Editor’s Note: The article is part of the blog series Grow Your Business brought to you by the marketing team at UniTel Voice, the virtual phone system priced and designed for startups and small business owners.
10. “Hey, this is [your name]. Thanks for reaching out. I’m busy at the moment, but if you leave your name, number, and message, I’ll return your call.
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Standard voicemail from Midco Business includes a main greeting with several basic options to reach others. You and your employees can each have your own voicemail box with a unique greeting and password. Customize your greeting to let people know they’ve reached the right person.
Changes can be made to voicemail settings on the phone through the voicemail options audio menu only after the initial voicemail password has been set up in 8x8 Admin Console, Work for Desktop, and Work for Web. Please note: there is no "default" voicemail password. If you have forgotten your password, you can reconfigure it in Work for Desktop. Back to top How do I connect a Power over Ethernet Injector to my phone or base unit? How to Determine a Static IP Address to Set on IP Phone Article type How-to Confidence Validated Flag Not Flagged Governance Experience KCS Enabled Yes Visibility Public Tags This page has no tags. © Copyright 2021 8x8 Support Powered by CXone Expert ® How to Set Up Voicemail in 8x8 Admin Console Last updated Save as PDF
11. Hello, you’ve reached [your name]’s cell phone. I can’t take your call at the moment, but if you leave a brief message, I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.
Your customers might need you on the holidays. If you’re a business owner, you know this already. 🙂 Manage customer expectations and let them know how to get assistance.
For example, a message like, “Hi, this is Jim. You know what to do.” Well, not everyone is going to know what to do—i.e. they won’t leave you inclusive information. Additionally, they may not leave you a message at all. Aside from this, humor can again be detrimental to your message, this time lending itself to ambiguity and costing you clarity. For example, if a message read, “Hi this is Jim, sorry I can’t answer your call right now. Please leave your name and number and I’ll call you as soon as I can, but you already knew that right? Do I need to tell you what to do?” This is worse than the previous example as this is confusing and can also come across as rude and unprofessional. Complicating a greeting with phrasing like this is sure to cause some harm. e. Ignoring Personality & Identity: Don’t use computer generated greetings. Some users leave default messages (‘you’ve reached the voicemail box of 777-777-777, please leave a message). Believe it or not, even this can cause problems. Callers may be unsure if the voicemail box belongs to you; therefore, they don’t leave a message. Also, some may even be uncomfortable leaving information through a message in a nameless voice message box. As such, impersonalization can cause ambiguity, which again can hurt the effectiveness of your voice message system. This doesn’t mean you have to make an elaborate greeting if you don’t want to, just insert your voice and name so at least callers know they’re calling the right person.
1. "Hi, you've reached [your name] at [your company]. I'm unavailable right now — probably helping [type of company] get [X results, e.g. ‘double their leads in 60 days,' ‘hire the best and brightest engineers,' ‘convert 40% more customers.'] Leave your name and number, and we'll discuss how your company can see similar results."
Before you read this, stop and listen to the voicemail greetings for your cellphone and business line. Seriously, I’ll wait.
With VoiceOverPro, there is only one professional recorder; therefore, there are no tonal options. If a user was looking for different voice options, they may be better to head to a larger company. For example, VoiceArchive offers a library of over 1300 professional voice talents (including child talent). Users can select commercial samples of each talent to get a feel for the talent’s style. While this can be a bit daunting, the provider even offers a search option to find specific talents. As such, users are able to experiment with much more flexibility. Additionally, users are able to select from over 90 languages including Dutch, French, German, Italian, English, Spanish, and many more. Aside from this, users are guaranteed delivery of their message within 24 hours.
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.)
Hello, you have reached the dental office of Dr. X. We are busy assisting a patient now, but will call you back as soon as possible. Please leave your name, reason for calling, and your number. If this is an urgent enquiry, please call 911. In this case, the dentist is giving a reason for not being available and they’re providing a way to prioritize the patients who need the most help. They’re also leaving an emergency number for the most severe of situations.
37. You have reached [your name] at [your company]. Thank you for calling. Please leave your name, number and a message, and I will get right back to you.
When your business is closed for vacation or holidays, it’s imperative that you set appropriate expectations for a callback and to provide an alternative coverage option, if available. The following greeting accomplishes this succinctly.
The above section details types of phrasing to avoid; however, it doesn’t detail what users should NOT say on their greeting. Though this is a bit loaded, as there are hundreds of combinations of things one shouldn’t say, there are some key components users should ALWAYS avoid. a. Forget About Slang: You should strive to be as professional and welcoming as possible in your greeting. While this may steer you towards using slang, in an attempt to make callers comfortable, it’ll most likely work against you. As a professional, your demeanor, tone, and speech should be clear cut and well articulated. Using slang undercuts this and works against you. b. Don’t Even Think About Profanity: This is a no-brainer. Never, under any circumstances, curse in your greeting EVER! c. Keep Your Sentences Clean, Don’t Ramble: Introduce yourself and give your caller specific direction. Avoid long diatribes detailing tangent thoughts. Keep it simple and quick. d. Always Return Your Calls: It’s important for callers to feel they are valued. Nothing dissolves this quicker than a greeting that doesn’t stress this. For example, “I’ll call you when I can,” “If I don’t return your call, please call back”—these phrases are terrible and completely destroy any good will you may have with a caller.
Hello, you have reached Dr. A. We are busy assisting patient on the another line. Please, leave your details, including the case number if applicable, name, and phone number. For a medical emergency, hang up and call 911.
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