77% of people believe that a phone call is the most efficient way to get business done. But have you got the right call handling protocols in place?
Phone systems have gotten very complex and have countless features that can help improve how an organization manages phone communication.
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3.) This is the mailbox of Mr. John Doe. Please leave a message or call this number again at a later time. Thank you for your understanding.
-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-
Movies and Television. There is surely no better way to make voicemail fun than with pop culture references. Tim Gunn . Play off a classic line delivered by Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca. "Of all the messages on all the phones in all the world, you have to leave one for me."
In my (US-based) experience, doctor offices & the like have a place where you can fill out if they can leave messages or not (and some even have asked detailed messages vs callback messages), so that's my perspective! And that I can set different things for different numbers. So my cell phone they can leave detailed messages on any matter, my mother's house phone is detailed from billing only and otherwise callback, her cell phone is callback only. (And they also aren't allowed to tell her anything other than billing, so even if she does call them back about anything else! That was just a measure set up when I lived with her one summer & had no cell reception at her house.)
The second example lets the caller know that there will be a delayed response time. This keeps the caller from thinking you're negligent in returning his or her call.
This is the WORST. VOICE MAIL. GREETING. EVER. I laughed when Tyler mentioned it on his blog last week, because I had just been talking about it with a friend the week before.
Hi, this is [Name]. I’m not currently available at the moment, but I look forward to talking with you. Please leave your contact information, along with a short message, and I’ll make certain to return your call.
The script is relatively similar, but the doctor is including a good reason for not being available, so patients don’t feel like they’re being ignored. He’s also left another avenue for patients to get in touch if they need some urgent help.
When you get this message, please call me back at (your number). That number again is (your number) and ask for _________. I look forward to speaking with you, and I guarantee you’ll be glad you returned this call.”
Hello. You have reached Erin Klineman, Marketing Manager for Stone & Associates. I am currently out of the office attending a conference until August 4th. I will be checking messages daily, however, if you need immediate assistance, please contact Marketing Specialist, Michael Kim at extension 240. Otherwise, please leave a message, and I will call you back at my earliest opportunity.
Some of us may still remember a time when voicemail was a blank canvas for pranksters and humorists. They would use voicemail greetings as a place to begin recordings as if they were answering the phone (“Hello? I can’t hear you… Just kidding! Leave a message…”) or to flash some personality with music or themed messages. Unless your business is a costume rental facility or joke and magic trick shop, it’s best to avoid this strategy. Instead, try to remember a few key points to focus on-
Thank you for calling [Company Name]. Our offices are currently closed for the day. Standard office hours are Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 8 PM Eastern Time. Did you know that you can check your account status with us 24 hours a day / 7 days a week by visiting [account login webpage]? Here you can view information about your account, as well as answers to general questions you may have. Otherwise, please call back during standard office hours, and we will be happy to assist you. To repeat this message, press the # key. Holiday Greetings
2. It should only take 8 seconds to connect me with your phone, and no longer. So if I have to listen to 15 seconds of your crappy music, it means you’ve prolonged the connection process just to expose me to your musical tastes. How dare you.
For example, this is how Nextiva’s call analytics page looks like. You would need to track how many users hear each voicemail greeting and how they responded. Voicemail greetings with a higher score of customers leaving a message are working efficiently. Voicemail messages that are not even heard completely are a failure.
People have short attention spans these days, and you should always craft your communications for the lowest common denominator with something as universal as your voicemail.