Really think about it – You’re out of the office, it’s after business hours, or you’re otherwise indisposed, whatever the case may be, your voicemail is now tasked with representing you (and/or your company). No pressure, right? Your voicemail message is a platform that represents you to callers; therefore it’s ABSOLUTELY crucial that your message is perfect.
1. State Your Business Name. The first thing your callers should hear is the name of your business or organization. This assures them that they have dialed the right phone number and keeps them on the line.
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Step 2: Verify Your Cell Phone Number. Step 3: Choose a Local or Toll-Free Work Phone Number. Step 4: Choose the Solopreneur or Team Subscription Plan. Step 5: Add Team Members & Additional Business Phone Lines. Step 6: Set Business Hours and Customize Greetings & Voicemail.
Open your voicemail greeting with a 'Thank you for your call. We're not available right now by please leave your message and we'll get back to you within [specify time]'.
If you’re ready to go the professional direction, congratulations! Here are some websites you can use to hire a service to record your greeting.
If, on the other hand, your clients work with a number of team members, you might consider hiring a voiceover professional to record your greeting. While a recording with a voice actor is an extra expense, the result often outweighs the cost.
Use these step-by-step instructions to set up your voicemail. And don't worry if you make a mistake — you'll always have the option of backing up and changing your response.
Your clients don’t have a lot of time, and neither do you. Use the following short voicemail greetings to get to the point quickly and invite them to leave a message.
As a professional business, in no way should you ever resort to leaving one of those generic, pre-recorded, “No one is here to take your call” messages that the phone company often provides. Record a greeting yourself, or have one professionally done for you. If you choose to record a greeting yourself for your office phone, there are a few simple keys that you should keep in mind:
Using Azure Cloud Voicemail (CVM) (known as Skype for Business) Voicemail Playback/Storage. CVM voicemails are still stored in the users Exchange mailbox with the attached voicemail and transcription. Users can playback voicemails by one of the following methods: Skype for Business: via the Phone tab
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.”
Rollover Hunting is a feature that is managed by the Account Manager or Phone Manager. It allows incoming calls to your primary phone line to roll over to the next available line and, if al l lines are busy or not answered, the call can roll over to voicemail. It will hunt through all lines in the group once to find an idle line. You can configure multiple hunt groups and the number of rings before the call is routed to the next li ne. Each hunt group must have a minimum of two lines and a unique primary number. There are three hunt sequence options:
You’ve worked hard on your application. You’ve double- and triple-checked for spelling errors and you know you are a perfect fit for this job. You’ve followed up on your application and made such a great impression that the employer decides they want to call you in for an interview. You are checking your phone, anxiously awaiting the call…but nothing seems to happen.
3. "Hey, this is [your name]. If you're calling for [X reason], please [contact so-and-so] or [go to our website, send me an email]. For all other inquiries, leave your name and a brief message and I'll call you back within [one, two, three] business day[s]."
For a downloadable Quick Reference Guide to the voicemail phone menu, click here.
Professional voicemail greeting examples to boost your credibility. Here are 15 business voicemail greetings to keep your clients and boost your credibility: 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. You've reached [your name] at [your
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.