Before even making that phone call and leaving a business voicemail, you need to take the time to think every message through. Take notes or have a sheet of paper containing all the information you need to say. Especially if you’ve recently changed your offers or if this is your first time to leave voicemail messages, thinking your message through ensures that you exude confidence and professionalism upon making the call.
However, while understanding the basics of VoIP and SIP is important, setting one of these systems up will require some general network skills, too. For the best voice quality, your network will need to meet certain minimums levels of throughput for upstream and downstream data. In addition, you'll also need to meet a minimum latency number (that is, the time between when a signal leaves a remote computer and when your system receives it), typically measured in milliseconds. You'll also need a business-grade connection to the Internet if that's where your call traffic is going to go.
.
First of all, it looks more professional to potential clients. Secondly, it will give you the chance to connect with prospects from any device that’s convenient for you at the moment. If you’re in the office, you can pick up the call on your desk phone. If you are in your car on your way to a meeting, you can answer via mobile. You even have the option to pick up from your desktop computer, and to the caller, it won’t make any difference. The person calling your virtual phone number will dial your business phone number and you’ll answer it professionally regardless of your location.
Calls to your phone line can simultaneously ring up to three additional phone numbers. The incoming call will be connected to whichever phone answers first.
Phone features are closely tied to the types of phones your business requires. You will need to determine if some or all of your phones will need features like 3-way calling, intercom, call waiting, holding, transferring, speed dial or automatic callback.
We’ve mentioned the significance of relaying a simple, easy-to-understand message in your business voicemail greetings, but we need to talk about word choice now. Pay close attention to your word choice in your business voicemail greetings. Certain words trigger certain actions before a person realizes what you actually meant. Here’s a specific example of how word choice can lead to confusion between a client and accountant:
3. Business Voicemail Greetings. Hello, you've reached the Sales Department at [X company]. We can't take your call right now, but please leave your name, contact information, and the reason for reaching out, and one of our team members will be in touch within 24 hours.
The above eight rules of engagement for voicemail greetings may sound easy enough, but they’ll require some practice to get just right. Let’s look at some examples to provide some context in how to apply the rules to various types of greetings and situations.
For example, callers shouldn’t reach a business-as-usual voicemail, and therefore expect a return call within the business day, if the subject they’re calling is out on vacation for two weeks. Such a lack of communication is a recipe to lose that caller’s trust and tarnish the brand’s reputation.
Some of the more popular small business phone models are Polycom VVX, Cisco 68xx, 78xx and 88xx series phones, and Yealink phones. I have a Polycom VVX 500 on my desk at the office. At my home office, I use a Polycom VVX 400.
Virtual Receptionist is a professional-grade feature we offer to all LinkedPhone customers, free of charge. Also known as ‘Auto-Attendant’, LinkedPhone’s Virtual Receptionist performs many of the same tasks that live receptionists perform, like greeting callers and routing them to the right person or team at your business. Virtual Receptionist is a cost-effective way to present a professional image 24 hours a day / 7 days a week. Even if you’re an entrepreneur, Virtual Receptionist conveys an established and professional image that delivers instant credibility for you and your business.
“Greetings! You’ve reached [your name and position]’s voicemail. I am away from my phone or [other important and expected job function]. Please leave me your name, telephone number, and a short message. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can, typically within [reasonable timeframe, like 12 or 24 hours].” How do I record my company voicemail?
By way of a web portal, users can access their business voicemail boxes online. This type of voicemail software lets people skip their phones entirely and simply log into their phone system’s online dashboard.
Dash LoginShop VoIP PhonesSupport GuidesShop Network HardwareCheck System StatusApp DownloadsWeekly Training WebinarVirtualPBX Blog
The VMO service worked well as a contact service for our class reunion. It worked as described and was a great resource for our classmates.
Your business voicemail service may come with the capability to forward new messages to your email address.
How I Got to 5 MillionFeaturedBusiness NamesSlogansBlog IncomeMy PodcastContactSearch