9. “Hi, you’ve reached [your name]. I’m unable to come to the phone right now. But if you leave your name, number and a short message, I’ll be sure to call back.”
Note: The first time you call the Voice Mail system, you are asked to create a Voice Mail PIN. Click . Your voice mail appears at the bottom of the window. Hover your mouse over the picture of the person who recorded the Click the Play button.
.
Chances are that when someone takes the time to leave your business a voicemail, it is because it’s important that their message be communicated and left in the right hands. There’s nothing worse than calling a business only to hear that the voice mailbox is full or that the greeting is too quiet, too fast, or too confusing.
Greetings can be recorded by dialing the Voice Portal (pressing the message button on your IP phone) and entering the Voice Portal password. 7
To clear any customers doubts or expectations, make sure to mention on your voicemail when you’ll be available. Don’t say that you will “try” to return their call. Instead, offer them a realistic timeframe in which they can expect their call to be returned, so they know what to expect - whether it will take you 24 hours or a week to get back to them. This will eliminate your customer’s worries about your timeliness and encourage them to wait for your reply instead of heading over to your competitors.
OpenPhone is a modern business phone service app for startups, small businesses, and individuals. OpenPhone separates your professional and personal communications and enables you to personalize your number to reflect your own brand. Use your business number directly from your existing cell phone!
Click Add to add it to your audio library Click Use the Audio
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.
Writing a script doesn’t mean you have to write a speech. A simple greeting is fine, like this sample voicemail message:
In today’s digital-first world, it can be extremely easy to treat things like your business voicemail as an afterthought. Your voicemail has the potential to communicate so much more effectively than its digital counterpart.
7. Configure phone number. Select which subaccount user will be assigned to the phone number (private) or select Shared voicemail for the phone number to share a voicemail box with your primary phone number.
Forward calls to a pre-determined number during a power outage or when the connection to the cable modem is lost so you will never miss a call.
Why Your Business Should Have a Business Voicemail Greeting. A voicemail greeting is a simple message that plays before callers leave a message. It may play either when you don’t answer or if your phone is off. A professional greeting may encourage people to leave messages, which in turn makes it easier for you to get back in touch.
Written by Aja Frost @ajavuu
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.
The next key element is giving a short reason or apology for being unable to take the call. Make sure to say something quick and concise like: “We are sorry to miss your call, but we are assisting others or away from our desk.”
38. Thanks for calling [company name]. We’re unable to take your call right now, but leave your details and we’ll call you right back.