When you equip employees with features that promote connectivity, you take your business to the next level.
Your voicemail greeting presents an excellent opportunity to connect with customers in a valuable way, yet many companies trade a customer-centric experience for a canned response. You know your customers don’t want to hear another boring, outdated business voicemail greeting, but you’re not sure how to capture their attention in the moments leading up to “the beep”.
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A voicemail and voicemail greeting are two different things. A voicemail serves to leave a message and contact information to an individual or business. A voicemail greeting serves to welcome those who call while you are out, encouraging them to leave a message and contact information. A well-crafted voicemail greeting also serves as a tool where one can leave a good first impression.
Consider your voicemail and text message as one of the many ways you brand your business. It is a method of communication that should be as professional and engaging as you are in person. We cannot always get to our phone in time to answer personally, so whether it is your own phone’s greeting or you are leaving one, make sure your message
If your business is off for a holiday, it's a common courtesy to update your voicemail to acknowledge the closure. Mention the closure in the beginning of the message, convey when your business is reopening, and don't forget to wish the callers a happy holiday if the occasion calls for it. If you're away from your office, check your voicemail remotely to keep up with incoming messages if necessary. Or get voicemail to email capabilities set up on your phone system. Thank you for calling Merlow Plumbing. We are closed for Christmas from December 24th, 2015, until January 2nd, 2016. Our normal business hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 am - 6 pm. Please leave your message after the tone. Have a happy holiday, and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year. 5. Emergency Situation Voicemail Greeting
All VoIP providers offer virtual phone numbers. Any phone number that is not provided by a traditional phone service provider is a virtual phone number. That's because virtual phone numbers aren't tied to a physical location like the phone numbers you receive from a traditional phone company.
11. "Hi, you've reached [company]. Unfortunately, we're currently unavailable. But we want to talk to you — so please leave your name and number, as well as your reason for calling, and someone will call back ASAP."
Get more than 20 features standard, including our enhanced voicemail, which lets multiple people share the same number but have their own voicemail box. Ensure your customers can always find you with hunt groups and call forwarding, so if one line is unavailable the call automatically rolls over to the next, or even rings a completely different phone number such as a home phone or mobile phone.
RingCentral pricing starts at $19.99 monthly per user for their “Essentials” plan which allows for up to 20 users. For more than 20 users you can choose from their “Standard” plan at $24.99 monthly per user or their “Premium” or “Ultimate” plans which offer advanced features such as automatic call recording, single sign-on, and CRM integrations. Learn more about RingCentral’s plans and pricing here.
Nextiva possibly provides the best combination of pricing and features for virtual phone services. However, the pricing structure listed on their website can be confusing. Nextiva should rework their pricing page to provide more clarity to users.
Whether you need a flat rate voicemail number, toll free line, fax or live answering service for your personal or business use, Voicemail Office is the ultimate solution for all of your call handling needs! Unlimited usage at a flat rate Multiple extensions & greetings E-mail delivery of messages Online call detail & history Store up to 1,000 messages online & much more! Learn More Choose Local Number Now Live-call-transfer, VirtualPBX Find-me-follow-me call forwarding Multiple extensions & mailboxes E-mail delivery of messages Online call detail & history & much more! Learn More Choose Virtual Number Now Unlimited incoming faxes Fax to e-mail Receive faxes in TIF or PDF Online fax detail & history Store 1,000 faxes online & much more! Learn More Choose Fax Number Now Affordable & Flat Rate Pricing All calls answered in U.S. Fastest answering times Answering 24/7, including holidays Messages sent via e-mail, text or fax Calls transferred to mobile or landline Learn More Choose Answering Plan Now Local VoiceMail Office Virutal VoiceMail Office Fax Office Live Answering Service Get our free report on how our voicemail and unified messaging services can quickly, easily and affordably enhance your business presence and performance and receive a free phone consultation! Voicemail Office offers the best price in voicemail service and unified messaging, guaranteed! If you find a comparable service at a lower cost, we will match or beat the advertised price.
“Hi, you’ve reached [your name] at [your company]. I’m unavailable right now — probably helping [type of company] get [X results, e.g. ‘double their leads in 60 days,’ ‘hire the best and brightest engineers,’ ‘convert 40% more customers.’] Leave your name and number, and we’ll discuss how your company can see similar results.” “Hello, this is [your name] at [company]. Thanks for calling. Please leave your name, number, and reason you’d like to chat, and I’ll get to back to you ASAP.” “Hi, you’ve reached [name] at [company]. If you need a quick response, please shoot me an email at [insert email address] and I’ll be in touch by EOD tomorrow. If it’s not urgent, leave me a message with your name and number. Have a great day.” “Hey, this is [your name]. If you’re calling for [X reason], please [contact so-and-so] or [go to our website, send me an email]. For all other inquiries, leave your name and a brief message and I’ll call you back within [one, two, three] business day[s].” “Hello, you’ve reached [name] at company. I’m unable to come to the phone right now. Leave your name and number, and I’ll return your call as soon as I’m free. Thank you.”
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.
VoIP phone systems let businesses log into their dashboard to make configuration changes like adding phone numbers or users. In that same web-based workspace, they can manage users’ voicemail boxes.
Great article! I kinda agree with Richard, this is more of an overview rather than an in depth review, but thats fine. Just see which service interests you the most and then go to their respective website. It’s really not that difficult.
A quick greeting;A call to action such as ‘send me an email at…’ or ‘leave a message…’;Your name and the department you belong to;Any alternative mode of communication if available;Your company name. 3. Think Every Message Through
You need a system that supports the experiences you provide, and the service you expect. Your business needs VoIP.