Five Ways to Jazz Up Your Voicemail Greeting

You might not use voicemail as much as you used to, but voicemail is still a valuable resource in business communications. For example, Google thinks voicemail is so useful it lets you access your voicemail using its recent updates for Google Voice. In some studies, it’s estimated that 75% of business calls aren’t completed on the first try.

So, it’s important to have a voicemail greeting that’s useful, but also memorable and enticing. Here, we’ll give you five of our favorite tips to make your voicemail greeting more exciting.

Don’t use formulaic greetings. The best way to make sure that your caller is engaged is by including a catchy and unusual opening line in your call. Don’t be like every other business and include an opener like “Your business is very important to us” or “I’m away from the phone right now.”

Provide details about when you’ll return the call. Your caller should know that you’re sorry about not being able to immediately take the call. First, apologize to your caller, tell them they should leave a message, and, finally, give them a timeline about when they can expect to hear back from you. Offer a reasonable timeline, but don’t be unrealistic either.

Let callers know what they can do if they can’t reach you immediately. Some people might call you because they need immediate attention. If that’s the case, let them know how they might be able to get the answers they’re seeking in other ways. For example, you could direct them to your website or ask them to send you an email.

Keep your recording free of background noise. You should take making your voicemail greeting seriously so your callers know you take them seriously, too. That means don’t make your voicemail message when there’s noise around you: turn off music, quiet your colleagues, and make sure you’re recording inside.

Be fun! The best way to make your voicemail greeting stand out is by making sure it’s unique. Put a creative spin on your company name, tell a joke, or share a fact about yourself. Additionally, engage your caller by asking them to answer a question about themselves in their response.

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