8. 1-VoIP – Best If You Need Phones—But Don’t Use Them Often. 40+ standard features. Pay for …
A main decision point when choosing what's best for your business can be whether you are comfortable with an internet-based Cloud voice over internet protocol (VoIP) system, or whether you currently have a system that uses a landline with a physical set of phone trunk lines stored on your premises.
.
A professional voicemail greeting can be the difference between a caller proceeding on to deliver their message or simply hanging up. Ensure you take the time to craft the right voicemail greeting for your business.
Ooma Office is a cloud-based VoIP solution that caters to small-medium sized businesses across various industry verticals that helps them to manage their business operations. For businesses of all sizes, Ooma provides advanced voi... Read more
Hi! I seem to be in the room, but I can’t quite locate my phone at the moment. If you leave a message and number, I’ll ring you up whenever I find it, or if you happen to know where I left it, let me know!
To improve a a business voicemail greeting, keep these eight rules at the forefront of the creative process: Avoid turning customers off with overused and impersonal phrases like “your call is very important to us..." Avoid leaving customers unsure by not immediately telling them the business, department, and/or person they’ve reached. Avoid leaving customers confused with too many details and complications; just keep it simple. Avoid messages longer than 25 seconds. Do apologize for being unavailable at the moment. Do invite the caller to leave a message. Do tell the caller when they can expect a return call and actually follow through within that timeframe. Do tell the caller about any applicable alternative options of contact and information- website, live chat, email, social media, or emergency numbers. Voicemail Greetings 101
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.
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
9. "Hey, this is [your name]. Thanks for reaching out. I'm busy at the moment, but if you leave your name, number, and message, I'll return your call.”
The list of features offered by Grasshopper is not as extensive as some competitors in the market. Grasshopper does not provide users with options like call recording, video conferencing, or multi-level auto-attendant.
Remember, your message is a reflection of you. Keep it short, professional and ALWAYS return messages.
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.
16. “Hello, you’ve reached [your name, the office of X company]. The team is currently out of the office, but we’ll be back on [date] stuffed with good food and eager to speak with you. Leave your name, number, and — if you’re so inclined — your favorite [holiday dish, Thanksgiving tradition, etc.]”
With the ability to grow to huge capacities, the Yealink is a great all-around solution for small businesses, churches, retail, manufacturing, and small or large schools that desire an affordable but highly expandable solution. It offers the ability to connect multiple locations together for calling from store-to-store, for example.
Pricing: Grasshopper offers three plans. Their solo plan is $29 per month and offers one phone number with three extensions. The Partner plan is $49 per month and offers three numbers and six extensions. The Small Business plan is $89 and offers five numbers and unlimited extensions.
2. “Hi! We’re glad you called [company name]. We’re happy to help but we are either on the line with another client or on the go! Please let us know your name, number, and reason for your call today. As soon as we become available, we will call you right back. Thanks!” Ask your callers to leave a short message so you can determine when to return their call.
It’s imperative for any business owner and/or entrepreneur to have a professional, snappy and appropriate voicemail greeting for their business. Automated greetings will only help current customers stay in touch with you and you will create a great first impression on potential clients.