The best business phone services and business phone system companies, in general, tend to have the same basic call features, for example, call forwarding and call recording. However, as small business phone services start adding more features to their voice over internet protocol (VoIP) business phone plans, that's where the differences become much more apparent. How much does it cost to get a business phone line?
RingCentral Office is a cloud-based business phone solution that offers business communication tools for video, voice, fax and text. Core features of the solution include conferencing, auto-recording and unlimited long-distance an... Read more
.
4. "Hello, you've reached [your name and title]. I'm currently out on parental leave until [date]. In the meantime, please direct all phone calls to [alternate contact name] at [phone number] and emails to [email address].
Generally, people that call and leave messages are more likely to be ideal customers of your business. Your voicemail message is often not much more than a formality to the person calling. Your message is a period of time that they are forced to wait through in order to do what they called to do in the first place — relay information to you.
If you’re recording your voicemail greeting during a busy time of the day and there’s a ton of background noise, there’s a chance it might interfere with the call-to-action you want your customer to perform. If you’re not speaking directly into the phone and your voice is breaking up, put the phone closer to your mouth, speak slowly, and read from a script if necessary.
Expand your message with 'We're sorry we couldn't take your call this time.' The inclusion of 'this time' or 'on this occasion' suggests that the voicemail is the exception rather than the rule.
As a bonus, here is an example of our own holiday voicemail greeting here at OpenPhone:
This is also where your automated call software such as Drop Cowboy and others comes in handy. If you don’t have one already, it’s worth investing in moving forward. With your call software, there’s an effective flow of outbound and inbound calls. This means you have a record, too, of all the return calls you’ve gotten in the order of priority they’re made. This doesn’t just create a smoother system for your calls, but it also ensures no return call is ever left ignored.
In certain situations, it’s a good idea to let a call go to voicemail. If you’re in a loud area, unable to spend 10-15 minutes talking, or are otherwise distracted, don’t answer. Recruiters who cold-call candidates will understand that you’re simply unavailable – but make sure to return calls in a timely manner. If possible, call back during regular business hours.
Interesting Read : Interactive Voice Response: What Is It And How Is It Beneficial?
Now that you know what to look for in business VOIP providers, here are some of the top options to consider if you’re ready to replace your existing small business phone system.
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.
2. Straight To The Point Voicemail Greetings. (Insert name) is either away from their desk or on another call. Leave your name, number, and a brief message and (insert name) will return your call within (insert timeframe.)
Incorporating tools like conference calling and web conferencing software can unlock new levels of productivity for your small business.
https://www.onsip.com/voip-resources/smb-tips/10-sample-call-center-greeting-scripts
A secretary in a doctor’s office creates a voicemail greeting that says, “If you have a scheduled meeting with us, we could use copies of all your medical documents from last year, so come prepared.” Using the word “could” gives patients the impression that they don’t necessarily “need” last year’s documents. See the difference between “could” and “need”? Your word choice can impact a future meeting significantly. If you want a customer to perform a specific action, you need to pay close attention to how you express your calls-to-action.
However, for many businesses, there's a need to route calls to the PSTN and other analog phones. This may mean a PSTN gateway, or even a hybrid PBX, where there's at least a small telephone switch located at your office. Your VoIP vendor will let you know if this is necessary at the planning stage. Note that these days, a PBX looks exactly like the other servers in your data center, except with an attached means of handling local and analog phones.