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First and foremost, it nearly goes without saying that it’s important to get a dedicated number specifically for work-related calls, but let’s just say it. Many of us working from home have had to deal with using our home phone number or getting an additional land-line installed. Those days of dial-up are long gone for most of us and it seems nearly everyone on earth now has a cell phone. There’s really no excuse not to have a dedicated work number these days. If you don’t have one, secure one today. It’s even easier than you think if you also consider options like Google Voice and My1Voice. You’d think this also goes without saying, but don’t leave the standard voicemail provided by your cell phone carrier or answering machine. It’s annoying. Everyone hates them. And don’t think that saying your name at the beep to customize your message helps. It’s just as annoying to hear the robotic voice that pauses as your voice interrupts the message to insert your name. Actually say your name You think I’m joking? I called someone just last week and when I got the voicemail it just repeated the number. I dialed by choosing the contact from my contacts and I’m not good with numbers. I wasn’t sure if the number was the number I mean to call, so I just hung up. It happens. Reveal specific information If it’s a typical work day and you’re just unable to answer your phone, it’s fine to say you’re currently unavailable. But if you’re sunning yourself on the beaches of Tahiti and have no intention of even checking your voicemail until you return to your desk in two weeks, it would be nice to let someone know. If they’re calling you they must need something. Let them know when you’ll be available. Give an emergency option Depending on what you do for a living, or just how accessible you want to appear to a potential employer, leaving an additional option for the caller to reach you often makes a good impression. Doctors offices do that all the time, right. If you can’t reach me this way, you can reach me THIS way. Or, you can reach someone else who can help you right now. KISS Keep It Simple, Stupid. You don’t want to speak like an auctioneer, but you do want to get as much information across as quickly as possible and get on to the beep. Your caller doesn’t need to know your life history, just the current facts and then sufficient space to leave you a message. Write it down Put some thought into exactly what you want to say. Don’t just hit record and play around until you’re satisfied that your message doesn’t suck. Think about it. Write down what you want to say and give it a try. Rearrange things, revise things. And, when you’re ready, hit the record button and give it a whirl. Smile Did you know that it’s believed that some 50 different types of smiles exist, from triumphant ones to bitter ones. Interestingly enough, there was a study a couple years ago where scientists used the phrase “I do in the summertime” to study the effects of smiling on person’s voice. Read all about in Smile – And The World Can Hear You, Even If You Hide. Or listen to the NPR show, Hearing a Smile in Tone of Voice. So close your eyes and think of your happy place. Think of something funny or amusing. Then, right before you hit the record button and begin speaking, SMILE. Callers will hear it. Just make sure you’re not actively laughing like the Joker from Batman throughout your voicemail greeting. Cut the comedy Smiling is a good thing. Acting like a clown, not so much. Cutesy comedic messages really don’t have a place on your work voicemail greeting. Be considerate Above all, consider the caller. A considerate message lets them know they’re important and that you’ll be returning their call. Even if the sun and moon revolve around your every move, your voicemail greeting isn’t the place for egocentric SOMETHING Listen to your messages and return calls
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Website: https://www.garamgroup.com/tips-after-hours-business-voicemail-auto-attendant-greetings/
Once you move to Skype for Business Server 2019 you'll be automatically upgraded to Cloud voicemail. Since Cloud Voicemail is a part of Skype for Business Online and Teams Online you'll need to enable your Skype Online License in your office 365 Tenant. Just go into your use licensing and flip the switch, and Cloud Voicemail will be available!
Website: https://gpcomhelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115011671507-Voicemail-How-to-Change-Enable-Personal-or-Out-of-Office-Greeting
To clear any customers doubts or expectations, make sure to mention on your voicemail when you’ll be available. Don’t say that you will “try” to return their call. Instead, offer them a realistic timeframe in which they can expect their call to be returned, so they know what to expect - whether it will take you 24 hours or a week to get back to them. This will eliminate your customer’s worries about your timeliness and encourage them to wait for your reply instead of heading over to your competitors.
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While many businesses can use this standard voicemail greeting, not everyone’s business wants to be the same as the others. If you’re looking for a more unique approach, here are four sample voicemail scripts to try:
Fiverr is a popular freelance service anyone can use to get creative work — in this case, a personalized voicemail greeting. On Fiverr, you first check out the freelancer’s work samples to evaluate whether they’re a good fit for your company. We recommend reading feedback and reviews on various creatives, contacting potential freelancers with any questions you have, and browsing through various package options.
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.
When recording your business voicemail greetings on your VoIP phone system, make sure to state the correct time when your callers can expect you to call back. If your call-back policy is within two hours or 24 hours, make sure to say the correct expected time so your callers don’t waste their time waiting for your call.
When you start to record the business voicemail greetings, be sure to pay attention that the professional voicemail is not able to pick background noises that could make your message sound distort and inaudible.
Yeah, that is the type of voicemail greeting you want to make sure that you no longer have, especially since employers might be getting your voicemail when trying to contact you, and if you are telling them to “do their thang,” chances are they aren’t even going to bother leaving a message.
Make sure you don’t use a monotone voice when you record your business voicemail greetings. Use inflection in your voice so you don’t sound like a robot.
The biggest barrier is actually getting them to leave the voicemail in the first place. Don’t get in your own way by recording a long, drawn-out voicemail greeting that might do more to convince them to hang up than actually leave a message.
Solution: Have voicemails transcribed into text format so they can be quickly read as well as stored on a computer like any text file. “Then you can search voicemails for keywords like ‘I need a quote’ or ‘price is too high,’” says Dan Baldwin, an information and communications technology consultant for business owners with ICTLA in Lake Elsinore, California. Spectrum Business Voice offers customers more than 30 calling features, including the ability to have voicemails transcribed and then viewed online.
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.