It is important to identify the person and department taking the call (just in case the caller gets transferred to the wrong department).
27. Hi, It’s [your name] of [your company]. I’m in a meeting at the moment. Please leave your message and contact information, and I will get back to you within [realistic timeframe]. Thank you for calling.
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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.
47. Hi, this is [name], [company]’s [job title]. I’m happy to help you with [task], but I’m currently away from my phone. Leave a quick message and I’ll return your call as soon as I can. Thanks!
33. Hello, you’ve reached [X company]. We’re currently closed to celebrate [X holiday], but we’ll be back on [X date]. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message so our team can get back to you when we return.
We’re keeping it simple with this one. Just a few basic elements to help you get started. As long as you know who your audience is, the message you wish to convey, and the information you need from the caller, the rest should fall into place quite nicely. Let’s face it, a voicemail greeting for a lumber company will probably be different than that of a psychologist’s office. One greeting is aimed at securing potential customers, and the other is geared towards appointments, more or less. Once you are certain who your caller is, the better your voicemail. Center on your audience, first and foremost. Knowing what to relate ensures that your caller will leave the right message. For instance, if you’re a retail store, you would include your hours of operations, and perhaps any specials that you’re running. If you are a therapist’s office, then you’d need to include an alternate number in case a patient is having an issue and requires immediate help. Again, this will vary depending on the business. Here, a therapist would definitely request the caller leave their contact information. However, a retail store chain might not request that. There are also complex voicemail systems such as those used by mobile phone services, which ask you to press a certain number on your phone, where you are asked to leave your account information. Again, as you can see, it all boils down to the demographics of your callers, and what you need from them to conduct the best business possible. Depending on the situation, your caller might be in a good mood or not. In either case, they’ll probably be eagerly awaiting your call. So, it stands to reason that you only promise them a call back if you can deliver. In other words, if you’re a small shop and you’ve decided to close due to a much-needed sabbatical, then don’t leave a voicemail greeting where you promise them to call right back. However, if you have an active customer service staff, then you can promise to return their call within the same day.
If you only check and return messages once a day or once a week, let your caller know. This will avoid multiple messages by the same caller.
Hello! Thanks for calling [LinkedPhone. We’re currently tied up assisting other entrepreneurs & small businesses at the moment]. But please leave your name, number, and the reason for your call and we will get back to you as soon as possible. We look forward to working with you. Thank you.
Hello, this is (name). I am sorry I can’t come to the phone right now. Leave your name, number, and a short message after the beep. Oh and please do wait by the phone till I call you back. Bye.
Here's a look at some tips and examples that will make your voicemail greeting stand out for its professionalism.
When someone calls your business number, you don't really want it to go to your personal cellphone voicemail. Likewise, you don't want non-business calls to hear your entire professional greeting.
The reason being it can either push your prospects away from you or retain them for longer.
If you like to keep things simple, opt for a basic greeting. Most voicemail options allow you to record just your name, which lets callers know they’ve reached the right person.
I do read and respond to comments shared in the comment section at the end of the lesson. That is the best place to interact with me and others in the Confident English Community. Feel free to share your voicemail example or ask a question below.
Try to frame your voicemail greeting from the caller's perspective. How is the caller most likely to know you, and what level of familiarity do you share with him or her? Hi, this is Mike Avery. Leave your message with your license number. Thanks. Hi, this is Mike Avery, the Registration Manager of the DMV. Please leave a message along with your current license number so we can update your information in our database. Thank you.
Voicemails help in conveying messages from the caller when the concerned person is not available for attending the call. It has become a vital tool in telecommunication as the person receives the information instantly after accessing his phone. Thus voicemails allow us to stay connected with people both at personal and professional level.
– Sorry, I can’t be everywhere, and sitting by the phone ready to take your call, just isn’t going to happen. The best thing to do is to leave your message and not be offended that I wasn’t able to speak with you. Thanks.