Voicemail greetings are simple, easy, and can leave a positive impression on callers, however they are often overlooked by companies and business professionals. Have you ever called a business and been left with a long-winded, confusing or hard to hear voicemail greeting? If so, you may have looked for another business that you could trust and made you feel valued. Although they may not seem important, voicemail greetings can often set the tone for how clients and colleagues perceive you and your company, and are subtle, yet highly effective way to foster positive business relations.
As remote work continues to grow during the COVID-19 pandemic, having a professional voicemail greeting is more important than ever. This blog post will help you create a more effective voicemail message so you can create a positive first impression for you and your business.
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What Makes a Good Voicemail Greeting?
Although it may seem simple enough, there are certain elements you must consider when creating a voicemail greeting. Listed below are several components you need to include to make your voicemail greeting the best it can be.
Information and Validation
In your voicemail greeting its important to include the kind of information, you’d like to hear from callers. This might be as simple as your name, the name of your company, and office hours. However, it’s also a good idea to include the best way to reach you (whether that be via phone or email), and if they can leave a message. Just as important is the information you’d like to hear from them. This could include a message and call back number, the best time to call back, and if they’d prefer an email response. You should also thank the caller for their call and apologise for missing it.
Set Expectations and Update Your Voicemail
If you know you won’t be able to return calls within a short time frame, then let your customers know. It’s good to include an estimate for how long it will take you to reply so customers don’t continually call back and ask why you aren't returning their messages. This also applies if you will be closed or out of the office. Make sure you also keep your voicemail updated. If you have been out of the office and still reference a holiday you took two months ago, your customers may doubt your attention to detail and the ability to follow up tasks. An updated greeting also feels more personal and will give your customers up-to-date information on your business and capability to reply to their messages.
Personalise & Customise your Voicemail Greetings
Some voicemail systems allow you to record personalised greetings for contacts i.e. when John calls Sally and gets voicemail, John hears a message Sally recorded just for him. You might also be able to set business hours and play different voicemail messages if your working or out of hours.Or you could set temporary voicemail greetings, for example, you could have a voicemail greeting for when you're in a meeting or on a flight.Vxt Voicemail allows you to do all of these things through our easy-to-use smart greetings.
Examples of Voicemail Greetings
As explained above, the effectiveness and importance of a professional voicemail cannot be understated. To help you implement a voicemail greeting that will leave a positive impression on callers, we have listed five examples that include these valuable elements.
Example 1
Hi, you’ve reached [name]. Thanks for calling, however I can’t answer the phone at the moment. Your call is valued, so leave your name, number and message and I’ll get back to you as soon I can.
Although this greeting is short, it is straight to the point and states all necessary information the caller needs to include. It lets the client know their call is valued, while also maintaining both a professional and personal tone.
Example 2
Hi, you’ve reached [name], [position at company]. I can’t get to the phone right now, but if you need to speak with someone immediately, contact my assistant, [name] at [number]. Otherwise, please leave your name, number and message after the tone and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank-you.
Although similar to the first message, this example also includes an alternative contact in case the caller has an urgent matter that can’t wait for a return call. It also lists the job title incase the caller isn’t familiar with the contact.
Example 3
Hi, you’ve reached the office of [name] at [company]. I’m sorry I couldn’t take your call at this time. I will be out of the office from [date] to [date]. Please leave a brief message and your contact information and I will call you back once I return to the office. Alternatively, if you need to speak with someone sooner, please contact [colleague’s name] at [phone number or email address]. Thank-you for calling.
This provides similar information to the examples above, however is useful for periods of annual leave or work-related travel as it mentions that you will be out of office from a certain date. This sets up a reasonable expectation for your reply and also provides an alternative point of contact if the caller has a pressing matter that needs a faster reply.
Example 4
Hi, you’ve reached [name] at [company]. If you are calling about [reason] please visit our website at [website domain], contact [colleague name] on [phone number or email address] or send me an email at [email address]. Otherwise, for all other inquiries, leave your name, number and a short message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
This greeting helps customers that call for a specific reason, especially if it is a common query. It directs them to where they should address their inquiry but also leaves you available if their reasons for contacting you fall outside those parameters.
Example 5
Hi, you’ve reached [company name]. We are currently closed. Our normal hours of operations are [include opening hours here]. We are closed on [include closed hours here]. If you wish to leave a message with us, please include this after the tone and we will return your call when the office reopens. You may hang up after leaving your message, or alternatively, you can press the [key] for further options. Thank you for calling and we look forward to returning your call soon.
If your office is closed and you would like callers to be aware that your office is not contactable outside those hours, then mention this in your voicemail as outlined above. This sets a reasonable expectation but lets them know their call is still valued and that they can expect a reply soon. It also provides alternatives if your business voicemail has multiple options available for the caller.
Closing Thoughts
These are just some examples of what you could choose to include in your own personalised voicemail greeting. A voicemail assistant like Vxt can also help you manage multiple voicemail greetings and set up contact-based greetings, allowing you to play custom greetings for different contacts. The extra time and effort you go to to ensure your contacts know you value your relationship with them will help you stand out from everyone else.
Voicemail greetings are often a client's first interaction with your business, so its crucial you put time into this to convey a clear and accurate message while also putting across a positive first impression. Having a professional voicemail greeting may be the difference between a new opportunity and a missed caller.
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