Auto-attendants with a customized holiday greeting can be a festive way to mark the occasion. If you have a retail business, create a holiday greeting to inform customers of any limited-time sales you are offering. If your office is closed for the holiday, be sure you state this in your message.
But, what do you say on your message? Similar to your phone greeting, your voicemail greeting should state your private practice name and instructions on what information to leave on the message (such as name, number, and the best time to call back). Include instructions on what callers should do in case of emergency. Carleton.ca About Admissions Undergraduate Graduate Academics Research Campus Future Students Undergraduate Graduate Current Students Undergraduate Graduate Faculty/Staff Alumni Carleton University Carleton University shield COVID-19 Search COVID-19 Magnifying glass Browse site navigation Menu icon
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For small businesses, there are a variety of voicemail service providers you can use that offer different features. From transcription and voice to text to more convenient features of handling multiple phones through one number, availability varies by service. Shared voicemail and call routing is intended for multiple access and directing calls to one or multiple phones. Mobile apps are also available that allow you to check your messages from your phone. The below infographic outlines the current state and trends of voicemails.
3. Push the asterisk (*) or pound (#) key and then press the call button to call your voicemail. In some cases, you might not need to press the call button but you usually will have to listen to an automated greeting before you can hear your voicemail. Check to make sure that the asterisk or the pound keys are the correct buttons to press. Which key to press and when to push can depend on your cell phone provider. For most cell phone companies, it's often one of these buttons. Try both, and if neither of them work than visit the website of your phone company or call customer service.
Before you record your professional voicemail message, take a quick peek through these examples for some inspiration:
Hi. This is John: If you are the phone company, I already sent the money. If you are my parents, please send money. If you are my financial aid institution, you didn’t lend me enough money. If you are my friends, you owe me money. If you are a female, don’t worry,
“Hello ____. This is _____ again, calling from ______. I ran across some information on a client who made dozens of offers on houses before someone finally accepted one of them. We learned a lot from the experienced and I successfully used the findings to help other homebuyers make bids that were accepted early in the house hunting process. I thought I would share it with you in hopes of saving you time and making it easier for you to purchase the home of your dreams. I’ll email you the information. Give me a call if you would like to review it together. Thank you.”
Always keep in mind the people who will be listening to your professional voicemail greetings. What type of tone and information resonates with them?
Personal Voicemail. Hi! You've reached Emma's voicemail. I know this is an automated greeting, but I'm a real person who cares about your business success! Please leave me a message with your name and number so I can get back to you as quickly as possible. I promise to get back to you within one business day, and I can't wait to chat!
This is a great resource to learn how to set up my own voicemail. Thank you very much, Annemarie.
Sound upbeat in your message. When recording, be sure to say your message with a smile on your face. It’s obvious when people aren’t happy in their message. Since your work revolves around keeping happy customers, do your part by keeping a happy-sounding voicemail message.
Your phone system can be a powerful marketing tool for your business, and that includes your voicemail greeting. If you want to utilize this opportunity to throw in a quick humblebrag and keep callers informed of your awards and accolades, there are a few best practices, you should follow. First, keep the self-promotion brief and appropriately placed within your voicemail message. Don’t promote yourself and your products/services in the same greeting, and finally, only include current achievements in your business voicemail greeting.
-Hello. I’m sorry I didn’t answer your call. I’m just waiting for more important people to call. If I hear your message and deem you worthy of the title “important,” I will think about calling you back, but for now. Bye! -Beep-
Your voicemail doesn’t have to be monotonous or impersonal. What you need is something that is unique to you but works in a professional manner. Professional voicemails are important, because they’re an extension of your personal brand, reflecting what level of professionalism you offer. Use these voicemail greetings for work or personal cell phone messages […]
1. "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.']
If your answering system lets you supply your own mp3 or wav audio files for the greetings, consider hiring a pro to record it for you.
Shut the office door and turn down the music—it’s time to record! Pretend that your office is your music recording studio as you prepare to vocalize your message. Remember that obscene background noise can be a major turn off to potential customers and prospects.