Bells & whistles -- What options does your business need besides a standard attendant menu, voice mail boxes, and call forwarding?
The Pro plan provides all the small business phone services offered on the Plus plan, with the addition of: Three local or toll-free numbers 10 account users 10 voicemail boxes Submenus Unlimited multi-digit extensions Company directory Call recording Scheduled call forwarding Downloadable call analytics Professional voiceover services with Voice Studio
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Here’s another option too. A dedicated assisstant to answer all of your incoming phone calls and distribute them wherever you would like: http://www.moneypenny.com
Phone.com is another fairly-priced business phone system that offers three service plans. Their pricing ranges from $29.99 to $59.99 per month. Their features include unlimited calling to select countries outside of the United States, faxing, and SMS messaging. They also have a full range of add-on features allowing you to customize each of their plans.
Now that you know what kind of action needs to be performed to optimize the customer experience while ensuring your day runs as smoothly as possible, you have to be sure your customers know how to perform whatever action you want them to do. Calls-to-action need to be front and center with an easy process to follow when businesses optimize their business voicemail greetings to ensure a smooth experience. People want fast answers when a deadline is approaching, and one team can only handle so much disorganized information.
43. Howdy, right here’s [X company]. We’re no longer ready to expend your name for the time being, but please toddle away a short message so we can receive aid to you rapidly.
(I use Verizon. My Smartphone IS my business phone. I got rid of the land line a year ago.)
One way to avoid this is by writing a script. When you’re writing a script for your business voicemail greeting, make sure to look over it to see if there’s any slang or business jargon that could mean two different things depending on your point of view. If there’s any potential for confusion, revise the script and simplify the language. You can always ask a friend you don’t work with to see if your message is clear as well.
PLEASE NOTE: Business telephones like these can use landlines with our PBX mini-server OR upgrade to our all-inclusive, 100% managed VoIP digital service.
CallHippo’s business phone number service is available as a mobile- and web-based application. The solution helps support, marketing, and sales teams get in touch with their customers globally. When you make an outgoing call, your virtual phone number is displayed to your client. Meanwhile, the options to receive an incoming call include redirecting the call to an alternative phone number or picking up through CallHippo’s app.
29. Hi, this is [your name] at [X company]. I am on vacation right now and won’t be back to the office until [X date]! Please leave me your name, phone number, and the reason you are calling, and I will get back to you then. Alternatively, you can phone [Name] at [phone contact information]. Thank you for calling!
Hi! I told you never to call me at this number. But since you did, I left the knife on your back porch…Check to see I got all the blood off. Don’t forget to leave a message, and we’ll talk about the…plan.
For many small businesses, it may not be possible to pick up the phone immediately. Other times, you may receive a call after hours or during a busy time when no staff is available to assist a caller.
Also known as analog lines, POTS is the traditional method to support making and receiving phone calls over the Public Switched Telephone network. With the many benefits of data network services, there aren't many cases where POTS lines are the best way to go. Usually they are only need when a device needs a loop start. Gradually, the ILECs are phasing out POTS service and in many areas of the country, you can't even order it, anymore. For instance, Hurricane Sandy wiped out most of the copper infrastructure in New York/New Jersey and Verizon did not repair. They replaced it with fiber and wireless infrastructure.
Whether you’re using popular tools from Microsoft or Google, be sure to always take into account if these tools are useful, such as messaging platforms, SMS, emails, and phone system capabilities.
You may think this is boring, but it’s what works. Leave the sales talk and the promotion for when you call them back. Leaving a greeting is all well and good, but if it has no context you’re going to struggle to stop the person from giving up on you. Make sure people know that they’ve reached the right place. Hello, this is the office of X, the Y department. Please leave your name, reason for calling, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. By mentioning the specific department or office they’ve reached, you’re reminding them that they’ve reached the right place, and this is not some generic support department they’ve been redirected to. We talk to lots of different people every day. Make sure you remind people of who you are, and why you’re the best person to handle their call (and more importantly their valuable time). Hello, my name is X, the Senior Manager of Y, I’m sorry I’m unavailable right now, but if you leave your number I’ll return your call as soon as I can. Not only have you revealed who you are, but you’ve also given them the reassurance that their call is important to you. It leaves the right impression. The order of your words can seriously impact how your greeting is received. Research shows that we remember the first and last items on a list best, so the statements that matter most are those at the beginning and those at the end. Hello, you have reached X. I’m out of the office at the moment. Provide me with your contact details and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Do you see how important the order of the words is? The name comes first and the call to action is last. Most people will put all this important information in the middle of their greeting. It may not seem like a big difference, but it really matters. It can be tempting to try to fit as much information into a voicemail greeting as possible. Don’t do that. Sometimes less is more. Try to incorporate some strategic pauses into your greeting, so you can let everything sink in. Hello, this is X from Y. [Pause] I am not available to take your call right now. [Pause] If you are calling about Z, then please leave your name and number and I will get back to you as soon as you can.
Regardless, you have to remind your callers that it’s the holidays, that things are busy, and that in order for you to run your business more smoothly and get to as many customers as possible, you need your customers to leave a detailed message, and you need your voicemail greeting to express that it’s the holiday season and things will be slower. Remaining transparent by acknowledging it’s the busiest time of the year allows customers to anticipate a wait. This helps improve the customer experience and make them feel more welcome.