Keep it short and sweet so that the caller can quickly leave their message and move on with their day.
You’ve reached ARC Construction, leaders in home remodeling and construction services. We are pleased to announce that we were recently named ‘Best Local Contractor’ by the Phoenix Herald, and we finished another year ‘Complaint Free’ from the Better Business Bureau! It’s just the kind of service you’d expect from your hometown professionals. We are sorry we are unable to take your call at this time, please leave a message, and we will get back to you as promptly as possible.
.
One feature of Voice Mail Message Notification Preferences will change in the updated platform—there will no longer be options for the disposition of voice messages related directly to message notification. Instead, messages will be kept as new even though the message may be delivered to an email address.
I have a confession to make: I haven’t recorded a new voicemail greeting since 2014. In the past four years, I (hopefully) have become more articulate, poised, and self-assured. But hear my voicemail recording, and you’d think I was still new to the work world, a little unsure of myself — and probably not an authority. Obviously I need toupdate it. And if you haven’t changed your voicemail greeting in over a year, you’re likely in the same boat. After all, a professional voicemail recording boosts your credibility, makes you seem more competent, and encourages whoever’s listening to it to continue the relationship. A relatively unprofessional one — like mine, for instance — does the opposite: It encourages prospects, recruiters, and potential connections to run in the other direction. With that in mind, I’ve written 18 unique voicemail greetings for every situation. Pick your favorite, practice a few times, then record your new voicemail.
One of the things to remember before recording your business voicemail greetings is to identify your pain points. This will help you to state more clearly for your clients in leaving enough context when leaving a voicemail.
Context does matter here. If the caller would reasonably expect you to answer the phone (such as if they were calling a store or other place of business), an apology for not being able to get to the phone makes the most sense.
Users often don’t invest enough time into their messages, resulting in incomplete, unprofessional, or otherwise under-whelming greetings. Sure, crafting a greeting doesn’t sound all that complicated; however, there are a number of pitfalls users can fall into—i.e. informality, terseness, sincerity, lack of direction, and more. While none of these sound too catastrophic, they are often interrelated. As such, they tend to worsen any problem. For example, humor can cause informality, worsen ambiguity, and weaken sincerity. That being said, users should strive to avoid ALL these pitfalls.
Typically, most of these services are uniform—i.e. include the same tools and features (send a script, they record it in a tone you approve, they send it as a file, you supply any feedback, etc.); however, there are some services that go above and beyond. For example, VoiceOverPro, is a single voice professional who records 30 second voicemail messages based on users’ scripts. This is standard; however, users also have options like adding music, recording up to 60 seconds (or 150 words), rush, 2-day turnaround, and even same day delivery.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.
Hi, you’ve reached Customer Service. We are busy assisting other customers at the is time. Please leave a detailed message with your order number or customer ID, the reason for your call, and the best number to reach you. A Service Specialist will return your call as soon as possible.
Hello, you have reached the law offices of X. Unfortunately, I am attending to another client right now, but I will return your call as soon as I can. Please leave me your name, reason for calling, and your number so I can connect you with the right department. This is far more professional than the other examples given in this guide. Lawyers should always be formal, smooth, and confident. Nobody is calling to make friends. They’re calling to get the job done. That’s why your message should be all business.
9. “Hey, it’s [your name] at [your company] – thanks for giving me a call! I can’t wait to chat. Just leave your name, number and I’ll call you back as soon as I have the chance. Better yet, send me a text with the best time to reach you and the reason for your call. Looking forward to hearing from you.” Text communication is becoming much more relevant now. Direct your caller to text you in case they have a question you can answer easier via text. Who knows, they might prefer text messages to phone calls too.
The above greeting is a professional voicemail script used by many growing and established businesses. It delivers the message quickly and efficiently, without wasting the caller’s time.
Before you record your business voicemail greeting, be sure to rehearse it so you feel comfortable and don’t stumble around. You might want to write a script and practice a few times out loud beforehand.
You don’t have to spell out every single thing that you think they might want to know. Have some faith that your callers will be able to figure things out on their own. Be natural but informative.
Hi, you have reached Angela, Senior Recruitment Specialist. If you are calling to inquire about the status of your application, you can access that information by logging into your account on our online portal, where you applied. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, it is not possible to respond directly to all applicants, only to those whose candidacy is being pursued. For additional information on our recruitment process and what you can expect, please review the FAQ page on our website. If you need immediate assistance, please call back and dial extension 6 for the Human Resources receptionist, or you can leave a message, and I will return your call. Thank you.
The phrase ‘Your call is important to us’ is very overused and can sometimes come off as insincere. Instead your professional voicemail greeting should say something like ‘We appreciate your call and look forward to speaking with you soon.’