You have reached the , Strategic Air Command Nuclear Missile Storage Facility. We are unable to come to the phone right now. At the tone, please leave your name, number and target or list of targets and we’ll launch as soon as we can. And have a nice day.
If you use one, your automated phone system is the first point of contact a caller makes with your business. You want to make the best first impression. Instead of a complex series of robotic instructions, choose a friendly, warm voice offering simple phone prompts to guide the caller to the person or information they’re looking for.
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38. Thanks for calling [company name]. We’re unable to take your call right now, but leave your details and we’ll call you right back.
2. Press the Star or Pound Key. Depending on your carrier, you will likely push one of these two keys next. It's more common to push the star key. When you hear your voicemail start, that's when you should press either the star (*) or the pound (#) key. For AT&T, Sprint, U.S. Cellular, and T-Mobile, press the star (*) key. Verizon, Bell Mobility and Virgin Mobile users should press the pound (#) key. If you are using a different carrier, you can check its website or call customer service to be sure.
Your callers should get a different phone prompt greeting when they call outside of business hours. This will let them know that you are closed, when you’re open again and give them some options to act upon now, so they don’t feel like they’re totally wasting their time. For example, you can send them to your website where they can find information they’re looking for or allow them to leave a voicemail message to someone specific within the company.
Business voicemail greetings are likely to vary by company. Consider these specifics to create a professional voicemail greeting that works for your needs.
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It’s no wonder so many voice mail messages get deleted and never called back! If ever there was a situation that begged to be scripted, it’s your voicemail message. Isn’t this the time you want to sound your best, be perceived as a professional, and prepare the most polished message you can? Of course it is.
Whether you’re out for the day or are off for the week, the first rule of an out of office voicemail greeting is: let callers know when you’ll be back! You’ll save them the frustration of continuing to call and yourself the hassle of listening to redundant voicemails. It’s also a good idea to set the expectation of whether you are answering messages while you’re away, and who they can reach for assistance in your absence.
I have a confession to make: I haven’t recorded a new voicemail greeting since 2014. In the past four years, I (hopefully) have become more articulate, poised, and self-assured. But hear my voicemail recording, and you’d think I was still new to the work world, a little unsure of myself — and probably not an authority. Obviously I need toupdate it. And if you haven’t changed your voicemail greeting in over a year, you’re likely in the same boat. After all, a professional voicemail recording boosts your credibility, makes you seem more competent, and encourages whoever’s listening to it to continue the relationship. A relatively unprofessional one — like mine, for instance — does the opposite: It encourages prospects, recruiters, and potential connections to run in the other direction. With that in mind, I’ve written 18 unique voicemail greetings for every situation. Pick your favorite, practice a few times, then record your new voicemail.
AT&T VoiceMail lets you access and tracks your voicemail straight from your mobile, thus removing the need to call from your mailbox. Whenever you receive a new message, a status bar alert pops up and from there you can instantly access your voicemail. Also …
#6 [automated robot] “The number you have reached, 717-555-9406, is not available. Please leave a message at the beep.” [/automated robot]
#9 “Hey, this is Bryan, sorry I missed your call. You can leave me a message, or shoot me an email at bryanallain at gmail dotcom and I’ll get back to you. Thanks.”
Expanding on the simple approach above, let the caller know who they've reached. This will not only eliminate people leaving voicemails by mistake, but it will reassure the caller that they have called the number they intended.
Voicemail Service Local Voicemail Service Toll Free Voicemail Announcement Only Line Read My Voicemail Question & Answer Line Automated Order-Taking
As I mentioned above, some words like ‘can’t’ are often mispronounced by non-native speakers and it can sound like a swear word!
9. “Hey, it’s [your name] at [your company] – thanks for giving me a call! I can’t wait to chat. Just leave your name, number and I’ll call you back as soon as I have the chance. Better yet, send me a text with the best time to reach you and the reason for your call. Looking forward to hearing from you.” Text communication is becoming much more relevant now. Direct your caller to text you in case they have a question you can answer easier via text. Who knows, they might prefer text messages to phone calls too.