Before the digital era, he says more than 80 percent of business lines had voice mail. Now, he estimates only a third of office phones have it.”For customers, even the most professional voicemail greeting is impersonal, and may even harm customer experience (millennials, in particular, avoid using voicemail altogether).
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
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Assign different functions to each keypad number. These settings direct your customers where they need to go when they enter a specific number on their phone.
Hello, you have reached X (service provider). Unfortunately, all our agents are engaged in talking to other customers. You can stay online or to resolve something urgent, try our live chat service. You also have the option of leaving your name, ID and number and our agents will revert to you at the earliest.
No one should be calling during the holidays, and yet some people do. When you’re out for the holidays, create a voicemail greeting that communicates the cheerfulness of the season while still staying professional.
Hi, you’ve called [your name] at [X company]. I am currently out of the office, but please leave your name, phone number, and a brief message, …
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.
For those with voicemail greetings that get changed about as often as a new president is elected, know that this is doing a serious disservice to the caller-recipient relationship. It signals to callers that the business is anything but an authority, most likely not very detail oriented, and has questionable overall credibility and competency. Those aren’t traits that any business wants to associate itself.
Make it funny! Now not everyone is the funniest comedian, and this time to practice a stand-up routine. No one wants to reach your voicemail just to be greeted with 15 knock-knock jokes. But you can easily add some humor, lighten up the tone a bit and try to leave people with a smile. Of course, keep it light – no dark humor here.
CTIA is a telecommunications industry association, and in 2016 they conducted a national tracking poll through Morning Consult. 93 percent of the consumers surveyed felt that “wireless messaging is a trusted communications environment.”
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.
Turn on the Voicemail Service switch, and select the following options:
To configure your IVR (Interactive Voice Response) options with a brand-new audio file greeting at any time. You can record and select greetings to play on specific holidays in advance. Let callers know that your office is closed for a holiday. (See this article to set up a holiday schedule for your Auto Attendant.) Promote special sales and offers for callers to hear on selected dates, before the caller selects a menu option. Prepare special IVR instructions for callers on specific dates, when you anticipate a high call volume.
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Professional voicemail greetings should be welcoming and friendly, but not too informal.
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