For a downloadable Quick Reference Guide to the voicemail phone menu, click here.
When you create a voicemail message, the next thing you need to ensure is that your prospects are aware that they have reached the right person so no confusion takes place.
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Good voicemail greetings should include your name and/or company, your reason for missing the call or an apology, and instructions for leaving a message. How to Turn Your Customer Complaints into Business Benefits 50% of Business Owners Over 50 Back Trump's National Emergency Declaration How Zoho Bookings Helps Your Business Grow Square Seller Fees Stay Consistent as PayPal, Venmo Raise Rates Sponsored by Square Use Emojis in your Business Communications? Than Check Out These! How Can Your Alma Mater Help Your Small Business? Annie Pilon is a Senior Staff Writer for Small Business Trends, covering entrepreneur profiles, interviews, feature stories, community news and in-depth, expert-based guides. When she’s not writing she can be found on her personal blog Wattlebird, and exploring all that her home state of Michigan has to offer. Small Business Trends is an award-winning online publication for small business owners, entrepreneurs and the people who interact with them. Our mission is to bring you "Small business success, delivered daily."
After helping tens of thousands of companies set up voicemail systems, we’ve learned that there is no set of rules defining what makes a great business voicemail, but there are definitely some key points that you should aim to hit. Before you hit the record button for your voicemail message, take some of these tips into account:
4. Hi, this is [your name]. I’m unable to take your call right now but leave your name and number, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Another possible solution is to give callers who don’t want to leave voicemails other ways to reach you, such as by emailing, texting or visiting your website. “Solve the caller’s problem in the voicemail greeting,” Baldwin suggests. If your outgoing message is informative enough, he says, callers won’t even need to leave a message.
Extension mailboxes enable businesses to share a group of mailboxes, but route incoming calls to one main voicemail number. They include a primary mailbox and up to nine (9) additional boxes. Each has characteristics of standard voice mailboxes and must be activated by an authorized user before they can be used. Once activated, log in to the mailbox, change the PIN, record your greeting and your name.
Pepperdine's unified messaging system, Unity, is provided for employees of the University. This message system allows employees to access voicemail messages through both the telephone and email. Students who wish to have a voicemail must complete a voicemail request form at OneStop.
Before you officially pick a greeting, why not practice on making your voice even and understandable? I know that my voice rises when I speak on the phone, and I tend to speak faster, so I practice in the mirror to slow down my voice and make sure that I am speaking as naturally as I can.
Many of our users don’t need calls routed to their phone, they just want a good virtual voicemail system. We can do that, too. Just set up your VirtualPBX account with multiple voicemail boxes for each user or purpose you need. Furthermore, we can route calls directly to voicemail, without ringing a phone first.
19. “Hi, you’ve reached [your name] at [X company]. We are sorry but our office is closed until [date]. Please leave us your name and phone number and our team will get back to you as soon as possible. Enjoy [holiday] and thanks for calling [company name]! If you do happen to be open the holiday season, it’s important to provide holiday hours. Especially if your hours vary from your regular hours.
Avoid background noise. Whether you have music playing in your office, or you’re sitting in a coffee shop, background noise can make it difficult for your customers to understand your greeting. Limit the noise around you when you leave your voicemail greeting.
We know that your callers first impression is vital to your business, and if you’re planning to use services like Voicemail Pro, Virtual Receptionist, Call Queuing or Call Greeting, a professional voice can make a huge difference.. That’s why we've teamed up with a wide range of professional voice artists, to ensure that we can provide you with the right voice for your service.
45. Hi, this is [X department] at [X company]. We’re not able to take your call right now, but if you leave a quick message after the tone, our next available representative will call you back shortly.
While missed calls aren’t ideal, you can let your caller know you’re still there for them by having a great voicemail greeting. The best business voicemail greetings let your customers (and potential customers) know why you’re not available and how they can best get in contact with your business. They are also short and to the point. You usually want to keep your greeting between 6 and 24 seconds long so callers don’t hang up halfway through.
Most voice mail users have a desk phone line, which rolls calls to a voice mailbox. Customers with virtual telephone numbers (TNs) do not have a physical desk phone for this number. If you use voice mail with a Cox virtual TN, refer to the tips listed below. If you have a virtual TN, the related voice mailbox should be pre-set by Cox voice mail teams. If you cannot access the box from a valid access number, contact a Cox representative to make sure that the mailbox is initialized. When you log in to the mailbox, you need to update the PIN, record a new greeting, and record your name. Use voice mail and features as necessary. Paging Notification
11. “Hello, you’ve reached [X company]. We can’t take your call right now, but please leave your name, contact information, and reason for reaching out, and one of our team members will be in touch within 24 hours.”