Ah, your voice mail greeting….so seemingly simple to record….so potentially full of pitfalls.
Don’t believe me? Well, then, in the spirit of the daffodils popping up all over, I offer you the following pop quiz:
True/False Voice Mail Greeting Quiz:
True or False: A voice mail greeting should have a soundtrack playing in the background to help listeners understand your ‘vibe’/the ‘vibe’ of your business.
True or False: Looking in a mirror while recording a voice mail greeting will be distracting and make the message sound worse.
True or False: It’s not necessary to include your name/the name of your business—people know what number they called.
True or False: It’s better to say, “Please call back during regular business hours.” Stating the actual days/hours on the message makes it too long.
True or False: It’s better to say, “I’ll get back to you as soon as possible,” instead of saying exactly when you’ll call back—just in case your day is hectic.
True or False: You shouldn’t leave an alternate way to contact you. You don’t want people to think you aren’t going to respond.
Now that you’ve made your choices, please check them against the checklist, below:
Checklist for an Effective Voice Mail Greeting:
1. Record in a quiet space—with no possibility of interruption/background noise.
2. Stand while recording to give your voice resonance and authority.
3. Look in a mirror while recording to give your voice energy and enthusiasm.
4. Inhale—THEN hit record—and speak on an exhalation.
5. Smile. People can ‘hear’ this in your voice.
6. Thank the caller for their call.
7. Say your name/the name of your business slowly and clearly: you may have said it 1,000 times, but it may be the first time a caller is hearing it.
8. Include your specific business hours (Example: We are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.” NOT “Please call back during regular business hours.”)
9. Include by when you will call back. People wait more patiently when they know how long they are going to have to wait.
10. If there is an alternate way to be in touch, include it. Repeat this twice. No one wants to have to call you back to get that address.
And, finally, putting it all together:
Business Voice Mail Sample Script
“Hello and thank you for calling NAME OF YOUR BUSINESS. We are open from Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. Please leave us a message and we will call you back at the start of our next business day. You can also send us an email at xx@xxxx.com. Again, that address is xx@xxxx.com.”
Personal Voice Mail Sample Script:
“Hi you’ve reached YOUR NAME at THE NAME OF YOUR BUSINESS. I’m sorry I can’t take your call right now, but if you leave me a message I will call you back by close of business today. You can also try my cell phone. That number is xxx-xxx-xxxx; and I’ll repeat xxx-xxx-xxxx. Thank you.”
Happy recording!
Frances Cole Jones
