Company Description: CloudPhone takes all the features of an advanced hardware-based system and makes it available to businesses in the cloud. Every plan includes a toll-free business number and works with any mobile or landline phone that you already own. Their plans include a virtual receptionist that can answer, route, and play messages automatically so that you don’t have to stop business every time that a call comes in.
Having a business in the digital age makes it all too easy to forget about one of the oldest methods of customer communication: the telephone system.
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In a nutshell, a good voicemail greeting should only be brief but also complete, simple but also professional. It should only meet its purpose of leaving a quick message to the listener or informing a caller that although you haven’t taken the call, you’re going to get back to it at the soonest time available.
When was the last time you gave a thought to your business phone system? Perhaps the last time there was an outage? If your company's roots go deep, it's possible that you're sitting comfortably with a PBX system, thinking that if it's not broken, there's no need to fix it. There are an unfathomable number of choices for business phone systems right now. Do you want something that lives in the Cloud, or something that you can see in a closet? What are you starting with -- do you have an on-site PBX, landlines and heavy technical support, or is your company lean, mean, and completely comfortable relying on an internet service provider (ISP) with tools off-site?
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It's easy to get carried away in a voicemail and include more detail than is necessary. We've all been in that situation where the automated or pre-recorded voice on the end of the line goes on and on with more information than you can take in.
14. “Thanks for giving us a call! We promise it’s never a bad time for [company name], but you’ve reached us after-hours. Please leave us your name, number and the best time to reach you and we’ll give you a call when we are open.” Let’s face it, you’re not always open. Yet that doesn’t mean you don’t want to help your caller. Let them know you’ll call them right back when you’re open again.
Most voicemail services are included as a feature of a broader business phone system – like you’ll find with VirtualPBX Voicemail.
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.
Anyone who regularly uses a phone associated with a company can have their own inbox. This makes it easy for individuals to have relevant messages sent to them through call forwards or through connections like an automated attendant.
RingCentral's Essentials plan is its most basic package and includes the following features in addition to the basic features mentioned above: Up to 20 users only Business phone or toll-free numbers Unlimited calls within the US and Canada Unlimited business SMS Voicemail-to-text Team messaging Document sharing
RingCentral pricing plans are structured per user per month. Prices are on par with Grasshopper, which offers similar features but fewer scaling opportunities. The more employees the company has, the more affordable the plans are. Unlimited phone calls within the United States and Canada are provided with every plan. The great thing about RingCentral is that all of its plans come with a free trial that can even include hardware. If you’re unsure about the quality of the service, be sure to try it out through the trial first.
We’re keeping it simple with this one. Just a few basic elements to help you get started. As long as you know who your audience is, the message you wish to convey, and the information you need from the caller, the rest should fall into place quite nicely. Let’s face it, a voicemail greeting for a lumber company will probably be different than that of a psychologist’s office. One greeting is aimed at securing potential customers, and the other is geared towards appointments, more or less. Once you are certain who your caller is, the better your voicemail. Center on your audience, first and foremost. Knowing what to relate ensures that your caller will leave the right message. For instance, if you’re a retail store, you would include your hours of operations, and perhaps any specials that you’re running. If you are a therapist’s office, then you’d need to include an alternate number in case a patient is having an issue and requires immediate help. Again, this will vary depending on the business. Here, a therapist would definitely request the caller leave their contact information. However, a retail store chain might not request that. There are also complex voicemail systems such as those used by mobile phone services, which ask you to press a certain number on your phone, where you are asked to leave your account information. Again, as you can see, it all boils down to the demographics of your callers, and what you need from them to conduct the best business possible. Depending on the situation, your caller might be in a good mood or not. In either case, they’ll probably be eagerly awaiting your call. So, it stands to reason that you only promise them a call back if you can deliver. In other words, if you’re a small shop and you’ve decided to close due to a much-needed sabbatical, then don’t leave a voicemail greeting where you promise them to call right back. However, if you have an active customer service staff, then you can promise to return their call within the same day.
Grasshopper was essentially designed for small offices who want to present a more professionally packaged telecommunications front. Ultimately, though, it's the U.S.-based Grasshopper's simplicity that makes it the winner.
The main steps to take are to check network compatibility, choose a business phone number, determine the number of users, and then download the softphone/mobile VoIP app.
Google voice offers all individuals who need to separate their business calls from their personal calls a second number to use for no monthly fee. Most calls within the United States and Canada are completely free. The price to call certain U.S. numbers that are not free and international phone numbers begin at a penny a minute.
9. “Hi, you’ve reached [your name]. I’m unable to come to the phone right now. But if you leave your name, number and a short message, I’ll be sure to call back.”