If you want them to leave a voicemail, tell them right from the beginning, “Please leave your name, reason your calling, and the best way to contact you.” If you want them to call you back during normal business hours, tell them, “Please call back during normal business hours.” If you want them to call back prepared for a lengthy conversation, you can say something like, “Please refer to our website’s FAQ page,” and then provide the URL. Self-service should never be underestimated.
Now that you know what kind of action needs to be performed to optimize the customer experience while ensuring your day runs as smoothly as possible, you have to be sure your customers know how to perform whatever action you want them to do. Calls-to-action need to be front and center with an easy process to follow when businesses optimize their business voicemail greetings to ensure a smooth experience. People want fast answers when a deadline is approaching, and one team can only handle so much disorganized information.
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If you can’t set up Visual Voicemail, contact your carrier to make sure that your plan supports the feature. If you need help, try these steps. Call your iPhone from another phone and try to leave yourself a voicemail. Go to the keypad and press and hold on the 1, or press the Call Voicemail button. Open your Android’s Settings. Swipe down from the top of the screen, then tap the gear-shaped “Settings” Scroll down and tap Apps. Scroll down and tap Phone. Tap Storage. Tap CLEAR DATA. Tap OK when prompted. Clear the Voicemail app’s data if necessary. Call your carrier to report the problem.
Speaking slowly also gives the listener on the line the opportunity to write down your message. Remember that people write slower than they talk. If you don’t speak clearly and slowly enough, your target listeners won’t be able to catch up, or they may even write the wrong information, making your message ineffective.
Hi! John’s answering machine is broken. This is his refrigerator. Please speak very slowly, and I’ll stick your message to myself with one of these magnets.
2. Emphasized Importance. Making your caller feel important will make them more likely to leave a message for you. This opens the line of communication and helps keep them tethered to your business.
Hello, you have reached the dental office of Dr. X. We are busy assisting a patient now, but will call you back as soon as possible. Please leave your name, reason for calling, and your number. If this is an urgent enquiry, please call 911. In this case, the dentist is giving a reason for not being available and they’re providing a way to prioritize the patients who need the most help. They’re also leaving an emergency number for the most severe of situations.
Whoopee, a call. I wonder who this could be? No…wait…don’t tell me…Oh yeah. Sorry, you bore me.
You can record a personal greeting, or you can use one of the pre-recorded CenturyLink greetings. Follow the system prompts to select your greeting:
“Hey, there! This is [your name]. Please leave me a message with your name, number, and the reason you’re calling. If you also tell me [insert random fact] I’ll be sure to move you to the top of my call list. Have a great day!”
If you’re in the market for an answering machine, there are a few decisions you’ll need to make. Do you want a standalone or built-in model? How much storage space do you need? How much time should you give each caller to make a recording?
Hi, you've reached Sally Smith at Example Realty. We specialize in helping you find commercial properties in Northern New Jersey. I'm unavailable to take your call, but will call you back by this time tomorrow if you leave a message with your name and telephone number. You can also email [email protected] or tweet @SallyS.
1 Avoiding Legal Problems. 2 Record From a Land-Line Phone Using an Induction Coil Microphone. 3 Record From a Land-Line Phone Using an Inline Recording Device. 4 Record From a Cell Phone Using an In-Ear Microphone. 5 Record From a Cell Phone Using Software. 6 Record Without Using Additional Hardware or Software.
3. Alternative Contact Information. This might be a secondary phone number, email address, mailing address, website, or anything else you can think of. Including alternative contact information makes you look approachable and interested.
While covering all of the relevant information, aim to keep your voicemail to about 20 seconds. You definitely should not ever record a business voicemail longer than 30 seconds, and anything less than 10 seconds will typically mean that you are either speaking too quickly or aren’t providing all of the required information.
As most of the team will be enjoying a well-deserved break [to rest and recover to be reenergised to serve your needs in 2021], a few of the team will be working remotely to help with any queries. So feel free to email the team via [email protected] for a (slightly delayed) response over the break.
3. Cell Phone Voicemail Examples. 11. Hello, you’ve reached [your name]’s cell phone. I can’t take your call at the moment, but if you leave a brief message, I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.