You may know Vonage as a leader in residential VOIP solutions, but the company also has a great small business offering as well that comes packed with features at a fair price. The $19.99 per user monthly charge is competitive with other VOIP providers. Included with that are all of the basic features you would expect from a VOIP service like voicemail and call display. The collection of third-party integrations is where Vonage truly shines, however. Popular services like Google G-Suite or Microsoft Office 365 can be integrated for free and paid services like SalesForce also have support from Vonage. The mobile app and desktop admin panel are clean and well-designed which make managing calls, voicemail, and settings feel simple no matter where you are or what device you’re using.
“Good afternoon. You have reached the office of [your name]. I will be out of the office beginning on [date] and will be returning on [date]. Please leave a brief message with your contact information, and I’ll be sure to get back to you as soon as I return on [date]. If this is an emergency or you need to speak with someone before I return, please contact [name of colleague/supervisor], [their job title], at [their phone number].”
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Here are a few voicemail message examples you can record if you have the opportunity to leave a professional sounding message, while still having a bit of fun. Before choosing one of these options, be sure your company allows for a little creativity. If you work in a strict professional position, theses options might not be the best for you.
While communication over the phone remains essential for business, to stay productive, I recommend scheduling important calls.
To do this, you can simply say, “I look forward to speaking with you and resolving any issues or concerns you might have as quickly as possible.” This implies you’re going to read your messages, you’re going to respond to those messages, and you’re going to resolve any issue, regardless of how big or small, the customer has. Acting as a mentor by making yourself more accessible is a great way to improve the overall customer experience. Having your business voicemail greetings reflect this is a great way to show customers where your priorities lie even if you’re unable to get to the phone right now.
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.
When you first launch a business, it’s possible to manage contacts with your personal phone number. But doing so is neither scalable nor professional. As your team and your business expand, the need for a business phone number becomes more obvious. That’s where a virtual phone number comes in handy. Instead of paying expensive bills for both your employees’ phones, your office phone, and your personal number, you can just opt for a virtual business number. For a reasonable monthly fee, virtual phones route calls to your cell phone, your home number or a VoIP phone number. So you can take business calls anytime, anywhere. Grasshopper is the perfect solution for solopreneurs and teams no bigger than 15 people. It has the best 800 number service for small businesses, letting you choose from 800, 888, 877, 844, 866, or 833 numbers. Available on any mobile device, it gives you the ability to tend to your clients wherever your business takes you. Read Review Special offer: Save $75 on annual plans or $15 on monthly plans GET STARTED RingCentral is another robust solution that brings more than just a virtual phone number to the table. It is a cloud-based PBX that provides state-of-the-art features like video voicemail, video conferencing, and screen sharing. These features allow you to communicate with your customers in a unique and personal way, and help you bring remote teams together. Read Review CallHippo offers virtual local phone numbers from more than 50 countries. It lets you add multiple users and make calls to receivers all around the world. Its features include call recording and forwarding, workflow automation, and detailed call analytics. CallHippo's pricing plans start at $14/user/month, and its service is best suited for small businesses and outbound calling teams. Read Review Sonetel is one of Sweden’s fastest-growing tech companies, and its virtual phone number solution is efficient, easy to implement, and very affordable. You can get a virtual phone number for free, with global call forwarding, voice responses, call queues, and much more. Apart from providing phone numbers, Sonetel lets you implement live-chat support features on your website or your business’s Facebook page. Read Review ⦿Free phone number if you use widget ⦿Offers live-chat and team-communication features ⦿Free call taking via mobile app Line2 is an excellent all-in-one solution for small teams. Its long list of features includes everything from call answering with a pre-recorded auto-attendant message to merged calling and voicemail transcriptions. The provider also makes it easy to pick the ideal virtual phone number by giving you toll-free and vanity options while ensuring all your calls are routed to the right place. Read Review ⦿Excellent call-management features ⦿Unlimited SMS and MMS messaging ⦿Toll-free and vanity numbers eVoice is another US virtual phone number provider that tailors to businesses of all sizes by providing advanced tools for proper communication without requiring users to set up additional equipment. It offers local, national, and international numbers and enables you to forward calls you can’t take to other employees. In addition to video conferencing and screen sharing features, a 24/7 virtual receptionist is on hand to ensure you never miss another call. Read Review Freshdesk Contact Center (formerly known as Freshcaller) is among the best toll free number providers out there. You can choose one of the available numbers or even create a customized vanity phone number. This system has the most robust call-center features for handling calls and monitoring employees’ work and productivity. Since it is available only on softphones, you won’t have to invest in any additional equipment. Freshdesk also boasts a free version with a few standard features. Read Review ⦿Freshworks integrations ⦿Powerful call-center solutions ⦿Free plan with limited features As one of the industry's leaders, VirtualPBX strikes a good balance between affordability and functionality. Thanks to its wide range of features such as unlimited minutes, auto-attendant, and customized greetings, this cloud-based VoIP solution can help a company of any size streamline and enhance its internal and external business communication. Try VirtualPBX risk-free with a 15-day money-back guarantee. Read Review As an all-in-one virtual receptionist system, MightyCall aggregates customer queries coming from phone calls, social media channels, and emails into one queue. It processes calls made and received via vanity, local, and toll-free numbers and lets its users organize client data in a highly efficient way. We recommend this provider's virtual phone services to small and mid-sized business owners on the hunt for an affordable way to improve their internal and external communication. Read Review ⦿Team collaboration features ⦿Visual voicemail and voicemail transcription ⦿Scalable solution The Nextiva service tops other providers since it delivers a CRM system for the price of a virtual phone service. Call quality, system reliability and its array of features are all top of the line. The company also provides non-stop exceptional customer care across different communication channels. This provider is great for scaling - as your number of users goes up, your monthly user fee will go down. Read Review ⦿Very reliable with 99.9% uptime ⦿More than 40 call-management features ⦿Sales and service CRM features Talkroute combines recently developed software-based features and traditional phone services aiming to turn your smartphone into a well-rounded business communication system. Featuring desktop and mobile applications, IVR, call transfer, menu prompts, and advanced reporting, Talkroute's solution is best suited for businesses looking for a cost-effective way to handle large call volumes. Read Review 8x8 offers an advanced set of call-handling features that satisfy the needs of small business owners wanting to set up a call center. In addition to a heap of features for communication with customers, this service also has plenty of options for team communication. The 8x8 system operates on any internet-connected device, as well as your existing traditional phones. Read Review ⦿International calling within 47 countries ⦿Desk phones for sale ⦿Conference calling
Pricing: Dialpad offers three plans, costing $20, $30, and custom quote — all billed per user. The smallest plan is available for one office and three departments. The largest plan offers unlimited offices and unlimited departments with a 100-user minimum. Related Articles Virtual Phone System Guide: Today’s Virtual Office Phone Systems The Best Google Voice Alternative for Businesses Best Toll Free Vanity Phone Number Service Providers for Startups
Businesses should have two main types of greetings to create an excellent call experience. The first one is what we call a “welcome greeting” – this greeting welcomes callers to your business. Typically, a welcome greeting will present a menu of call options like hours, location, or customer service. For more details on how to create a welcome greeting for your general business number, read this article.
31. Hello, you’ve reached [your name]. I’ll be out of the office from [start date] to [end date]. Please leave a message and I’ll return your call upon my return. Alternatively, you can email me at [email address] or call [name] at [phone number] for immediate assistance. Thanks for calling!
This company earned a high spot on our best virtual phone system provider list because it streamlines internal communication and entirely eliminates your phone bill with its cloud PBX. You can use the softphone desktop application to conduct conference calls with remote team members with or without video.
16. "Hmm. Gryffindor … No, Ravenclaw. Yes, you definitely belong in Ravenclaw. *Pause.* Okay, you haven't reached the Sorting Hat — it's the voicemail of [your name]. Please leave your name and number (and just for fun, the Harry Potter house you think you belong in) and I'll return your call as soon as possible."
Freedom 800 is a virtual phone system in the cloud. This small business phone service has a user-friendly website with instant number activation and a 30-day free trial. Then plans start at $9.95/month for limited minutes. This service is not as full-featured as some of the others. But if you are a startup looking for a bare bones virtual phone system at low prices, this might be a good place to start. Feature We Like: Availability Scheduling. You can specify the times when you want calls forwarded, or not.
16. “Hi, you’ve reached [company name]. Sorry, you just missed us! We’re open from ([hour] to [hour] [time zone]) Monday through Friday [optional: hour to hour on the weekends]. In the meantime, you can also visit our website [website URL] to reach out via live chat, text, or email [email address]. If you’d like to leave us a message, tell us your name, number, and reason for your call after the beep. We will give you a call back later on today.” Let your caller know your exact office hours so you skip the “phone tag”. They’ll appreciate knowing when to expect a return call. Just keep in mind that the timeframe should be realistic so you live up to customer expectations.Voicemail greetings for holidays
8×8 beats the competition when it comes to state-of-the-art call center features. Thanks to unlimited calling within 47 countries, it’s got the best solution for bringing your business to the international market while impressing your clients with first-class customer care. Ironically, the one area 8×8 should work to improve is its own customer support.
If your customers feel that you don’t care, they’ll take their business elsewhere. Experiences are the differentiating factor between businesses. Big efforts to improve the overall experience in tiny ways by crafting a voicemail greeting script can make a huge difference when customers are asked by their friends and family how easy it was to work with you. And word spreads quickly in the age of social media. The more positive experiences you offer, even when you’re not available, the more likely those people will call back.
07Thank you for calling [business name]. I’m out assisting other clients with their goals, at the moment, but look forward to attending to you. Please leave a message and I’ll return your call within one business day. To schedule an appointment press 1. This is an example of an industry-specific voicemail greeting. This voicemail gives specific and clear instructions to the callers.