Website: https://behavioralhealthconnection.net/blog/3-ways-improve-your-therapist-voicemail-script
-Hey! Sorry I missed your call. If you’re a telemarketer, then I’m definitely not sorry. If you’re not a telemarketer, then I’ll return your call as soon as possible.
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3. "Hey, this is [your name]. If you're calling for [X reason], please [contact so-and-so] or [go to our website, send me an email]. For all other inquiries, leave your name and a brief message and I'll call you back within [one, two, three] business day[s]."
We put a lot of effort into trying to get people not to leave messages on the old house phone (long story, there was some reason I forget why we couldn't turn the voicemail off). Messages with words in don't work. Even if you make them 10 minutes long and full of "Please do not leave voicemail here, we won't hear it" repeatedly, people will sit through it and then leave a message. We eventually settled on something that sounded like a very noisy modem, which mostly worked. I have no idea whether people would recognise modem noises these days though, especially if this is for a mobile number...
Although you have little control over how Covid-19 will impact your business and no idea when business will get back to normal, it’s times like these when companies must work even harder to create an optimal customer experience. The more responsive you can be, the better chance you have of standing out for all the right reasons.
The bottom line is that a business’s situation is likely to change often and rapidly, each of which need a unique and applicable voicemail greeting to cover the circumstances and timeline. For example, callers shouldn’t reach a business-as-usual voicemail, and therefore expect a return call within the business day, if the subject they’re calling is out on vacation for two weeks. Such a lack of communication is a recipe to lose that caller’s trust and tarnish the brand’s reputation.
Part of my issue is that I really probably do need the NHS and local gov't to be able to leave me voicemail (not least because the NHS isn't set up to deal with e-mailing patients, at least not where I am at the moment), but for pretty much everyone else EVER I will call them back much sooner if I don't have the mental hurdle of voicemail first (where the fundamental difference is that by and large the NHS & gov't don't give a shit if I call them back...). So uh. Yeah. :-/
Be unique in your voicemail greetings, add a human touch when creating the message.
In short, more often than not, voicemail greetings feel bleak and boring to callers. If you’re a business, boredom is an awful way to start off the conversation with potential customers. Since the attention span of a human being fluctuates around 8-10 seconds, filling them up with a standard voicemail greeting is the worst idea you can have.
5.) Benvenuti alla mailbox personale di Dirk Schuster, dell’azienda John Doe. Si prega di lasciare un messaggio con il vostro numero di telefono dopo il segnale. Sarete richiamati al più presto possibile. Per richieste urgenti, si prega di inviare una e-mail a: [email protected]. Grazie per la vostra chiamata.
4. Friendly and professional. Remember, first impressions count so you want to sound both warm and professional. When you record the message, stand up (this will make you sound more confident) and smile (this will soften the voice and make you appear warm).
7. “Hi, you’ve reached [your name] at [your company]. Sorry I missed your call. I’m especially busy today, but if you leave me your name, phone number, and a brief message, I’ll get back to you within the day. Chat soon!” Your callers want to hear from you soon. Calling back within the business day lets them know you’re reliable despite how busy you are.
Humor also leaves a lot of room for misinterpretation—which subsequently weakens sincerity and authority. A caller can be very turned off by merely misinterpreting your joke. Why take this risk? Additionally, this could even cause callers to question your character. Say, for example, the president of a company’s mobile phone voicemail greeting was funny. What’s to happen if the caller didn’t like or get the joke? What if they found it offensive? Another scenario is that a caller is reaching out to you for the first time—i.e. they have no idea regarding your personality. What next? The point is, with this type of greeting, humor is bound to be more divisive so just avoid it altogether. c. Poorly Pacing Your Message and Bad Time Management: Don’t speed through your message. Speak clearly so callers know what to include in their message and when to leave the message. At the same time, don’t drag your message out. No one wants to sit through a diatribe. Just get to the point clearly.
21. “Happy holidays. Thanks for calling OpenPhone. Our hours are a little different during the holiday season. Please listen carefully to the following changes. Customer Support is available December 23, 27, and 30th as well as January 2nd, 3rd from 11 AM – 5 PM EST. On December 24th, 31st, and the holiday weekends from the 21st to the 5th we are open from 12 PM – 3 PM EST. We are closed on December 25th, 26th as well as January 1st. In the case of an emergency, please leave a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. You can also reach out via email to [email protected]. Thanks for using OpenPhone and enjoy your holiday season!” Since our holiday hours are shorter, it’s a little harder to get in contact with us immediately. That means we need to be as detailed as possible for our callers’ convenience. Yet, we still kept it brief and friendly.
1. HI, you’ve reached (name). I’m so sorry I can’t pick up the call right now because I am standing right behind you. GOTCHA.
-Hello, this is ________. I’m not home right now, but I can take a message. Hang on a second while I get a pencil. (Open a drawer and shuffle stuff around.) OK, what would you like me to tell me?
Doing this gives your prospects the assurity that you will follow up with them which makes them drop in their contact details for you to reach out to them.