Phrases like, "Please call me back when you get this," "I'm really looking forward to hearing from you," and "Call me at your earliest convenience," are pushy, aggressive, and borderline desperate.
Sort of like putting the most important information above the fold in a news article, you have to front-load your voicemail with the most compelling and relevant information. Stating your name and company is not compelling, and it’s not as relevant as what you can do for the contact. What the person hears is, “I’m a salesperson and I want your money.” That’s the quickest way to get your voicemail deleted.
.
[Here is some great advice for opening your cold-calls without boxing yourself in as JUST an agent]
When people listen to voicemails, they’re listening to more than just the words you say; tonality and inflection play a big role in how your message will be received.
The key to making a bullet-pointed script work is to practice. You can't read it line-for-line, so it's important to work out the kinks before you place your call. Your name Reason for calling Benefit of calling you back Your contact information Promise of a follow-up email
9. “Hey, it’s [your name] at [your company] – thanks for giving me a call! I can’t wait to chat. Just leave your name, number and I’ll call you back as soon as I have the chance. Better yet, send me a text with the best time to reach you and the reason for your call. Looking forward to hearing from you.” Text communication is becoming much more relevant now. Direct your caller to text you in case they have a question you can answer easier via text. Who knows, they might prefer text messages to phone calls too.
Avoid telling your prospect what to do. You'll make returning your call seem like a chore or, worse, a demand. This should feel like a mutually beneficial relationship -- one in which each party wants to call the other back -- unprompted.
11. “Hello! You’ve reached [company name] support line. We’ll be happy to help with your inquiry. In the meantime, have you checked out our [website, help forum, etc.]? It may have the answer you’re looking for. If not, leave your name, number and reason for your call. We’ll reach out to you within the day. Thanks for calling [company name].” Sometimes, a caller likes to find the answer to their own questions. Let them discover by directing them to your website or help forum if you have one.
“Leave a partial message that includes your name and phone number and pretend to get cut off in midsentence as you’re getting to the important part of the message.” Your name came up in an important conversation today with Hugh… They were talking about you and said… I have a deal that could deliver you a hundred thou… I’m interested in your… I have your… I found your… I have information about your… Your competition said… I’m calling about your inheritance… Are you the (persons full name) who… We wanted to be sure you got your share of… I’m calling about the money you left at…
By default beginning April 2017, voicemail transcription is available for all Phone System in Microsoft 365 users. When you receive a voicemail, the message will be transcribed in the body of the voicemail email you receive in your mailbox. If you do not want to have transcription for your messages, ask your admin to disable it for you.
And it isn't like you're wasting their time with the longer message. This person called you, which means that they set aside, at minimum, about 5 minutes for their call and they were mentally prepared to spend at least a minute on polite "Hi Bob, how are you and the family?" chit-chat, so a message that is 10 seconds longer is NOT an imposition.
Some people found success in fixing their voicemail woes when they temporarily disabled
555-555-2345Hello, thank you for calling the office of Dr. Harold Tweed. I can’t come to the phone right now; please leave your name, number, and message at the tone. If this is an emergency, please contact either my personal assistant at 555-555-2345 or myself at 555-555-3234 and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you for your call.
6. Write It Out And Rehearse. Unless you’re part of the 1% of people who love and excel at public speaking, you probably have a hard time conveying an unscripted message without a few pauses and 'um's here and there.
The length of your voicemail plays a big role in its efficacy. Try to keep the length of your voicemail between 15- 30 seconds. Anything more and you will be rambling, anything less, and you’re probably not checking one of the three boxes above as effectively as you need to.
To change the number of times your phone rings before voicemail answers, please contact us and a representative will set your ring cycle.
Ok so let’s say you’ve made a few calls and have left several messages and you don’t want to leave another one… if that’s the case, at least hang up before the end of their “leave a message after the tone” instructions so that they don’t get notified of a voicemail just to hear you hanging upon them.