Voicemail greetings are simple things, and in a business, they can seem unimportant. However, a voice mail greeting gets a lot of play with customers and associates—think of how often you are unable to take a phone call because you're on another line, away from your desk or out of the office.
A relatively unprofessional one — like mine, for instance — does the opposite: It encourages prospects, recruiters, and potential connections to run in the other direction.
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A professional and personable voicemail greeting is beneficial for several reasons. Read ahead to find out what these are.
Note: I have several lessons about communicating on the telephone that may be useful to you:
Rehearse or write down your message before recording it. Remember that old saying “practice makes perfect?” It’s certainly true when it comes to creating an electronic greeting. The more you’ve rehearsed, the easier the message will be to restate. If you don’t have time to practice, writing down the greeting before recording it – and then reading it aloud from the paper – may help you stay focused on the correct wording.
Even in today's fast-paced world, customers don't like being greeted with an automated message. According to the New York Times, callers of a certain age are put off entirely if they are answered by a voicemail instead of a real person.
Most callers expect their call to be answered. Once they realize that your office is currently closed, the most important piece of information they probably want to know is your standard business hours.
What’s more, according to WP Beginner, “more than 88% of local searches on mobile devices end up in a phone call,” so you don’t want to be caught off guard when a customer calls!
When calling a lead that was generated from a 3rd party vendor, it’s important to let them know how you received their contact information and why you’re calling. This type of lead may have looked at dozens of homes and requested information from as many real estate agents, all in a matter of minutes. The quicker you respond to this type of a lead, the more likely you’ll beat out the competition. Start off on the right foot by putting them at ease with a quick introduction and some facts:
30. Hi, you’ve reached [your name] at [your company]. I’m unavailable right now on official duties. But if you leave your name and number and a brief message on why you are calling, I will call you back at the earliest opportunity.
Rather than waiting for a callback, open up additional channels of communication with your callers by inviting them to email. The most professional voicemail greetings often include an alternative method of communication.
Leaving the Voicemail. 1. Know what you want to say before you place the call. If you want to be the go-to notary, then you have to exhibit competence on all levels. Don’t spoil your confident image by hemming and hawing and filling your messages with “uhhhhs,” and “ummmms.”. Consider writing out what you want to say beforehand.
Thanks for calling Dial-A-Shrink. I can’t come to the phone right now, so after the tone, please leave your name and number, then talk briefly about your childhood and tell me what comes to mind when you hear the following words: orange… mother… unicorn… penis. I’ll get back to you with my diagnosis as soon as possible.
Your call is important to us and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Please leave your full name, contact details, phone number, and availability after the beep and we will call you back straight away. Thank you!”
Thank you for calling {insert company name}. We’re sorry, but our office is currently closed. We are open Monday to Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Mountain Time. To leave us a message, press 1. Someone will be in touch with you as soon as possible. To leave a message with someone specific, listen to our company directory by pressing 2. Feel free to email us at {insert company email} and someone will respond within the next business day. 5. Phone prompt greetings for the holidays
Prepare for alpha test of Beep Software revision 1.05. Counting down to test: 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…
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."