”
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I have a confession to make: I haven’t recorded a new voicemail greeting since 2014. In the past four years, I (hopefully) have become more articulate, poised, and self-assured. But hear my voicemail recording, and you’d think I was still new to the work world, a little unsure of myself — and probably not an authority. Obviously I need toupdate it. And if you haven’t changed your voicemail greeting in over a year, you’re likely in the same boat. After all, a professional voicemail recording boosts your credibility, makes you seem more competent, and encourages whoever’s listening to it to continue the relationship. A relatively unprofessional one — like mine, for instance — does the opposite: It encourages prospects, recruiters, and potential connections to run in the other direction. With that in mind, I’ve written 18 unique voicemail greetings for every situation. Pick your favorite, practice a few times, then record your new voicemail.
For small businesses, there are a variety of voicemail service providers you can use that offer different features. From transcription and voice to text to more convenient features of handling multiple phones through one number, availability varies by service. Shared voicemail and call routing is intended for multiple access and directing calls to one or multiple phones. Mobile apps are also available that allow you to check your messages from your phone. The below infographic outlines the current state and trends of voicemails.
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.
Need your voicemail recording as soon as possible? Depending on the complexity of your job, you can receive your final audio files in as little as one day.
What benefit are you offering if they decide to listen… and if they decide to call back?
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.
Need script options? Take a look at these templates (and modify them as you please):
Sometimes people avoid calling back altogether because they’re worried about one thing: Time.
Always keep in mind the people who will be listening to your professional voicemail greetings. What type of tone and information resonates with them?
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
You have reached the mailbox of the Claims Department. We are sorry that we are unable to take your call at this time, but please leave a detailed message and we will get back to you as soon as possible. We look forward to serving you. Thank you.
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.
When recording your business voicemail greeting, be sure to identify and introduce yourself and your business. This helps to confirm your caller that they have reached whom they intended.
Simply speak into your phone or computer while recording a greeting with your business phone service. If you need to create your own audio file, the voice memo app on your phone should do fine.
Just like the importance of conducting yourself professionally in person and over email, you want to make sure that if an employer is trying to contact you, that they receive a professional greeting, even if you aren’t able to answer the phone right away.