In the video lesson, I shared this example for a common voicemail greeting in English:
8. "Hi, you've reached [your name]. I'm unable to come to the phone right now. But if you leave your name, number, and a short message, I'll be sure to call back."
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7. "Hello, this is [your name] at [company]. Thanks for calling. Please leave your name, number, and the reason you'd like to chat, and I'll get back to you ASAP.
To avoid mumbling and bumbling, write out a greeting script before you record your message. Also, remember to record your message in a quiet location. Background noise and static are perhaps the clearest signs of an unprofessional business voicemail greeting. Thank you for calling. This is Tiger Electronics, and I'm the general Manager. Please leave a message. If you're calling for parts, call Larry. Thank you. Hi, this is Sissy O'Connor, the General Manager of Tiger Electronics. Please leave your message with your name and number, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. If you're calling to exchange parts, dial Larry Davenport at Extension 432. Thank you.
1. Hello, you’ve reached [your name]. I’m currently unavailable, but leave your name and number and I’ll return your call as soon as I can.
Your greeting is very important as it can be the first contact people have with you or your company. Voice mail is only impersonal if you make it that way. One way to help increase the effectiveness of voice mail is to change your greeting at least weekly if not daily.
check words for the English /oʊ/ vowel. Many non-native speakers make this more like a single vowel and it’s a double vowel so it should have /o/ and /ʊ/ smoothly joined together. Check it in the word ‘phone’ . Another double vowel to look out for in your Voicemail Greeting example is the diphthong vowel /eɪ/. This vowel is in words like ‘wait’ and ‘able’. Many people use the word ‘can’t’ in their Voicemail greeting example. This can be a trap for non-native English speakers. That’s why we chose ‘unable’ instead! Watch out for the word ‘can’t’! In American English and British English the vowel in ‘can’t’ is pronounced with the vowel /æ/ like in ‘pat’ – /kænt/.
While there are a number of resources to help coach users in making a proficient voicemail greeting, some users still feel they are not doing enough. As such, there are a number of tools currently available to help even further. a. Professional Voice Recording: Now that you’re versed in the process of recording your greeting, you may feel a burdening sense of responsibility. As such, you may find that weight to be too heavy to lift alone. Well, rest easy. There are a number of companies and services for recording quality professional greetings.
If your recording is vague, confusing, or drags on, customers will lose interest and hang up the phone instead of leaving a voicemail message. To help you create an effective after hours announcement, here are some best practices and sample scripts you can employ.
6. Use a service. If you are working full time and don't want to miss your calls, consider a call answering service. Basically, it's like having a receptionist to answer your calls and take messages.
Before you read this, stop and listen to the voicemail greetings for your cellphone and business line. Seriously, I’ll wait.
-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?
This voicemail greeting should list the name of the department, the hours of operation or the whereabouts of your personnel, the protocol for following up with the customer, and another way to get in touch with the department. You've reached the Delivery Department of Wringley Furniture. All of our personnel are currently occupied on the floor. Please leave your contact information and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Or email us at [email protected]. 4. Vacation Day Voicemail Greeting
You’re growing tired. Your eyelids are getting heavy. You feel very sleepy now. You are gradually losing your willpower and your ability to resist suggestions. When you hear the tone you will feel helplessly compelled to leave your name, number, and a message.
Your call is important to us and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Please leave your full name, contact details, phone number, and availability after the beep and we will call you back straight away. Thank you!”
14. “Hello, you’ve reached [company]. If you’re looking for information on [X], please check out our [Facebook page, company website, etc.] If you want to know more about [Y], take a look at [Z page on our site, our YouTube channel, etc.] Still have more questions, or just want to hear our lovely voices? Leave your name and number, and we’ll return your call straight away.”
Hi, thank you for calling me. I apologize for not answering the phone at the moment. Please leave your name, number and message, and I will call …