To improve a a business voicemail greeting, keep these eight rules at the forefront of the creative process: Avoid turning customers off with overused and impersonal phrases like “your call is very important to us..." Avoid leaving customers unsure by not immediately telling them the business, department, and/or person they’ve reached. Avoid leaving customers confused with too many details and complications; just keep it simple. Avoid messages longer than 25 seconds. Do apologize for being unavailable at the moment. Do invite the caller to leave a message. Do tell the caller when they can expect a return call and actually follow through within that timeframe. Do tell the caller about any applicable alternative options of contact and information- website, live chat, email, social media, or emergency numbers. Voicemail Greetings 101
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:
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It’s a good practice for each of your team members to have their own personal business phone numbers. There are many reasons why they shouldn’t use their personal cell phone number for business, so you’ll want to give them their own phone number through your VoIP provider or phone system.
Have you ever stopped to hear the following, ‘’Hi, this is [your name] of [your business]. I’m currently unable to take your call. Please leave your name, phone number, and a brief message, and I will contact you as soon as possible. Thanks.
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.
4. Include Other Contact Methods. If there are other ways to get in touch with your business, or receive information about your products, you may want to include them in the after hours greeting.
To set up your voicemail, press #55 or *68 from your home phone or call the retrieval number you received with your welcome letter. Voice prompts will guide you through the rest of the steps.
You should script out your greetings, rehearse, and find a tone of voice that is reflective of your professionalism and your company’s personality. If applicable, your tone and your message should take into account that certain industries and companies are more conservative than others.
A variety of reasons may lead to iPhone voicemail not working. The settings on the device may have been changed by an upgrade of the iOS thereby causing connection problems. Your carrier may also have a poor connection in your area, causing the slow retrieval of your voicemail messages. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z About US
When you receive a voice mail message, the message appears in your Outlook Inbox. Go to your Outlook Inbox. Open any email with Voice Mail in the subject. Click the blue play button to listen to a message.
3) Try to give callers other options of individuals that they can reach if you are not readily available. Be sure to state their extension in the message.
If you've forgotten your retrieval number, call 800-244-1111 to get it. Alternately, the number was included in the welcome letter you received when you signed up for voicemail service.
Even in today's fast-paced world, customers don't like being greeted with an automated message. According to the New York Times, callers of a certain age are put off entirely if they are answered by a voicemail instead of a real person.
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Believe it or not, voice mail greetings like that exist and it’s not just large companies giving customers a long list of instructions to punch their way through in hopes of talking to a real, live person. It’s job seekers and small business owners not thinking about the image they’re portraying when they note a phone number in their contact info.
(Wondering how you can receive texts from your business callers? Check out the OpenPhone App today)
Expand your opening to with 'Thank you for calling [insert company/individual name]' or 'You've reached the voicemail of [insert company/individual name]'. This personal touch goes a long way towards building a rapport even when you're not available to answer the call directly.