Back in 1997, Seinfeld’s character, George Costanza, attempts to avoid a breakup call from his girlfriend and we hear his comical outgoing machine recording.
Years ago, eVoice surveyed consumers about whether or not they listened to their voicemail, and 67 percent of the respondents said they do not listen to messages that come from business contacts. They recognize the number and even have it saved in their phone, but they ignore the voicemail.
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Given the choice, a lot of consumers would prefer to send your business a text than leave a voicemail.
In 2016, Twilio surveyed 6,000 consumers across seven countries to understand how people prefer to interact with businesses. Their sample included 2,000 men and women from the US between the ages of 18 and 55. They found that the vast majority of people want to interact with businesses via messaging, where they don’t have to waste time waiting on hold, and they can still expect a quick response.
Not many might consider it, but your business voicemail greeting is probably more important than you think. Now, we probably all hate recording those generic voicemail greetings at home or on our cell phones. But when it comes to our business – a generic, lifeless robotic greeting probably just won’t cut it. And thanks to the software that comes with your business VoIP solution, it is easier than ever to change your greetings on the fly.
Your business phone system is a crucial asset, and there are numerous ways you can use and improve it to better serve your customers and achieve your business goals. But it’s hard to make smart, strategic decisions without data.
At Numa, we observed that 11% of all text messages Main Street businesses sent and received throughout 2020 were for coordinating curbside service. Of all the messages that businesses sent and received through our platform, 11 percent were related to curbside pickup services.
6. "Hi, this is [your name]. I'm either on a call or away from my desk. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message and I'll get back to you. Thank you.
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3. "Hey, this is [your name]. If you're calling for [X reason], please [contact so-and-so] or [go to our website, send me an email]. For all other inquiries, leave your name and a brief message and I'll call you back within [one, two, three] business day[s].
To improve a a business voicemail greeting, keep these eight rules at the forefront of the creative process: Avoid turning customers off with overused and impersonal phrases like “your call is very important to us..." Avoid leaving customers unsure by not immediately telling them the business, department, and/or person they’ve reached. Avoid leaving customers confused with too many details and complications; just keep it simple. Avoid messages longer than 25 seconds. Do apologize for being unavailable at the moment. Do invite the caller to leave a message. Do tell the caller when they can expect a return call and actually follow through within that timeframe. Do tell the caller about any applicable alternative options of contact and information- website, live chat, email, social media, or emergency numbers. Voicemail Greetings 101
Nobody likes to waste their time and attention on a scam or sales call. So when consumers receive phone calls, they look for the most effortless way to determine if it’s relevant to them. ZipWhip surveyed 500 consumers and found that 87 percent of them screened calls from numbers they didn’t recognize. 15) Most people expect to spend at least 5 minutes on hold when calling a business
We look forward to serving you so please leave your contact info, details and reason for calling after the beep. We will call you right back!
Friendly Voicemail Greeting Example. Hello, this is [your name] at [X company]. I am currently unavailable. My office hours are Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm. Please leave me a message with your name and phone number and I’ll get back to you within [one, two, three] business day [s]. Have a wonderful day.
Be unique in your voicemail greetings, add a human touch when creating the message.
If you find that your business voice message is running a bit long, break it down into sections and decide which parts you can cut out to reduce the message’s length.