Many people may never meet you, but they will hear you. These tips will help your voicemail make the right first impression, and hopefully build a lasting relationship.
If you are employed: You should probably be using Tendant’s Hunt Group feature! But Custom voice greetings can work well in some situations too. One of the main aims should be to make sure the greeting is tailored to your business, for example a lawyer should come across calm and professional, services industries should be friendly and approachable, whereas creatives might want to adopt a more vibrant and enthusiastic tone.
If you are seeking employment: Friendliness, optimism and enthusiasm are crucial to your greeting, this is your first (and maybe only) chance to make a great impression and convince the caller they’re talking to the newest key member of their team. Make sure to also mention you will get back to them right away.
DOs
- Write it down – You can even plan pauses and breathes to make the greeting sound more natural.
- Rehearse – Don’t speak too fast (or too slow), to get the most from your greeting speak clearly and don’t mumble.
- Keep it short- Consensus is to keep it shorter than 25 seconds.
- Thank the person for calling – Make the caller feel valuable and invite them to leave a message.
- Listen to the greeting before setting it live – Even have 1 or 2 other people listen to it.
DONTs
- Avoid playing music – This is almost never a good idea.
- Sound too robotic – The greeting should be warm & friendly, but professional.
- Try to be a comedian – Nothing can ruin professionalism quicker.
- Use clichés – Stay away from overused phrases such as “your call is important to us”, these can be a huge turn off for the caller.
- Background noise – Record somewhere quiet, try to limit background noise, even background chatter can convey a casual approach to business.
Bonus Tips
Smile when recording your message, believe it or not this will come through in the tone of your voice and callers will pick up on it
Don’t forget to include the basics! You might be surprised to learn that people often forget to include identifying information such as name, job title and company name
If you are recording a specific message to let people know you won’t be available, include information like the duration, so they know when to expect your return call. If available you can list additional options where the caller can find information and contact you such as a website, email and Tendant self-service options.
