A professional voicemail greeting is a recording that informs clients and business partners you are not available to receive their call. It is an essential part of any effective business communication strategy, especially if you are in sales.
This is frustrating on many levels because it leaves you wondering if there is a need to take a different route to get an answer to a problem or to just wait for the return phone call. When leaving a voicemail message, there are 7 pieces of information that can help the caller. 7 Things to Include in a Voice-mail Message 1. Identify the Voice
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Since you are recording audio, make sure you are in a silent place or a place with minimum background noise. This will help you create a perfect business voicemail greeting clear.
Translation: If you sound unsure, then your current clients, prospects, and partners won’t be so sure about you either.
4. Liam Neeson Threatens and Delights Your Callers. Liam Neeson has been acting for decades but it was his recent role in the hit movie Taken that caught the attention of a younger audience.
The phone you use to record your greeting – and your surrounding – can turn your carefully scripted greeting into an unprofessional mess. Background noise is terribly distracting, so choose a quiet room or parked car to make your call. Landlines, or a “wi-fi enabled” cellphone call, can provide much better connection quality than a standard cellphone. If you must use a cell phone, be sure to use a high-quality headset for the best clarity.
Listen to your messages and return your calls as soon as possible. Of all the lines of communication available (social media, text, email, etc.,) your callers resulted in picking up the phone to call you because they wanted to speak with a live person. Do them the common courtesy and give them a call back when you first have the chance.
24. Hello, you’ve reached [business name]. Every call is important to us, so please leave a brief message that includes your name and phone number so a member of our customer success team can call you back as quickly as possible.
40. Hi, I’m not in right now, but if you leave a detailed message I’ll call you back promptly.
Professional voicemail greetings are considered extremely important in the corporate sector. An ideal voicemail greeting should educate the caller about the destination he/she has reached, why is the receiver not available and when can he/she expect a call back. Below are some examples.
The above section details types of phrasing to avoid; however, it doesn’t detail what users should NOT say on their greeting. Though this is a bit loaded, as there are hundreds of combinations of things one shouldn’t say, there are some key components users should ALWAYS avoid. a. Forget About Slang: You should strive to be as professional and welcoming as possible in your greeting. While this may steer you towards using slang, in an attempt to make callers comfortable, it’ll most likely work against you. As a professional, your demeanor, tone, and speech should be clear cut and well articulated. Using slang undercuts this and works against you. b. Don’t Even Think About Profanity: This is a no-brainer. Never, under any circumstances, curse in your greeting EVER! c. Keep Your Sentences Clean, Don’t Ramble: Introduce yourself and give your caller specific direction. Avoid long diatribes detailing tangent thoughts. Keep it simple and quick. d. Always Return Your Calls: It’s important for callers to feel they are valued. Nothing dissolves this quicker than a greeting that doesn’t stress this. For example, “I’ll call you when I can,” “If I don’t return your call, please call back”—these phrases are terrible and completely destroy any good will you may have with a caller.
Expand your opening to with 'Thank you for calling [insert company/individual name]' or 'You've reached the voicemail of [insert company/individual name]'. This personal touch goes a long way towards building a rapport even when you're not available to answer the call directly.
Using studio-grade audio recording equipment helps ensure the audio for your business voicemail greeting is clear and easy to understand, minimizing the risk of misunderstandings.
So long as phones can ring and eyes can see, leave a message, and I’ll get back to thee.
A professional voicemail greeting is slightly different than a business greeting, as certain professionals may require the caller to leave specific information. For instance, a professional therapist voicemail greeting would specifically ask for contact information from the caller, as well as leave their own personal contact information in case
A great voicemail greeting can even make people look forward to you returning their call. Whether you want to install a professionally recorded voicemail greeting, or you want to record one yourself, it helps to know what you want to say before you record. Here are some helpful examples.
Hello, it’s obvious you have bad timing, because nobody is home. Please leave your name, telephone number, and a brief message in a voice similar to mine, and your call will be returned as soon as humanly possible.