That’s amazing Bonnie! Thanks so much for the tip. I’ll be sure to update the post to reflect the service you found, so all of our other readers can take advantage of it. Happy Holidays!! Laura
For example, if you are planning to go on vacation for two weeks, make sure you update your voicemail greeting stating how long you’ll be out of the office when you’ll be back — and who can be contacted in your absence.
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Hello Lynn, this is Annemarie from Speak Confident English. I’m calling to follow up on our discussion at the conference last week. The best way to reach me is by phone during the workday. My number is 222-231-2323. Again, that’s 222-231-2323. Thank you.
1. Personal Business Voicemail Greetings. Hello! You’ve reached (insert company name.) This is (insert name) in the (insert department.) My apologizes for not being available to take your call, but I’m on the line helping another customer (insert business’s most attractive result or purpose point.)
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Not only does leaving a message akin to “Hey, It’s me. Call me back when you can.” cause the person to have to dig back through their mailbox to figure out who you are, it also means that *if* they can find the information to call you back, when they do so you are less likely to have an effective conversation.
A good voicemail greeting is short and professional, lets people know that you’ll get back to them, and invites callers to continue engaging with a call-to-action. You should also show your personality if you’re in an industry or role that allows that. If your industry is more conservative, however, you’ll want to keep humor and personal touches to a minimum. A greeting Your name Your company A simple explanation for missing the call (e.g. you’re away from the phone or are on holiday) A rough estimate of when you’ll get back to the person An alternative person to reach out to (if you’re out of office) An alternative mode of communication (if you prefer email or text) A call-to-action such as “Leave a message” or “Send me an email at [email protected]”
Here I'm referring to lines such as "Please call me back" or "I'll check in again on X date." Because they're generic, these asks don't increase the buyer's feeling of responsibility. Instead, I suggest posing your specific question and ending the call there.
Most phones don’t make that as easy as it ought to be. Apple’s iPhone will back up voicemails to your computer along with everything else, but they’re stored in a funky file format that’s not easily played by most software. Most Android phones, meanwhile, store your voicemails on off-site servers.
1. Enable airplane mode on your phone, so calls are automatically routed to voicemail.
This is a tactic we picked up from Jeff Hoffman and it works because it makes you more memorable and makes your messages seem genuine and less rehearsed. Give it a try and see if it will work for you too!
As I said, I use a “3 strikes, you’re out” rule. You may find that 4, 5, 10 or 20 works best for you, but for me, it’s 3.
AUDIX voice prompts tell you what to do at every step in a task. Once you have selected the appropriate Activity Menu Option, you can rely solely on the voice prompts to figure out what to do.
As I mentioned earlier, this won’t be the last voicemail you leave so get creative with future messages. The next day you could leave a voicemail similar to the following:
I don’t mind it so much for people I know. I have to deal with them on a daily basis, so I can’t hold voicemail grudges against them. However, if someone cold calls me or it’s just an acquaintance that calls, a crappy voicemail annoys me and leaves a bad impression.
Maralee McKee is dedicated to helping you become the person you most want to be and to live a confident, kind, and generous life! She is a contemporary etiquette, manners, and people skill expert and the founder of the prestigious Etiquette School of America. She's in the top one percent of experts in her field, and her etiquette skills blog is the most read in the United States. Maralee presents business etiquette seminars to corporations large and small and coaches individuals one-on-one virtually and in-person. Her book on how moms can teach their children to become the best version of themselves (Harvest House Publishing) earned the prestigious Mom’s Choice Gold Award for excellence in parenting books.
When recording, choose a quiet area, speak clearly, and use your full name (first and last).