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?
Oh lord…is it you…again? Well, if you must, leave a name and number after the beep. I’ll try to return the call, if I can stand it, that is.
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Hey, not here right now and not really interested in who this is, I’m out on a wilderness retreat learning about the importance of making connections.
To whom it may concern. You’ve tried to reach Wilbur and Ed. We aren’t here at the moment, but if you want, you can leave your contact information at the tone and one of the brood will get to you shortly. Take care, thanks for the call.
Hearing this message, the following things would have happened to your prospects: They would realize that they have reached the right person so no doubts of confusionThey would understand why the person isn’t available to take the callThere is a confirmation that the minute the person is available they will cater to the prospect which is why the prospects will actually leave their contact details
VirtualPBX offers a hosted PBX service aimed at users who already have VoIP phones or want to use a low-cost VoIP service. They have a free 14-day trial and plans start at $12.99/month for limited minutes. Feature We Like: The website explains VOIP and PBX details really well, so you know what you’re getting.
The company has a complicated past. In 1995, Lucent Technologies spun off from AT&T. Five years later, Avaya spun off from Lucent. Avaya actually went bankrupt in 2017 but was eventually saved by RingCentral. The two companies entered a partnership in 2019 to create Avaya Cloud Office, which is powered by RingCentral.
Creating a voicemail greeting might not be fun, but with the scripts I’ve shared, you should have an easier time. No need to practice time and time again — simply plug in your name, company title, and other details, then read it out loud to your phone’s voicemail greeting recorder. With a professional greeting, you’ll continue nurturing prospects even if you don’t pick up the phone.
Good day, you have reached the office of [Name]. I’m away for the weekend. If you require my immediate assistance, please call 555-555-2345. Otherwise, if this is a casual call, please leave your name, number and a brief message, and I’ll get back to you on Monday.
Note that you’re not going to record a professional voicemail greeting message instantly. You’ll have to rehearse and get your team members to review it. Invite a professional to access it and tell you where you may need to change. Also, don’t keep the same messages for an extended period – they are boring and a turn off to potential clients. Go online and check out for sample professional voicemail greetings to get you started.
Example: 'Thank you for calling [insert name here]. We're sorry we couldn't take your call this time. However, if you'd like to leave us a voicemail we will get back to you within [for example] 30 minutes of receiving this message. Alternatively, if you'd like to reach out by email you can do so at [insert email address]. Again, thank you for calling [insert company name]. We look forward to your message.'
CallHippo is a scalable call center software solution that offers internet phone numbers to small and mid-sized enterprises with a growing customer base. Created with the idea to help businesses maximize their productivity with virtual telephony and workflow automation, CallHippo’s solution comes with a plethora of features and integration options. Aiming to minimize the complexity of setting up a call center, CallHippo provides local numbers from more than 50 countries and lets you assign them to specific departments in just a few clicks. Finally, apart from customer communication, this software can also help you improve team collaboration. ⦿ Toll-free and vanity numbers ⦿ Voicemail transcription ⦿ Inbound call handling
Enhanced Voicemail lets you listen to messages, create personal or corporate greetings and access your voicemail box from anywhere there's phone or internet access. In the Optimum Business Account Center, you can manage many advanced voicemail features, including listening to messages online, setting voicemail alerts and sending your messages to your email account. To activate your voicemail box you can simply dial *86 from your Optimum Voice line and follow the voice prompts or log in to the Optimum Business Account Center, click the "Phone" tab and select "Voicemail" from the drop-down menu. Here you will find the complete instruction guide to activate and manage your voicemail online or via telephone.
Check out our roundup of the Best CRMs for Small BusinessesHow does VoIP pricing work?
Evoice is a virtual small business phone service that says you can “Add an Extra Phone Line to Your Mobile Phone for Business Calls.” This service offers an automated attendant to answer calls, voicemail to text, toll free numbers, music on hold, and call routing (follow me type of feature). It’s essentially what you would expect of a virtual phone system. There is a 30-day free trial. Feature We Like: Integrates a live receptionist answering service option for those who need it (extra charge).
If you’re working remotely now, but your mobile number isn’t on your business cards, add your mobile number to your business line’s voicemail message! If you’re worried that people will start calling your cellphone at all hours of the night – they won’t. They’ll treat it just with just as much respect as your business line.
Going hand in hand with preparing and thinking your message thoroughly before calling, there’s now the need for you to speak slowly. This doesn’t mean talking very slow as if you’re talking to a child to get your message across. Rather, it simply means enunciating every word carefully and practicing the right spacing, so your listener is able to understand you.