First impressions count. That even comes down to tiny details like your voicemail greeting.
If someone wants to connect with you for the first time but you are unavailable, the first port of call is voicemail or email. A voicemail message needs to give a good impression ensuring that you will be more likely to be quickly contacted again. Therefore, you must have a professional but personable greeting where people are comfortable leaving a message.
As remote work continues to grow due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is even more pressure on professionals to have a great voicemail greeting. It is estimated by 2025, 36.2 million Americans will be working from home.
That means with fewer office calls and personal assistants by your side, you should take the time to create Professional Voicemail Greetings to Engage Your Callers.
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What is a Professional Voicemail Greeting?
A professional voicemail greeting is essential for any role working with people, and it is vital for business communication. If your business partners, clients, or potential business partners want to contact you and you are unavailable, having a voicemail message that they can leave is positive for both you and the caller.
It lets them know that you are in business and will get back to them as soon as possible. Having a professional voicemail greeting boosts your credibility and will make people want to work or continue working with you.
Essential in the sales business…
If you don’t create a voicemail greeting, especially in sales, you could lose a client. People need reassurance that you are professional and will get back to them. Encouraging people to leave a message with their name and contact details reassures them that you are serious about returning the call and gives you credibility and competence.
The best voicemail greeting is one that is professional but engaging. You want the caller to feel motivated to leave you a message. After all, they are waiting for the beep so they can speak.
The 5 Steps Of A Voicemail Greeting
1 Greeting and Validation
Make sure to greet the caller in a personable voice and sound regretful that you have missed the call.
2 Your Name and Company
You must leave your name and the company you work for or your company name for obvious reasons. This reassures the caller that they are contacting the correct person.
3 An Explanation
There may be a simple reason you can’t answer the call, it could be that you’re in a meeting or it’s your day off. You don’t have to change your voicemail greeting for that.
However, if you are on vacation, you should change your greeting to inform any caller of this. This gives the caller a rough idea of when you will return their call and won’t leave them thinking you’re too lazy to call back.
4 A Return Call Estimate
As just mentioned, if you are on vacation, you can explain your back to work date. Otherwise, it would help to give the caller a rough estimate when you get back to them. As a rule of thumb, you should get back to the caller within 24 hours. If you do not return the call or take longer to respond, this may put clients off.
5 Thank Them
Thank the caller for taking the time to contact you and reassure them you will return their call as soon as you possibly can.
The 3 Important Elements Of A Voicemail Greeting
Length
Suppose your voicemail greeting is extended and strung out with little information. It is more than likely your caller will get fed up listening to you and hang up. This could mean losing clients… and money. Make sure you keep the voicemail greeting short and sweet!
Experts advise that you keep your voicemail greeting between 10 and 30 seconds. Anything longer, people become uninterested and don’t pick up the key information. Please make sure the short voicemail greeting is concise, providing all the information they need in a short time.
Information
Make sure to include the correct information. People want to know they have reached the right person at the company they wish to enquire at. People often forget to include simple things like the name of their company and their name.
This could put someone off leaving a message, especially if they have never connected with you before nor know your voice.
Motivation
You want to keep the customer or potential client on the phone with you before hanging up before the beep. The greatest success with a voicemail greeting is receiving a message from a caller. Your greeting has kept them interested long enough in waiting until the end to leave you a message. This isn’t actually a difficult task; next, I’ll look at some example voicemails and how to do this with ease.
Professional Voicemail Greetings To Engage Your Callers
Example 1
Hello, you’ve reached [your name] at [your company]. I am sorry I can’t take your call right now, but if you leave your name, your number, and a message, I’ll get back to you as soon as I possibly can. Thanks for calling, and have a great day.
Example 2
Hi! You’ve reached [your name] at [your company]. I’m unavailable at the moment, but please leave a message with your name and number. If it’s urgent, please email me on [your email], and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Have a great day.
Example 3
Hi, you have reached the voicemail message of [your name] at [your company]. Regretfully I can’t take your call at the moment, but please leave a message with your name and contact details. I’ll get back to you within the next day. Thanks. Have a great day!
Example 4
Hello, it’s [your name] at [your company]. I can’t take your call right now, but please leave a message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. If your call is urgent and you need to speak to someone right away, please call my partner [name] on [partners number]. Have a wonderful day.
Example 5
Hi, this is [your name] at [your company]. I am so sorry I can’t take your call right now, I’ll get back to you as soon as I possibly can. Please leave your contact details and a short message about your inquiry. Have a lovely day!
Example 6
Hey there, you’ve reached [your name] at [your company]. So sorry I can’t take your call now, but leave your name, number, and a short message, and I’ll get back to you soon. Thanks and have a fab day!
Vacation Voicemail Samples
As mentioned, it is advisable to change your voicemail greeting if you are on vacation or leave. This lets people know it will take longer to get back to them and that you aren’t being rude by ignoring their call.
Example 1
Hello, you’ve reached [your name] at [your company]. I am sorry I can’t take your call, but I am currently on vacation from [date] to [date]. Please leave your contact details and a message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I am in the office. If you need to contact someone before then, please reach [colleague’s name] on [colleague’s number]. Thanks and have a wonderful day!
Example 2
Hi there, this is [your name] from [your company]. I am out of the office at the moment but will be returning on [date]. If you have an urgent inquiry, please contact [colleague’s name] on [colleague’s number]. If you can wait for my return, please leave a message and your contact details, and I will return your call as soon as I am back in the office. Have a lovely day.
Example 3
Hey there, it’s [your name] at [your company]. Thanks for reaching out; however, I am currently exploring Costa Rica and will return to work on [date]. Please leave your contact details and a message, and I’ll get back to you when I am in the office. Please call [colleague’s name] on [colleague’s number] if you need to speak to someone sooner. Thanks again, and have a wonderful day.
Voicemail Greeting Style
Depending on who you work for or if you work for yourself may determine your voicemail greeting style. If your business is edgy and fun, you can be a bit more creative with your greeting.
However, if you work in a more professional, serious business such as a law firm or real estate, you want to keep your greeting more professional and straightforward. It doesn’t matter what style you use; you must keep it short and include all the vital information mentioned above.
Looking for Some New Equipment?
To make sure your phone and voice recording system are up to date and top-notch, check out the Panasonic Link2Cell Bluetooth Cordless Phone System with HD Audio, Voice Assistant, Smart Call Block, the AT&T (1740WH) Digital AnswerSystem with Time and Day Stamp, White, and the Panasonic DECT 6.0 Expandable Cordless Phone with Answering Machine and Smart Call Block.
I also highly recommend the Panasonic KX-TGM420W + (1) KX-TGMA44W Amplified Cordless Phone with Digital Answering Machine and recording, the AT&T BL102-2 DECT 6.0 2-Handset Cordless Phone Answering Machine, Call Blocking, or the AT&T CL83207 DECT 6.0 Expandable Cordless Phone with Smart Call Blocker, Silver/Black with 2 Handsets system for any office.
Lastly, confidence is key in your message, especially when it comes to business! So, take a look at these guides, such as The Self Confidence Workbook, or perhaps The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance, and the excellent, Unstoppable Self Confidence, all available online in 2023.
Final Thoughts
Setting up a voicemail greeting can be done in less than 10 minutes (so long as you don’t have to make too many attempts) and is an excellent tool for business communication.
No business or individual should overlook this easy task. Give the caller the important information they want to hear and always sound thankful for their call. But remember, keep it short and sweet!
Good luck, and let’s get recording!