6. Keep Your Recording Up to Date. If your business is closing on one of its normal operating days for a holiday, or is dealing with an emergency or unforseen situation, you should update your after hours announcement to avoid confusion.
-Hello, caller. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to leave your name, number, and a short message after the tone. This message will self destruct. BOOM! (not followed by a beep)
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Fast and and accurate, typed text transcriptions of your voicemails, delivered to your E-mail as a Word document. Cloud Storage
Mom… Dad. I know you are mad that I’m never home to take your calls. So, as a solution to this, I think you guys should give me an early birthday present: a cell phone. beep.
People around us can need help at any time of the day. Many a time friends, family, boss, colleagues, relatives, and acquaintances need to inform us of something important at odd hours. Some may know when to call you and some of them won’t. In cases where you are not accessible, leaving a simple voicemail on your phone can ease their worry.
Using your carrier’s standard voice messaging procedure to save these messages can be a pain in the butt! Although, if you have an iPhone, you can use the phone’s voicemail app to store your messages via iTunes to your computer, but the audio files are stored in unreadable configuration which requires some skills to understand.
4. 'ABC Company. This is XYZ, and how are you today? ' This option is tricky, but can work well for companies that bank on personalized service and friendly interactions with clients.
In Microsoft 365, you can record a greeting, edit call answering rules, set up Outlook Voice Access, edit text message and email notification settings, and turn on voice mail preview using Outlook on the web. To access voice mail settings in the new Outlook on the web, select Settings > View all Outlook settings > General > Voice mail.
You might also consider giving them the option to skip your voicemail message completely by pressing another key (again, check with IT). You also want to make callers aware what you will return their call, instead of telling them that you will try to return their call--and let them know when you are likely to do it, if possible. If necessary, provide additional or emergency information in your voicemail greetings. My dentist, for example, lists his cell phone number for emergencies.
19. “Hi, you’ve reached [your name] at [X company]. We are sorry but our office is closed until [date]. Please leave us your name and phone number and our team will get back to you as soon as possible. Enjoy [holiday] and thanks for calling [company name]! If you do happen to be open the holiday season, it’s important to provide holiday hours. Especially if your hours vary from your regular hours.
A true 800 number is the most recognized toll free number used by businesses since the 1960s. A true 800 number can add an element of trust and credibility to a small business who wants to look more professional. Cost: $99 one-time fee.
8. Full Name Is Not Always Necessary. Some people have a lot of names, and most of the time it depends where they are from. You do not need to use your full name all the time, only the one or two most common names that you use - [email protected]
Standard Voice Mail Greetings Normal Greeting (Without pager notification) "This is (name) of (company). I'm currently unable to take your call. Please leave your name, phone number, and a brief message, and I will contact you as soon as possible. Thanks." "Hi, this is (name).
Thank you for calling Limo Jardin. For sales press 1, for support, press 2. If you know your party's extension, please enter it now or press 8 for the dial by name directory. To speak with a representative, press 0.
16. "Hmm. Gryffindor … No, Ravenclaw. Yes, you definitely belong in Ravenclaw. *Pause.* Okay, you haven't reached the Sorting Hat — it's the voicemail of [your name]. Please leave your name and number (and just for fun, the Harry Potter house you think you belong in) and I'll return your call as soon as possible."
Share with your caller when they can expect a callback. If you return calls within 24 hours, let them know. Give them an estimate of when they can expect your call.
If you are going to use your own phone to record your greeting, be sure to use a land line. Cell phones can’t always be trusted to produce a high quality sound and often the callers will hear distortion, static, or flight information in the background because you decided to record a new message while waiting for your plane at the airport. Always use a land line in a quiet setting to make your recording.