To create a professional business voicemail greeting, businesses need to do several things:
Check out the following samples: One voicemail was recorded while the individual was smiling, the other was recorded when the speaker held a neutral facial expression. Can you hear the difference? Version 1: I am smiling during this recording. Can you tell?Version 2: I have a neutral expression during this recording. Makes a pretty big difference right?6. Keep it short
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Some of us may still remember a time when voicemail was a blank canvas for pranksters and humorists. They would use voicemail greetings as a place to begin recordings as if they were answering the phone (“Hello? I can’t hear you… Just kidding! Leave a message…”) or to flash some personality with music or themed messages. Unless your business is a costume rental facility or joke and magic trick shop, it’s best to avoid this strategy. Instead, try to remember a few key points to focus on-
Consider for a moment how your phone is currently being answered. Professional courtesy is quite often not the standard for many college students. An abrupt "Yeah!" could be listed among the more courteous greetings. The more outrageous remarks will often buy you a major black mark in the professionalism category—even if it was your roommate answering your phone and acting crazy. A simple "This is ____" is always a pleasant change for a college student call. Make the change today, before the next (or first) employer phone call. If you have a landline, you should also encourage your roommate to do the same.
Include Basic Information: Your voicemail greeting should include basic information such as your hours of operation and location. This will help you to screen out calls during office hours, and also unnecessary voicemail inquiries.
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.
The best way to get a call back is to make the prospect feel like it’s all about them. Focus on what they want and how you can provide the solution.
Press 6 to enable or disable “announcement only” mode (e.g., your vacation greeting). Press 9 to exit voicemail. To configure your voicemail's other settings, click here. For a downloadable Quick Reference Guide to the voicemail phone menu, click here.
Because for many callers, this will be the first point of contact for your business, it’s important to set it up correctly — but how?
37. Hi, this is [company name]. Sorry we missed your call. Leave a message and we’ll get back to you shortly.
Turn your phone off for 10 seconds and then back on. Place a test call to 611. Do one of the following: If the test call is successful, press and hold 1 to dial into the voicemail system. If your test call fails, confirm you have wireless coverage. If Visual Voicemail won't download, press and hold 1 to check your messages.
8. “Thanks for calling [your name] at [your company]. I didn’t mean to send you to voicemail but I am either on the line with another client or on the go. Leave your name, number, the reason for your call today and the best time to call you back. I’ll speak with you shortly! ” Your caller probably wanted to reach you, not your voicemail. Advise your caller that you’re simply on the line with another caller and you’ll be right with them.
You have reached xxx-xxxx. We picked this machine up at a garage sale in “as-is” condition. You can try to leave a message on it, but we are not sure it will be recorded. If we don’t return your call, it means the machine did not work.
As mentioned above, alerting callers that they won’t be getting an immediate call back is of upmost importance for an entity’s reputation and a caller’s satisfaction.
15 Voicemail Greeting Examples for Your Business. Now that you know why setting up a professional voicemail is so important and what it requires to sound professional, here are some example voicemail messages that can work in a few different situations. Business Greeting Voicemails “Hello and welcome to [company name].
02Hello, you’ve reached [your name] of [your company/business]. I’m sorry that I’m not available to answer your call now. Please leave your details and a brief message at the tone and I’ll make sure your message reaches the right person. This is the perfect voicemail for a department’s secretary or operatory to let those calling know that their message will be delivered when you get back.
What’s in a good voicemail greeting?Often, it’s the little things that count.Your voicemail greeting should represent you.