In sales, immediate communication with your prospects and current customers is important. Being available to answer questions or further negotiate a deal allows your clients to feel secure and more apt to purchase from you. But what if you can’t answer the phone when they call? Make sure you have a voicemail system set up so your clients have the opportunity to leave you a message.
An increasing number of self-employed Americans today manage more than one business. Sometimes the craziness of it all can seem to be a bit ovewhelming, especially when incoming cell phone calls can’t be distinguished as being for one business or the other. Many times it is just best to know in advance what a call is about, so that you can be prepared to handle the matter. This is where using current voicemail technology can make life a lot simpler.
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It is so important for a professional business to respond to your potential and existing customers as soon as possible. If you are running a professional business, you must make your customers feel safe. You may ensure this by answering their questions as quickly as possible and always ready to negotiate. But, what if you can not answer their phone calls instantly. In such cases, you should ensure the opportunity for your customers to leave a message. For this, you must have a voicemail greetings system where your customers may leave you a message.
In this case, the agent shows concern for the customer and wants to serve him in the best possible manner. The agent is also polite and courteous.
Your prospects are under the impression that a brand will be always available to cater to them, now for some circumstances, a few brands might not be able to serve their prospects 24/7 which is why creating a voicemail message becomes useful.
An excellent business voicemail greeting conveys your level of professionalism and competence while also providing your callers with a glimpse into your company’s culture and level of care. As minor as it may seem, your voicemail greeting can instill confidence and trust in your callers or it can be a cause for concern.
What do you think of your voicemail greeting? Does it sound professional, or is it outdated? Even worse, is it a computerized voice with a default message? (Ew.)
In the former, the voicemail message shall be delivered to callers from within your company i.e. for communication exclusively for office employees. In the second case, the voicemail will be received by people calling from outside the company. Hi. You’ve reached Martha Johnson in Human Resource department. Unfortunately, I cannot attend the call now. You can leave your message after the beep. Hello. You’ve reached Martha Johnson in Human Resource department. You can either record your message after the beep or contact my secretary Henry Smith at extension 5556. I shall get back to you soon.
18. "Hi, you've reached [your name]. I'm away from [date] to [date]. If you need help with [X] before then, please contact [name] at [phone number]. Everyone else, please leave your name and number and I'll return your call when I return. Thanks and have a great day."
Happy [Monday!] You’ve reached [Jessica on the Business Development Team at LinkedPhone]. I’m presently out of the office [for a meeting until late this afternoon]. Please include your name, number and the reason for your call and I’ll get back to you ASAP. Thank you and have a fantastic day!
Get connected with AT&T Phone voice and messaging services. Enjoy the options of integrated features of Voicemail and Caller ID to control your calls and mes
e. Never Assume Anything: Phrases like “You Know What To Do,” “Sing Your Song at the Beep,” and others mentioned above are awful to leave in your greeting. For the sake of universality and comprehensiveness, NEVER assume the caller knows what to do. Lay it out clearly. f. Leave a Message: This phrase, by itself, will not do. It’s imperative for users to identify themselves in their greetings. Callers need to know they’ve reached the right person. g. Disregard Lethargy: If you’re not excited about your greeting, why would anyone else be? Never display a lack of enthusiasm in your greeting as it could turn callers off to both you and your business. h. Speak Clearly and Never Slur: Callers need to understand your every word; therefore, mumbling, slurring, and all other detractions of speech should never be recorded. d. Be Creative Without Sacrificing Quality: Callers know how voicemails work–i.e. leave a number, message, etc. While you want to be clear, it’s important not to be contrive or redundant with your message. Creativity can help users to differentiate themselves, as well as intrigue callers. While users should avoid the tropes of creativity listed above, it’s definitely good to think outside the box. That being said, scripting and practice can help users to experiment more with their greeting–ultimately allowing for more unique and creative approach. e. Speak With Diction: It’s important to present one’s self as an authority without alienating callers. As such, it’s crucial to articulate and speak with clear diction. “ if your voice recording has you stumbling over words and speaking haltingly, it does not convey confidence and competence,” states Ron Sellers of Grey Matter Research & Consulting. Remember, this greeting represents you; therefore, you want to appear collected and professional, as well as welcoming. To do this, one must carry themselves well through their recorded message. f. Account for Timeliness: Your message should be concise. No caller wants to be sitting through a rant/diatribe of redundant statements. Your greeting should flow without dragging. Inversely, one doesn’t want to be terse, either. Engage callers with a simplified approach laden with creativity. h. Account for Quality: Aside from speaking clearly, users want to eliminate any noise in the surrounding environment. The quality of the greeting is just as important as what’s being said in the greeting itself. As such, one doesn’t want to undermine a great message with poor quality. i. Courtesy, Tastefulness, & Tact: This is pretty self-explanatory and straight forward–NEVER be rude. Being light-hearted and humorous is very different from being obnoxious and/or abrasive. Again, these tools can be helpful if utilized properly, but not everyone perceives humor the same way. So play it safe. The last thing your voicemail greeting should do is offend a caller. k. Provide Options: if you’re part of a bigger company, it might be good to offer caller options. For example, allow a menu to defer callers to a colleague or co-worker in your absence. This can help show callers you care about their well being. Another option might be offering different modes of communication–i.e. email, fax, etc. In offering users diversity, contact may be much easier to maintain.
If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner who’s debating the benefits of getting a voicemail greeting, keep reading!
Avoid These 3 Voicemail Mishaps When Job SearchingAvoid these scenarios with your voicemail during your job search.
What do you think of your voicemail greeting? Does it sound professional, or is it outdated? Even worse, is it a computerized voice with a default message? (Ew.)
Different businesses may require different types of greetings. This is the ultimate list that can work for a wide array of company messages.
Microsoft Voicemail (formerly called Unified Messaging or UM) is a service available for Skype for Business enterprise voice (telephone) users. Voicemail messages are delivered to your Outlook inbox and include an audio file with the contents of the message as well as a text transcription.