Website: https://www.simplepractice.com/blog/must-telephone-manners-mental-health-practice/
The pricing per voiceover is only a one-time flat $49 for up to a 100-word recording, which includes script support, uploading of your voiceover to your system and an .mp3 copy of your professionally recorded file. Our pricing for custom on-hold announcements starts at $99. All taxes and fees included.
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If you leave me a message that includes your name, telephone number and reason for calling, I will return your call when I get back. You have reached Jim Smith. I will be out of the office until Feb. 14. If you would like to leave a message after the tone, I will call you back when I return.
35. Hello, we’re wishing you all a happy [X holiday]. Our office is currently closed so our employees can celebrate with their loved ones. Please leave your name, number, and reason for calling and a member of our team will return your call when we reopen on [X date].
Please take a moment now to listen to the sample voices available to record your greetings below. It is important that you listen to each of the clips in full to hear the voiceover talent’s voice range and to get an idea of what sound you would like for your business voicemail greetings or on-hold announcements. Karen is our most requested female voiceover artist and has a range of voice abilities. Charles’ deep voice and clear presentation will give your callers a trusted first impression.
For example, if you are no longer accepting a particular insurance plan, the end of your voicemail greeting is a great place to convey that information. For example, here is mine: “Hello, you’ve reached the confidential voicemail of Dr. Barb LoFrisco, CounselorBarb, a licensed mental health counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist
For more general advice on voicemail messages, read our tips and examples for business voicemail greetings. Start Here About About Annemarie Meet the SCE Team Hiring — Work with Us Contact Blog All Lessons Library Learn with SCE All Courses Fluency School Job Interviews Expert Series Free Masterclass Community Confident Women Community Fluency Community on Facebook
1. Call your number. It's that simple. Use any landline or cell phone to dial your mobile or landline number. Dial the full number. Make sure someone doesn't actually answer the phone you are calling when it rings, though. Make sure you dial the area code with the number.
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.
The above section details types of phrasing to avoid; however, it doesn’t detail what users should NOT say on their greeting. Though this is a bit loaded, as there are hundreds of combinations of things one shouldn’t say, there are some key components users should ALWAYS avoid. a. Forget About Slang: You should strive to be as professional and welcoming as possible in your greeting. While this may steer you towards using slang, in an attempt to make callers comfortable, it’ll most likely work against you. As a professional, your demeanor, tone, and speech should be clear cut and well articulated. Using slang undercuts this and works against you. b. Don’t Even Think About Profanity: This is a no-brainer. Never, under any circumstances, curse in your greeting EVER! c. Keep Your Sentences Clean, Don’t Ramble: Introduce yourself and give your caller specific direction. Avoid long diatribes detailing tangent thoughts. Keep it simple and quick. d. Always Return Your Calls: It’s important for callers to feel they are valued. Nothing dissolves this quicker than a greeting that doesn’t stress this. For example, “I’ll call you when I can,” “If I don’t return your call, please call back”—these phrases are terrible and completely destroy any good will you may have with a caller.
If you’re going to be out of the office on holidays or vacations, make that known in your voicemail so customers don’t think they’re getting ignored. Nothing is more frustrating to a customer than when they can’t reach you and assume you’re ignoring them.
*Note: Some of your users don’t celebrate all the same holidays you do. Remember to keep these voicemail greetings neutral 🌟
Thank you for calling [Company Name]; we are currently closed in observance of [holiday name]. We will return on [Date] at 8 AM Eastern Time. If you would like to reach our Dial by Name Directory, please press 1. To leave a voicemail, please press 2. A representative will contact you upon our return. To repeat this menu, please press the # key. [If no response after a few seconds] Goodbye. Voicemail Greeting
At times voicemails contain clever and witty messages. You can be mislead if you do not understand them. In such cases use your common sense and then record your message. Make sure you set such types of voicemail greetings only for unofficial use of your phone and not for professional purposes. Don’t be a creep because I’m not talking to you. Tell who are you on hearing the beep. I’m a spirit! I will haunt you if you tell me your name and number. You have entered the gateway of heaven. Here I’m God! Be blessed after leaving your contact number. I wasn’t at office yesterday, nor today nor will I be there tomorrow. Vanish. Leave behind a trail of you after the beep. Funny Voicemail Greetings
No one should be calling during the holidays, and yet some people do. When you’re out for the holidays, create a voicemail greeting that communicates the cheerfulness of the season while still staying professional.
e. Never Assume Anything: Phrases like “You Know What To Do,” “Sing Your Song at the Beep,” and others mentioned above are awful to leave in your greeting. For the sake of universality and comprehensiveness, NEVER assume the caller knows what to do. Lay it out clearly. f. Leave a Message: This phrase, by itself, will not do. It’s imperative for users to identify themselves in their greetings. Callers need to know they’ve reached the right person. g. Disregard Lethargy: If you’re not excited about your greeting, why would anyone else be? Never display a lack of enthusiasm in your greeting as it could turn callers off to both you and your business. h. Speak Clearly and Never Slur: Callers need to understand your every word; therefore, mumbling, slurring, and all other detractions of speech should never be recorded. d. Be Creative Without Sacrificing Quality: Callers know how voicemails work–i.e. leave a number, message, etc. While you want to be clear, it’s important not to be contrive or redundant with your message. Creativity can help users to differentiate themselves, as well as intrigue callers. While users should avoid the tropes of creativity listed above, it’s definitely good to think outside the box. That being said, scripting and practice can help users to experiment more with their greeting–ultimately allowing for more unique and creative approach. e. Speak With Diction: It’s important to present one’s self as an authority without alienating callers. As such, it’s crucial to articulate and speak with clear diction. “ if your voice recording has you stumbling over words and speaking haltingly, it does not convey confidence and competence,” states Ron Sellers of Grey Matter Research & Consulting. Remember, this greeting represents you; therefore, you want to appear collected and professional, as well as welcoming. To do this, one must carry themselves well through their recorded message. f. Account for Timeliness: Your message should be concise. No caller wants to be sitting through a rant/diatribe of redundant statements. Your greeting should flow without dragging. Inversely, one doesn’t want to be terse, either. Engage callers with a simplified approach laden with creativity. h. Account for Quality: Aside from speaking clearly, users want to eliminate any noise in the surrounding environment. The quality of the greeting is just as important as what’s being said in the greeting itself. As such, one doesn’t want to undermine a great message with poor quality. i. Courtesy, Tastefulness, & Tact: This is pretty self-explanatory and straight forward–NEVER be rude. Being light-hearted and humorous is very different from being obnoxious and/or abrasive. Again, these tools can be helpful if utilized properly, but not everyone perceives humor the same way. So play it safe. The last thing your voicemail greeting should do is offend a caller. k. Provide Options: if you’re part of a bigger company, it might be good to offer caller options. For example, allow a menu to defer callers to a colleague or co-worker in your absence. This can help show callers you care about their well being. Another option might be offering different modes of communication–i.e. email, fax, etc. In offering users diversity, contact may be much easier to maintain.
You can access listen to your voicemail messages from Microsoft Teams apps or phones, Skype for Business apps or phones, or Outlook apps.