Most people screen their phone calls and often avoid answering unknown numbers. If you’re applying for new positions, you should try to view each unexpected call as an exciting opportunity! In the event that you simply can’t pick up the phone, you’ll want a polished voicemail greeting to let the caller know they’ve reached the right person.
Users often don’t invest enough time into their messages, resulting in incomplete, unprofessional, or otherwise under-whelming greetings. Sure, crafting a greeting doesn’t sound all that complicated; however, there are a number of pitfalls users can fall into—i.e. informality, terseness, sincerity, lack of direction, and more. While none of these sound too catastrophic, they are often interrelated. As such, they tend to worsen any problem. For example, humor can cause informality, worsen ambiguity, and weaken sincerity. That being said, users should strive to avoid ALL these pitfalls.
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Auto-attendant scripts are easy to set up, but they’re not always easy to write. You’ll need a clear voice with high-quality sound to give your phone system a touch of professionality. Consider hiring a professional voice artist for this task.
If you drone on and on, there is a good chance that some of your callers are going to hang up before leaving their message.
Are you creating a voicemail greeting for your entire company or team? These business voicemail greetings will do the trick.
Instead of having the typical “You’ve reached ABA Corporation. Please leave your message after the beep”, make it unique and interesting.
What is an Example of a Professional Voicemail? The above might sound fine, and it can work as a starting basis to create your voicemail script. But what if you want to work from an example to get a sense of how it will sound? Let’s use a sample voicemail of someone selling business widgets that save administration costs.
The reality is you’ll never know when the perfect time for your prospect, but you can be smart about when not to call.
When you start to record the business voicemail greetings, be sure to pay attention that the professional voicemail is not able to pick background noises that could make your message sound distort and inaudible.
You have reached the , Strategic Air Command Nuclear Missile Storage Facility. We are unable to come to the phone right now. At the tone, please leave your name, number and target or list of targets and we’ll launch as soon as we can. And have a nice day.
Now that you know which script to use, how do you record it? Depending on your budget and the resources available to you, you can record the script yourself, use a text-to-speech program, or hire a professional voice actor to record your greeting.
Don' let background noise do the talking for you. Ambient noise on your recording could be sending the wrong message to your clients. The sound of your kids arguing in the distance could be the sign of a distracting work environment. Clinking glasses and restaurant chatter may leave the impression that you don't take your work seriously. When you record your voicemail greeting choose a quiet spot free from interruption, so your message is the only thing callers hear. It's also good to avoid large, cavernous spaces where sound verberates.
Rather than the over-used “I’ll check in again on Monday,” leave the conversation off with a reminder of the benefit of chatting or a specific question that gets their gears turning.
Do you have a crowning achievement or hold a competitive advantage? Showcase that within your voicemail so you’ll be memorable and emphasize why working with you is an advantage. Here’s an example of a professional voicemail someone in real estate could use:
5. Hi, this is [your name]. I can’t get to the phone right now, but please leave a message with your name and number, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Hello, you have reached the voicemail of Jim Smith. I am currently out of the office and will return on Sept. 14. I will be checking my voicemail messages periodically, so please leave me a message and I will return your call as soon as possible.
Hello, you have reached the reception of Dr. X please leave your name, reason for calling, and your number so I can call you back as soon as I can. If you are experiencing a medical emergency please hang up and dial 911.