Does leaving a voicemail message create performance anxiety for you? If it does, you probably are a millennial. There's good news and bad news about this. The good news is that you are early in your career, with lots of opportunities to make a positive difference in your world.
19. "Hello, you've reached [your name]. I'm currently [exploring Asia, hiking through the jungle in Costa Rica, hanging out on the beach in Bermuda] — or more likely, [recovering from extreme jet lag, googling ‘Are red spiders poisonous,' or looking for SPF 150 sunscreen] and won't be back in the office until [date]. Leave your contact info and reason for calling and I'll get in touch then."
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13. "Hello, you've reached [company]. If you're looking for information on [X], please check out our [Facebook page, company website, etc.] If you want to know more about [Y], take a look at [Z page on our site, our YouTube channel, etc.] Still have more questions, or just want to chat with our team? Leave your name and number, and we'll return your call straight away."
Standard greeting with your name: "At the tone, please record your message to [name]."
Once you have found the delete or re-record option, choose one. You can either delete your message completely or record a new message. Be sure to properly word your voicemail this time so that you don’t have to repent later on!
To end the voicemail, state (or restate) your main question, then say your phone number. You can also say you’ll follow-up with an email. Now, this isn’t the same as saying, “If I don’t hear from you, you’ll hear from me!” Instead, it’s giving them another way to contact you, one they may be more comfortable with. They should still feel a responsibility to respond to your question, but now they have two options for how to get back in touch. (Then send that email, of course.)
Hello, this is (name). I am sorry I can’t come to the phone right now. Leave your name, number, and a short message after the beep. Oh and please do wait by the phone till I call you back. Bye.
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.
Wondering why this is? We can thank the serial position effect. This psychological phenomenon says when you show people a list, they'll remember the first and last items the best. That means when you're trying to grab a prospect's attention, you want to be one of the first or last things they hear.
Traditional voicemail services once offered this feature, but visual voicemail (with a visual interface that lets you access messages directly) has mostly eliminated that possibility. If your phone does not have visual voicemail, and you have to call an inbox to hear your messages, you may still be able to use this feature.
Any other thoughts? Write your voicemail for optimal message, and socialize the voice mail with your manager or your peers. Take the time to read it, time it and record it until you feel comfortable with your tone of voice, inflexion and energy. Write three or four voicemails with different scenarios and value statements; remember that you are trying to create an impression and recognition of your name and your solution.
Aaargh, you are thinking, crap I need to say something, ooooh what do I say, think, think… nothing comes to mind, you are not prepared and you hang up.
You can change your voicemail settings from the Skype for Business Settings page. You can get to the page by using one of the following methods:
Record a personalized greeting, up to 3 minutes long. A common template you can follow is: "You've reached [name]. We can't get to the phone right now, but if you leave a message, we'll call you back."
Your own answering greeting should be short. Don't bother to say that you aren't available to take the call. That's a waste of time, and there's no point in restating the obvious. Instead, simply identify yourself and ask the caller to leave a message.
But every once in a while, you get a really special voicemail. Maybe your partner called you early in the morning, knowing you were asleep, to leave a Happy Birthday recording for when you awoke. Or maybe a beloved family member recently passed away, and you have a voicemail from them that might’ve seemed pretty pointless at the time but now carries extra significance.
That’s why it’s never been more important for salespeople to be good at leaving messages. Not only that, but voicemail can—and should—be measured, coached, and improved.