The Time Is Running Out! Think About These 9 Ways to Change Your Business Voicemail Greeting
Is Your Business Voicemail Greeting Discouraging Customers?
Does your voicemail greeting encourage your customers when they call? According to one survey “up to 82 percent of people calling businesses will hang up instead of dealing with a phone tree or voicemail.” You could be losing plenty of business if you don’t have a good voicemail greeting. Evaluate your voicemail greeting to see if it can be improved.
Positive Changes to Your Voicemail Greeting for Business
Your voicemail shouldn’t discourage clients and potential customers from calling your business. It is a competitive environment out there, and you need to do anything you can do to give yourself an edge. Here are nine changes you can make in the way you do your voicemail greeting for business that can make it better:
Practice before you record your message: Most people have problems the first time the record a message. There are almost certain to be some unnecessary pauses as well as a few ahs and ums. Prepare a script and practice it a few times before recording your message and you will come off as much more professional sounding.
Identify yourself and your business: A first-time caller has no idea who is on the other end of the line when they contact you. They don’t know your voice or have any other way to identify who you are. State who you are and the name of your business in your message. Callers will know whether or not they have reached the correct number and both of you will save time in the event of a wrong number.
Get rid of background noise: Background noise in your message can be distracting to the caller and prevent them from hearing your message. It also comes across as unprofessional. Make the effort to record your message in a quiet area. It probably won’t take more than an extra 10 to 15 minutes if that.
Make your message unique: An original message that is unique can stand out and is more memorable than a standard custom voicemail greeting that is similar to what other businesses do. You don’t want to be too strange or “off the wall” but something a little different than the norm attracts the attention of callers. According to Amy Grey of Teamwork Retail “A voicemail that is memorable will engage a client and show that you care about the small details.”
Inject some humor: A little humor if used correctly can get a good response from callers. Humor is something you have to be careful with. Not everybody has the same sense of humor. Avoid any jokes about politics or anything else that could be controversial.
Smile: It isn’t something you can see over a phone but you can hear in a person’s voice when they are smiling. A caller can often hear the difference in the tone of voice when a message is recorded by somebody who is smiling. It can make a difference in how potential customers respond to your message.
Let your callers know what information to leave: When you require more information than a caller’s name and phone number you should let them know what you do need to know. This may be an order number, the best time for you to return a call or some other specific bit of information you need to know.
Be positive: Use positive language in your voicemail message. Avoid using phrases and words such as “I’m sorry” or “Unfortunately” in your message to keep it upbeat and optimistic sounding
Inform callers of how often you check messages: A caller will have no idea how often you will check your messages. It may be three times a day or only once a week. Let them know how often that you check your voicemail so that they aren’t left hanging. It is encouraging to know your message will be received within a certain timeframe.
Some Expert Advice as a Reminder
You have to remember that the quality of your voicemail is going to have a real impact on your business.
“It’s essential that your business has a voicemail system. You want a way to reach customers who contact you after your business hours — every lead is a potential sell. And that’s what you do, right? Sell products and/or services to make yourself some sweet moolah. So it’s important that your business has the perfect voicemail greeting to entice potential customers into leaving a message.” Michael Calabaza of MightCall
Voicemail greeting aren’t something many people consider when thinking of ways to improve their business. To create a business voicemail greeting that improves customer relations consider using a professional and cheap voice over service like the one our company provides.
