• Circular Hunting: varies the starting point for the hunt group and allows for an even distribution of calls within the group. Calls will be routed to the first idle line starting with the line directly after the line on which the last call was completed. The hunt will then follow the order (sequence) of the lines in the group.
Translation: If you sound unsure, then your current clients, prospects, and partners won’t be so sure about you either.
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For more general advice on voicemail messages, read our tips and examples for business voicemail greetings. Business Voicemail Etiquette I: Creating Professional Outgoing Greetings
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 drone on and on, there is a good chance that some of your callers are going to hang up before leaving their message.
42. Hi, you’ve reached [X company]. Our team is currently out of the office or assisting other customers. Leave your name, number, and a brief message so we can direct your call to the proper team member when we return.
When recording a professional voicemail for your business, your validity is evaluated subconsciously by those who call you. Don’t make the mistake of overlooking this simple yet valuable component of your brand! Here are a few voicemail examples you can record using your phone system.
3. Listen to voicemail messages. Access voicemail. Press 1 to Get your Messages. Press 1 for Voice Messages. Use these keys while you're listening to your messages
You’ve reached [LinkedPhone – Where Freedom Rings]. We are currently off-duty. Our business hours are [Monday through Saturday, 9am to 7pm Eastern Standard Time]. Please leave your name, number, and the reason for your call and we’ll get back to you on the next business day. Thank you.
You can set up and manage your voicemail greetings in the Calling User Portal.
1. Personal Business Voicemail Greeting. Your personal voicemail greeting should be brief and to the point. State your name and your availability, project a welcoming aura, and ask the caller for whatever information you need from them. Hi, you've reached the voicemail of Mike Downing. I'm not available to answer the phone right now.
The best text-to-speech voices don't sound robotic at all. Do a "text to speech" search in Google to explore your options. Type in your script and presto! You'll get an instant greeting with a natural sounding voice. You can select from a broad spectrum of male & female voices with any local or foreign accent you choose. LinkedPhone offers text-to-speech built right into our software. It's super popular and our users love it!
Website: https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/OfficeDocs-SkypeForBusiness/blob/live/Teams/set-up-phone-system-voicemail.md
Consider adding 'You can also email your query to us at [insert email address here]. These queries will be answered within [insert time frame].' Again, if you intend to make a promise to your customer in a voicemail, ensure you keep it.
For instructions on setting-up and listening to voicemail on Skype for Business select the following options: Set-up Voice Mail Listen to Voice Mail in Skype for Business Listen to Voice Mail in Outlook SFB Voice Access Commands Using Your Skype for Business Phone Click the Keypad icon. Click the Voice Mail options icon. Select Set-up Voice Mail from the menu that appears.
A good way to do this is to maybe add, “Have a wonderful day” at the end of the greeting. It’s short, so it won’t contradict the first point, and it makes the message more personal.
19. “Hi, you’ve reached [your name] at [X company]. We are sorry but our office is closed until [date]. Please leave us your name and phone number and our team will get back to you as soon as possible. Enjoy [holiday] and thanks for calling [company name]! If you do happen to be open the holiday season, it’s important to provide holiday hours. Especially if your hours vary from your regular hours.