That said—as with any technological advancement—challenges and dilemmas can arise. Here are five common voicemail problems businesses face and solutions for them:
The basic rule of thumb is that callers should hear one of two things when they first connect with your voicemail — either an apology for not being able to answer the call or a “thank you” for having called. You can do both if you prefer, but keep it short and to the point.
.
It can be overwhelming to someone calling if your voicemail suggests they leave their name, address, time of calling, reason why calling, best phone number to call them back at, etc. They might not be prepared with all of the information and could end up leaving a confusing and flustered message. Instead, just kindly ask the person to leave their name and number and reassure that someone will be in touch as soon as possible.
A lot of small businesses set up a 13, 1300 or 1800 number to appear more professional, but that’s only the first step. Using a business phone service gives you a range of advantages over your standard landline, including the ability to: Set your business hours and record different voice greetings to align with a particular time of day or year. Set up an automated response, add department extensions to route the calls, and more. Have multiple users on the phone number via call overflow regardless of their location. For ideas on what to include in your voicemail greeting, see our blog on examples of professional voicemail greetings.
22. Hello, this is [your name]. I’m currently away from my phone. I return calls on Tuesday and Friday at 10 a.m. Please leave a detailed message including your name and a callback number and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Enable the message waiting indicator for your desk phone by checking the box next to Use phone message waiting indicator. 6 Enable Voicemail Notifications 5
The Best Way to Set up a Voicemail Greeting. Normally, small business owners use a landline or mobile phone number to manage calls. While it may get the job done, they do not allow you to properly manage business calls or set up an effective automated voicemail greeting. The best way to manage business calls is by using a business phone service.
We’re all familiar with this type of voicemail greeting. Simply put, a caller reaches you by dialing your number or extension directly. For an optimal personal voicemail greeting, be clear about who you are, the team you’re on, and when the caller can expect a callback. Unlike company and department voicemail greetings, you may not be able to configure a greeting for open and closed business hours. If that’s the case, use a general voicemail greeting that accommodates both scenarios.
Your business can further customize voicemail with eVOICE and several other features (which may vary by location).
Hello, you have reached Dr. X. Right now, I am with a patient, so I’m unable to respond to your call immediately. If you need help with a prescription, call number Y. If you need to book/modify an appointment, call number z. Please, leave your name, and phone number and reasons for calling.
In an ideal world, voicemail would be unnecessary. There would always be someone available to take customer calls and no one would complain about their calls not being returned and/or rejected. But of course, this perfect world isn’t possible. That’s why it’s important to give your callers options when you are unavailable. For example, aside from leaving a message, callers can also choose to listen to some relevant information about your business (such as a list of your services, your address, directions, hours of operation, and more).
As in the situation above, a full mailbox can be really frustrating for an employer who is trying to get in touch with you. Set aside time at least once a week to make sure you clean out your voicemail. You want to be as accessible as possible for potential employers. I’ve called a few job seekers lately to help with their search and have gotten this message, “We’re sorry. The person you are trying to reach has not yet set up their voicemail system. Please try again later.” This makes you look a little lazy and can frustrate the hiring managers. As soon as you get a new phone, make sure you make it a priority to get your voicemail up and running. Definitely make sure you have it set up before you start sending out job applications. I understand this could slip your mind, but it’s important that you do everything you can to show the hiring manager that you are reliable and reachable.
With that said, we thought it would be a good idea to provide you with a few examples of voicemail greetings. As you read through these, keep in mind that the effectiveness of your voicemail greeting is one-quarter what you say, and three-quarters how you say it.
2. "Hi, you've reached [name] at [company]. If you need a quick response, please shoot me an email at [insert email address] and I'll be in touch by EOD tomorrow.
4. “Thanks for calling [your company]. We’re looking forward to speaking with you. Let us call you back as soon as we are available by leaving your name, contact information and the reason for your call. Have a great day.” A simple, concise, and, of course, friendly voicemail greeting for your main business line.
4. Turn on Autoplay. You don't have to press 1 to listen to messages if the Autoplay feature is on. To turn AutoPlay on or off: From the Main Menu, press 4 for Mailbox Settings.
Holiday Business Voicemail Greetings And On Hold Music. CEO/Small Business Evangelist EVenturing Enterprises Thanks to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for calling. Holiday Business Voicemail Greetings And On Hold Music This voicemail made an impression on our customers. First, it was hilarious because it was for Potterheads.