Our blog is authored by Dr. Barbara LoFrisco, a Tampa, FL-based licensed mental health counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, and certified sex therapist.
Having a dedicated emergency contact will help make sure anything important that comes up is taken care of. Another option is directing callers to a separate answering service.
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45. Hi, this is [X department] at [X company]. We’re not able to take your call right now, but if you leave a quick message after the tone, our next available representative will call you back shortly.
Customers expect professional treatment from your business at all times, even from a prerecorded business voicemail greeting. Provide a good impression of your business and yourself through the simple act of recording a professional voicemail message. It only takes a few minutes of your time and can impact your business for the better.
A monotone voice can be a turn off for a caller. You want your caller to feel like they missed out on speaking with you — not like they dodged a bullet.
A busy greeting should tell callers that your phone lines are currently in use. You can direct people to wait on hold or leave a message. For example, “Hello, you’ve reached [company name]. Our representatives are currently helping other customers. Please stay on the line to speak with the next available team member, or press one to leave a message and we’ll call you back.”
This is a lot like body language… the person on the other end can infer a lot from more than just the words you use.
If you’re going to be out of the office on holidays or vacations, make that known in your voicemail so customers don’t think they’re getting ignored. Nothing is more frustrating to a customer than when they can’t reach you and assume you’re ignoring them.
Make sure you keep your promises too. If you want to specify a time (which you should) ensure you get back to the customer within the timeframe.
The above greeting is a professional voicemail script used by many growing and established businesses. It delivers the message quickly and efficiently, without wasting the caller’s time.
When someone reaches your voicemail, it’s important that you help them confirm that they have reached the right person by providing all of the relevant information that they will need. Who have they reached? Did they contact the right person and the right business? Should they leave a message? When will you get back to them? Is there a better time for them to call?
Pro Tip: Avoid using a monotone voice when you record a voicemail greeting for a virtual answering system. You want your customers to be engaged and feel welcomed, not like a burden.
Make sure that this voicemail greeting informs users about office hours, alternative ways to reach customer service, or store location. “Hi, you’ve reached [business name]. We are available by phone from [9 am] to [6 pm] [PST] Monday to Friday. You can also use the contact form on our website, [www.example.com] to leave us a message and we
Make it obvious why you’re leaving the message by asking a specific question at the end related to why they should call you back.
Missed calls aren’t… ideal, but if you do miss a call, how do you keep your customers engaged and encourage them to leave you a voicemail?
The next step is very important and you need to get it right. Say your phone number two times very slowly so the person has enough time to write down your number as they are listening to your message the first time.
These work voicemail greetings are for the work phone that you and only you use. They’re highly effective because they help you establish a relationship straight from the voicemail. Or they help you share an important update in a simple, straightforward way.