As stated in our previous blog post on professional greetings, voicemails are simple, easy, and can leave a positive impression on callers. Even if you are unable to answer a customer’s call, they can still be left with a positive impression thanks to the voicemail greeting they receive. A professional voicemail greeting can help improve your business’s credibility and demonstrates your competency, which is often the first step towards developing a business relationship. Therefore, it's important to know what to include in your business voicemail greeting to keep callers on the line and encourage them to leave a message after the beep.
As remote work continues to grow during the COVID-19 pandemic, having a professional voicemail greeting is more important than ever. With that in mind, this blog post will help your business create more effective voicemail messages and provide a list of valuable examples and tips so you can create a positive first impression for your business.
What Makes an Impressive Voicemail Greeting for your Business?
Although it may seem simple enough, there are certain elements you must consider when creating a voicemail greeting. Listed below are several important aspects you need to think about when making your business voicemail greeting.
Validate and Inform the Caller
One of the most important things to avoid stating is “your call is very important to us…”. This phrase can be a turn-off to potential customers and is overused. Clients will doubt your authenticity and concern for their call if they feel you aren’t putting in effort to your business voicemail greeting. You should however, provide validation to the caller and apologise that you cannot take their call, instead inviting the customer to leave a message.
In your voicemail greeting, it's important to include the kind of information you’d like to hear from callers. When doing so, make sure you have informed the customer whose voicemail they have reached. For example, what is the name of your business? What department are they calling? Which individual have they reached out to?
This might be as simple as including your name, the name of your company, and office hours. However, it’s also a good idea to include the best way to reach your business (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 question, a specific message, a call back number, the best time to call back, and if they’d prefer an email response.
Provide Value and Set Yourself Responsibility to Reply
Be sure to list any additional options that your customer can pursue. For instance, does your website provide any information that might help their call or query? Is there any other contact information they can use in case of an emergency? Also make sure you provide value in your voicemail message. Keep it simple and don’t drag on for too long. The best voicemail messages are short and sweet. An optimal voicemail recording lasts just under 30 seconds.
Additionally, if you know you won’t be able to return calls within a short time frame, then let your customers know. If you are closed or out of the office then this is something to consider. 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 sets an obligation and responsibility for you to reply.
Finally, you need to ensure you consistently update your voicemail to provide the most relevant and up-to-date information. 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 ability to follow up tasks. An updated greeting also feels more personal and will give your customers the most recent information on your business.
How to make a Business Voicemail Greeting
As explained above, the effectiveness and importance of a professional business 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 will help you make a voicemail greeting that blows your clients away.
Example 1
Hi, you’ve reached the [name of department] at [name of business]. Thanks for calling, however we can’t answer the phone at the moment. Your call is valued, so leave your name, contact details and reason for calling and one of our team members will be in touch within 24 hours.
This greeting is short but lets callers know who they’ve called and what area they have reached right away. It is straight to the point and lets callers know what information they need to include in a message. This greeting maintains both a personal and professional tone and also lets potential customers know when they can expect a return call.
Example 2
Hi, you’ve reached [company name]. We are currently closed. Our normal hours of operations are Monday to Friday from [include operation hours here]. We are closed on [include closed hours here]. Please visit our website [company website URL] for more options, or 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 [on Monday, for example]. Thank you for calling [company name] and we look forward to returning your call as soon as we are open.
This voicemail is a longer one, but useful if your business is closed during certain times. 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 important and that they can expect a reply as soon as the office opens. It also provides alternatives if your business has more information available on the company website.
Example 3
Hi, you’ve reached [company name]. We can’t get to the phone right now. Visit our website at [company URL] to speak with a representative online, or alternatively email us at [company email address]. Otherwise, if you’d like us to call back, please leave your name, number and message after the tone and our team will get back to you within 24 hours. Thank-you.
Although similar to the message above, this example includes alternative ways of contact through both the website and the company email. This is particularly useful when a customer query may be better explained visually, rather than being described over the phone. It also gives the caller the option to leave a message if they would prefer to discuss their query over the phone. Again, this voicemail example provides a deadline for the return call.
Example 4
Hi, you’ve reached [company name]. If you are calling about [reason] please visit our website at [website domain], contact [colleague name] on [phone number or email address] or send us an email at [customer feedback email address]. Otherwise, for all other inquiries, leave your name, number and a short message and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
This greeting helps customers that call for a specific reason, especially if it is a common query often directed to a particular department. The message directs callers to various options for their inquiry. However, the voicemail greeting also leaves room for a personal response. This means your business is available if they have a specific need or if their reasons for contacting fall outside those parameters.
Example 5
Hi, you’ve reached [company name]. Thank you for calling. Our representatives are currently unable to answer your call as they are helping clients achieve [X goal]. We understand you value your time, so leave your name, contact number and message after the beep and one of our staff will assist you within the next 24 hours. Have a great day.
This voicemail message is a little more ambitious than some of the others on this list. Although it provides the usual reply and asks for callers to provide certain details, it also offers the chance to make a strong statement on your company’s values. When stating you are helping clients achieve [X goal] you get to decide what exactly you want callers to know you’re working on. This lets potential clients know you are driven and motivated towards your goals and can also provide a sense of understanding as to why you were unable to take their call. In just one voicemail message, they can appreciate what your business is striving towards and identify with the goals you are trying to help them and other clients achieve.
Closing Comments
These are just some examples of what you could choose to include in your own personalised voicemail greeting. A voicemail assistant like Vxt can save you loads of time in managing your missed calls and also help you set up multiple voicemail greetings. With Vxt’s contact-based greetings, you can play custom greetings for different contacts. The extra time and effort that go towards ensuring 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 it's 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. Knowing what to include in your business voicemail greeting can be quite difficult. That’s why we’ve made this guide to help you create more effective voicemail greetings for your business.
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