(Wondering how you can receive texts from your business callers? Check out the OpenPhone App today)
It makes sense to have an after-hours / weekend voicemail greeting for important teams at your business so that your clients feel confident that they will be taken care of. You may also suggest alternate resources like a help forum, knowledge base, or online chat to support customers while closed, if available.
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The phone you use to record your greeting – and your surrounding – can turn your carefully scripted greeting into an unprofessional mess. Background noise is terribly distracting, so choose a quiet room or parked car to make your call. Landlines, or a “wi-fi enabled” cellphone call, can provide much better connection quality than a standard cellphone. If you must use a cell phone, be sure to use a high-quality headset for the best clarity.
One of the rules you should remember is to speak a bit slowly and clearly so that your callers are able to understand more easily what is being said.
What kind of company do you run? A law firm may prefer more formal business voicemail greetings than a trendy retail store, for example.
Recording the message yourself doesn’t mean it can’t be done professionally. You can still get studio time with an experienced audio engineer. Studio time can cost $60-$100 per hour, which may or may not come with an engineer. If you need to hire one, their rates are usually $100-$300 an hour. Mind you, their feedback, professional experience, and editing capabilities are typically well worth the extra expense.
A special high five to Margot Howard for her outstanding research and contributions to this article. We love working with and supporting like-minded entrepreneurs who are passionate about business success strategies. Thank you Margot! ❤️
You have reached (Your Name) at (Your Business). I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to get to the phone. If you leave your name and number, I’ll return your call within one business day.
19. “Thank you for calling [company]. We’re closed for [holiday] from [date] until [date]. Please leave your message and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Have a happy holiday!”
• 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.
While phones and other devices are getting better all the time, there are frequently problems with audio recorded on low-quality equipment. Static pops, grainy voice quality, and background noise interference are all common with audio recorded on non-professional equipment.
If you are planning to take off some time for the holidays, instead of leaving a voicemail greeting, another option is to hire a live answering service to handle your missed calls! Enjoy your Christmas with friends and loved ones without compromising your business needs. Recent Posts Never Miss Client Calls with Proactive Legal Answering Services 4 Customer Service Costs Reduced by Professional Answering Services The Benefits of Having a Live Answering Service 24 Hour Customer Service Benefits 3 Ways a Call Center Can Boost Productivity
Now that you are aware of the tips to create an efficient voicemail message, the next steps would be to understand from the examples below how you can get started.
26. Thank you for calling [your name] at [company name]. Unfortunately, I can’t take your call right now. Please leave your name, number and a message, and I will call you back as soon as I have the opportunity.
40. Hi, I’m not in right now, but if you leave a detailed message I’ll call you back promptly.
It’s important that your voicemail makes a good impression and conveys professionalism to anyone who calls. Here at UniTel Voice, we specialize in helping business owners set up a virtual voicemail system that not only helps them sound professional but also keeps them connected with voicemail-to-email and voicemail transcription (voice-to-text) technology.
Little things like a great voicemail can really set you apart from your competition. Think about it. Would you be more inclined to want to interview someone who is shouting about how much they hate calling people back, or the person who simply asks you to leave a message? Andrea (she/her) is our head of PR at Snagajob, where she’s focused on telling the world how we help hourly workers and employers. Her first hourly job was as a lifeguard.