I find it helpful to imagine that I am writing a memo when I leave voicemail messages. Outlining points enhances my own clarity and puts the listener on notice for the information.
When you have new voicemail, the Phone tab in the Skype for Business main window displays the number of your messages. See Contact Card opens the caller's contact card, which lists their phone number, email address, office location, and so on. Open Item in Outlook provides more information about the call.
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As I mentioned above, some words like ‘can’t’ are often mispronounced by non-native speakers and it can sound like a swear word!
In today’s world of digital messaging, email, and text messaging, your business answering machine message might be an afterthought. However, you’d be surprised how many people still prefer to use phones and speak to a person directly or leave a voicemail message that can be returned at a later time.
For example, perhaps you noticed that a prospect downloaded an eBook from your company's website. You could mention this in your voicemail. Something along the lines of, "Hi John, this is Mike from Company XYZ. I noticed you downloaded our guide to working with influencers…"
The unavailable message is the standard greeting callers hear when they reach your voicemail box. It is the greeting that you can use consistently throughout the work year.
5. Hit “Record” on Audacity. Then, on your phone, play the voicemail you’d like to record. When your message is done, stop recording. If you want to get really fancy, you can use Audacity to chop off any dead air at the start or end of your recording.
The optimal voicemail message is between 8 and 14 seconds. 10. Do not leave the same voicemail message more than once for the same person. Always provide them with a new urgent reason to call you back. Here’s a sample of a message I might leave someone: Hi Ron, this is Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter. I have some new information about what
Make it as easy as possible for your prospects by including your phone number near the beginning of the message, then repeating your contact information near the end for good measure.
“If I leave a voicemail message on my first call in the morning, and I get voicemail again on my second attempt (either later that day or the next time I try and reach them) what do I say when that happens?”
Now, this might seem like I'm reneging on what I just said, but you can easily reconcile this point with the one above. While you should keep your tone conversational, you can't get carried away.
Greetings can be recorded by dialing the Voice Portal (pressing the message button on your IP phone) and entering the Voice Portal password. 7
For example, instead of saying, “Hi, I was wondering if you’re looking for different web hosting,” you could personalize it by saying, “Hi [name]. I wanted to pick your brain about the web host [company name] is currently using. What are the challenges or successes you’ve had with it?”
Let's get back to performance anxiety. Our fear of being judged negatively fuels our performance anxiety in any situation. When it comes to voicemail, we are being judged on our tone of voice and the clarity of our information.
To change your Standard Voicemail greeting follow the directions below. Enter your password and the press # key. From Shoretel Communicator (You will need to have access to your Shoretel phone to record the message) In the menu bar, click More, then Prefereces. Your phone will turn on and beep. Begin your message.
11. "Hi, you've reached [company]. Unfortunately, we're currently unavailable. But we want to talk to you — so please leave your name and number, as well as your reason for calling, and someone will call back ASAP."
Increase the odds of getting a call back by mentally composing your message before each call. And remember, people hate it when callers state their name and phone number too quickly in voice mail messages – no one wants to listen to a message ten times to comprehend simple information. Begin by saying your name and company (if applicable). Then assume the person you’re calling doesn't have your number, so say your phone number twice. If your name is at all unusual, spell it the first time you say your phone number. Talk slowly like you were writing it down yourself. The second time you say your phone number, you can say it at your normal rate of speech. A gracious phone message is no longer than 30 – 45 seconds. Be pleasant, but also get right to the point. Keep your voice mail message to two points maximum. If you need to share more information, then say you will send an e-mail message with the rest of the details. Leave a specific message. There’s nothing more frustrating than a voice mail that says, “Hi, it’s me. Call when you can!” Even if you’re just calling to say “Hi”, tell them that in your message. End on a high note! You don’t necessarily need to say “Goodbye” at the end of a voice mail, because you didn’t really talk to anyone. Instead, try something like, “Look forward to talking* with you!”