If you own a business or are a team member who communicates with clients, colleagues, and/or prospects, you need to consider the voicemail message they hear when they call you.
I know many of you are rolling your eyes right now. Perhaps it’s because you aren’t a fan of the phone. You don’t even want to receive an incoming call, so you aren’t going to put effort into creating a message. Or perhaps you think it’s okay for callers to simply listen to the standard message of “You’ve reached 902-404-3290. The person you are trying to reach is unavailable …”
However, your voicemail message is not about you. It’s about the person calling you and the experience they have while listening to your message.
What experience do you or your company want to create for inbound callers? Or perhaps the question is, what experience do you NOT want to create?
Here’s what a customer/colleague/prospect thinks when they reach a no-name message that says you are unavailable:
- Have I dialed the wrong number? Should I call again?
- Do I even have the right number? I had better search my email/the website/etc.
- Does this person still work at this company?
- Should I leave a message? Will they respond?
- Perhaps I should call someone else to get the product/service/information I need.
When you don’t take the few minutes necessary to create a professional voicemail message, you are doing one or more of the following:
- missing out on opportunities;
- wasting someone’s time;
- annoying a client/colleague/prospect;
- directing work and opportunities to another colleague or … another company.
Creating a message for your inbound calls is very easy.
The simplest one is, “You’ve reached Mary Jane Copps. I’m not available to take your call right now. Leave a message. I’ll call you back.” You can fancy this up by including the date, adding information on when you’ll be available, or even indicating when you return calls.
Bottom line: You may not be a ‘phone person’. That’s okay. However, your clients, colleagues and prospects may want to communicate by phone. Allow them to reach your thoughtful voicemail message instead of one that causes doubt and frustration.
Voicemail also needs your consideration when you are on vacation.
This is something many of us are looking forward to soon. Here’s how to create a customer-centric vacation message, allowing you to relax and enjoy your break:
- Skip All The Dates
You know what I mean – “I’m on vacation from … through to…” It can cause confusion. Instead, simply state when you will be back at work. Example: “I’ll be back at my desk on Thursday, January 2nd…”
- Be Honest
You are on vacation, and you deserve to enjoy it without work interruptions. It’s essential to your health and creativity. So don’t say you are monitoring and returning messages unless you mean it. The tone of your voice betrays you when this isn’t true, and your caller will instinctively know that you won’t be calling back.
- Speak Slowly – and Repeat
Many vacation messages include the option to contact someone else, which is great customer service. But it’s defeated if you give the information so quickly that neither name nor phone number can be understood. As a rule, we are not prepared to take a message when we make outbound calls. Take this into consideration and state names and phone numbers slowly and clearly, at the same speed it would take you to write them down. Then, say them again so your caller can check what they’ve written down.
- Sound Happy
After all, while your clients and prospects are listening to this message … you are on vacation!
Oh yes, also create a vacation message for your email. This minimizes impatience and frustration from clients/colleagues/prospects who think you should be working despite the holiday season.
What are your thoughts? How are you handling voicemail for outbound callers these days? Let us know in the comment section below so we can learn from each other.
Inspire Conversation! If you are the person making calls while others are on vacation, read The Five “Why’s” of Leaving Messages.
