For small businesses, there are a variety of voicemail service providers you can use that offer different features. From transcription and voice to text to more convenient features of handling multiple phones through one number, availability varies by service. Shared voicemail and call routing is intended for multiple access and directing calls to one or multiple phones. Mobile apps are also available that allow you to check your messages from your phone. The below infographic outlines the current state and trends of voicemails.
When preparing such messages, use quality voicemail recorder apps so that you can get the best audio quality. Such apps should also seamlessly integrate with your call centers tools such as ACD and CRM. Such integrations augment with your small business phone system for better management of inbound and outbound processes. Professional voicemail greetings should ideally be short, have your business name and contact details and must be professional.
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Grasshopper's features also can help make a small business look larger. For example, everyone in your office can have an extension. If you want to create a more professional appearance for inbound calling, Grasshopper provides customizable main greetings, routing for extensions, a name directory, music on hold, and a voice studio (for a small upcharge) if you don't like your own voice and you'd like a voice actor to tell your customers to press 13 for new sales.
In the end, the following factors were considered when comparing the seven virtual phone number providers:
Let us know in the comments if you want to suggest an addition to our list of small business phone services. We’d love to hear about it. We’ll check it out. How Can Your Alma Mater Help Your Small Business? The Importance of a Great Logo for Your Business Sponsored by Fiverr Humanizing the Customer Experience with Technology The A-Z of VoIP Phone Systems and How They can Transform Your Business 6 eCommerce Customer Service Benchmarks for Your Business What Can Small Business Learn From the Rich and Successful? TJ McCue served as Technology/Product Review Editor for Small Business Trends for many years and now contributes on 3D technologies. He is currently traveling the USA on the 3DRV roadtrip and writes at the Refine Digital blog.
The Nextiva platform, like other Grasshopper alternatives, unifies your business communication. Its VoIP phone service and features turn prospects into loyal customers.
Customer service is another important feature you should look for when shopping around. While VOIP providers are generally very reliable, no service is 100% perfect. If you run into an issue with your service, it’s important to get back up and running as fast as possible. After all, every minute that your phones are unavailable is a minute where potential customers can’t get through to you. This could mean missed sales or poor service quality.
Now that you know what you want your customers to do when they leave a message, you have to make sure that message is coming off clearly. Run it by a couple of your colleagues and ask them if your greeting makes sense and adjust wherever necessary. If you’re speaking too fast, slow down. Accounting isn’t the most inviting profession.
Away / Busy Voicemail Greeting Examples. If you are busy, away, or understaffed and cannot answer the customer calls immediately, then you can use these greetings as an example. “Hi, you have reached [business name], we are unable to take your call right now but we would love to call you back ASAP.
It’s more important that your callers feel like they can ask you for help on a subject they don’t know too well. A really easy way of simplifying your greetings is by using smaller words. Imagine yourself explaining what you want to a three-year-old. Your customers aren’t stupid, but they’re not going to always be familiar with typical business jargon. Make sure you’re adjusting your greetings to accommodate for the lack of familiarity, unnecessary details, and technical information.
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.
These work voicemail greetings are for the work phone that you and only you use. They’re highly effective because they help you establish a relationship straight from the voicemail. Or they help you share an important update in a simple, straightforward way.
If you're looking to go all out to give the best possible first impression to your customers, hire a professional voice actor. Our customers love the voices available on Fiverr, a website that matches businesses with creative talent. You can get a professional recording done for as little as $5. If you're looking for a high-end product, check out The Voice Realm which offers the best voice talent on the planet. The quality is astounding.
The Enterprise plan is the only one that offers a variety of chat features. While a free trial isn’t available, the company offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
20. “Hello! Thanks for reaching out to [company]. We’re closed today for the holiday, and will reopen tomorrow, [date]. If you leave your name, number, and a brief message, we’ll give you a call when we’re back in the office. Thanks again, and have a great [day, week].”
13. “Hi, you’ve reached [company]. We’re available by phone from [hour] to [hour] [time zone] Monday through Friday [optional: and from hour to hour on the weekends]. You can also contact us by going to our website, [URL], and live-chatting or emailing us. If you’d like us to call you back, please leave your name and number after the beep.”
“Hi, this is [name]. I’m either on another call or am away from my desk. Please leave your name, contact details, number and your reason for reaching out and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you for calling.”