Telephones or mobile phones can now be used to acquire recorded messages when you are not able to take the call, for one reason or another. These recorded messages are called voicemail and they can be very beneficial to you, especially if you’re one who relies on communication for your business.
I am currently away from the office and will return on
Recently one of my students asked a great question about voicemail in English and I thought that you might have the same question as well.
First of all, I want to say great work on using the phrasal verb “to pick up!” Native English speakers love phrasal verbs and we use them often. In this example, to pick up the phone means to answer the phone.
Cell phone voicemail greetings are generally more personal and casual than office phones. Consider a greeting like “Hello, you’ve reached [your name]’s cell phone. I can’t take your call at the moment, but if you leave a brief message, I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.”
Hello. You have reached Erin Klineman, Marketing Manager for Stone & Associates. I am currently out of the office attending a conference until August 4th. I will be checking messages daily, however, if you need immediate assistance, please contact Marketing Specialist, Michael Kim at extension 240. Otherwise, please leave a message, and I will call you back at my earliest opportunity.
If it works better for you, offer your callers the option to email you, or even send over a text to a VoIP texting app, or even your personal number if you don’t mind. Many people will prefer the ability to quickly text or email, and callers will appreciate the increased level of service.
Just because it’s your business voicemail, doesn’t mean you have to sound like a robot. It’s important to make sure your callers know you’re actually human, and injecting some fun and wit into your greeting is the perfect way to say cue Scarlett Johansson voice I’m Samantha, and I have empathy.
As a bonus, here is an example of our own holiday voicemail greeting here at OpenPhone:
Website: https://www.macrynvoicegreetings.com/macryn-voicemail-greetings-sample-scripts/
HI, you’ve reached (name). I’m so sorry I can’t pick up the call right now because I am standing right behind you. GOTCHA.
44. Hello, you’ve reached [X department] at [X company]. Our team is currently out of the office, but we’ll be happy to assist you when we return. Leave a quick message that includes a callback number and a team member will reach out within one business day.
21. Hello, this is [your name]. I’m not much of a phone person, so don’t bother leaving a message. Send me an email at [email address] and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.
While it may seem like a small detail, setting up an after hours announcement can help you win and keep customers. By presenting a clear, welcoming message containing relevant information about your business, you are showing callers that you value their time.
29. Hi, you’ve reached [your name] at [your company]. Please send me an email at [email address] if this is urgent, and I’ll get in contact with you as soon as possible. If this is not urgent, please leave me a brief message about the reason you are calling with your contact information and I’ll get back to you in the next 24 hours. Have a great day.
Last, make sure you keep this voicemail account up to date, especially if you have some kind of "out of office" message, telling people where you are. Michael Hyatt updates his voicemail message every day-- it may seem excessive, but it lets his callers know that he regularly checks his voicemail, cares about messages he receives, and is likely to get back to them.
-Hello. All of our operators are busy right now, but if you’ll leave your name, telephone number, a brief message, and the time you called, we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you and have a pleasant day.