38. You’ve reached [your name] at [your company]. I’m sorry, but I’m temporarily unavailable. Please leave your name and number, and I’ll return your call as soon as possible.
Professional — Lets them know who they’ve reached, why their call has not been answered and when they can expect a return call.Personable — Lets them know their message has been received by a real person who values their call and will reach back out to them. Including humor and a personal touch is extremely important here (even if your industry prefers to be more “robotic” in their communications). What is the most professional voicemail message?
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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.
After helping tens of thousands of companies set up voicemail systems, we’ve learned that there is no set of rules defining what makes a great business voicemail, but there are definitely some key points that you should aim to hit. Before you hit the record button for your voicemail message, take some of these tips into account:
A busy greeting should tell callers that your phone lines are currently in use. You can direct people to wait on hold or leave a message. For example, “Hello, you’ve reached [company name]. Our representatives are currently helping other customers. Please stay on the line to speak with the next available team member, or press one to leave a message and we’ll call you back.”
It’s a good practice for each of your team members to have their own personal business phone numbers. There are many reasons why they shouldn’t use their personal cell phone number for business, so you’ll want to give them their own phone number through your VoIP provider or phone system.
Because for many callers, this will be the first point of contact for your business, it’s important to set it up correctly — but how?
Before you officially pick a greeting, why not practice on making your voice even and understandable? I know that my voice rises when I speak on the phone, and I tend to speak faster, so I practice in the mirror to slow down my voice and make sure that I am speaking as naturally as I can.
Make sure to keep your voicemail greeting fresh and new. In fact, updating your voicemail regularly will ensure that people actually listen to your message. Anytime you are on vacation, at a conference or other industry-related event, change your greeting to reflect where you are at.
That’s why it’s critical that each customer interaction with your business is consistent, positive, and represents the values and personality of your company. This includes your storefront, website, social media presence, emails, and every interaction you have with your customers, both online and in-person.
28. Hello, you’ve reached [your name]. I can’t come to the phone right now, probably because I’ve just stepped away from my desk, but possibly because I’m trapped under something heavy. Leave a message and I’ll call you back within one business day — and if I don’t, please send help.
Your phone service includes a 411 and White Pages directory listing (simple, straight-line listing) for new phone number(s). A 411 and White Pages directory listing for your toll-free numbers is optional and provided at an additional charge.
You can also erase any of your existing recordings associated with your voicemail box. To delete your name recording, unavailable greeting, or temporary greeting: Dial *98 on your OnSIP-registered phone. Enter your voicemail box number. Enter the PIN/password for your voicemail box. Press 0 for voicemail box options. Press 1 for unavailable greeting, 2 for your name, or 3 for temporary greeting. Press 2 to delete the existing recording on file.
5. Emergency Situation Voicemail Greeting. In the case that your business is closed due to an emergency, it's only worth it to go into detail if the problem is affecting everyone in the area.
For more information on how current voicemail technology can make managing multiple businesses a lot simpler, visit https://www.voicemailoffice.com
29. Hi, this is [your name] at [X company]. I am on vacation right now and won’t be back to the office until [X date]! Please leave me your name, phone number, and the reason you are calling, and I will get back to you then. Alternatively, you can phone [Name] at [phone contact information]. Thank you for calling!
Missed calls aren’t… ideal, but if you do miss a call, how do you keep your customers engaged and encourage them to leave you a voicemail?