Setting a voicemail greeting for your business is vital for maintaining customer satisfaction and communication. A voicemail is simply the message that plays when you don’t pick up the phone, but it makes a big difference for businesses. 

In this article, we’ll look at why that is and what to say for a voicemail greeting. Better still, we’ll give you some examples of professional voicemail greetings to get you started.

How Does a Voicemail Greeting Work?

You’ve probably interacted with numerous voicemail greetings in your professional and personal lives. If someone doesn’t pick up the phone, a voicemail greeting plays asking the caller to leave a message. 

A voicemail greeting for a business is exactly this, but tailored towards professional rather than personal callers.

Why Should You Use Voice Greeting for Business?

Here are the most important benefits of using a voicemail greeting for your business:

Aids Customer Retention

Keeping customers on hold frustrates them. Some might hang up, while others will stay on the line and get irate.

A professional voicemail greeting solves this problem. While it might not be the best outcome (connecting directly), it at least promises the customer you’ll call them and saves them waiting on hold.

Keeps Communication Channels Open

Despite the rise in business SMS interactions, 60% of customers still prefer to call a business (particularly local ones). If you’re an SME, having a business voicemail greeting allows customers to call and leave a message, even if you don’t have many phone lines.

Allows for Direct Client Messages

Listening to a voicemail means you can hear a message directly from the customer, rather than through a colleague. Importantly, this means you don’t lose any information or details.

Gives You Time to Prepare

Calling back from a voicemail gives you time to prepare your answers. If you’re providing a service, such as arranging a party for a client, you can gather all the information you need for a smooth call. We can all agree this beats putting the customer on hold while you check for answers.

What to Say for a Voicemail Greeting

As with any other professional interaction, it’s necessary to establish a best practice for a voicemail greeting for a business. So, here’s what to say for a voicemail greeting to keep customers happy.

• Inform them. The voicemail should include your name, the business name, and your office hours. Let them know if there’s an easier way to contact you, or suggest they leave a message.
• Keep them on the line. You want them to listen to your message but also stay connected so they can leave theirs. As such, keep it concise and informative but also engaging.
• Find the right length. A voicemail greeting for a business shouldn’t be more than 30 seconds.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is validating the customer. Thank them for calling your business. You can apologize for missing their call, but it’s more effective to thank them for their patience, as this further validates the customer rather than making you seem regretful.

Best Examples of Professional Voicemail Greeting

Using these best practice tips, here are some examples of professional voicemail greeting.

1. You’re through to [your name] at [company name]. Thanks for calling, but I’m temporarily unavailable. Leave your name, number, and message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
2. Thank you for calling [your name]. I’m currently unable to take your call, so leave a message with your name and number. You can also email me at [email address] if you prefer.
3. This is [your name] at [company name]. Unfortunately I cannot take your call right now but will respond as soon as I can. Please leave your name and number, and thank you in advance for your patience.
4. Hi, you’ve reached [your name]. I’m not at my desk right now, or I’m on the other line. If it’s urgent, please email me at [email address]. If not, please leave a message and I’ll respond shortly.
5. Thank you for calling [company name], this is [your name]. Leave me a brief message with your name and number and I’ll respond shortly. Thanks.

How to Set up Voicemail Greeting on iPhone

Whether you use your personal phone for work or have a company phone, it’s pretty easy to change your voicemail. Here are the brief steps to change the voicemail greeting on iPhone.

1. Click on the Phone app icon.
2. Tap Voicemail.
3. If it’s your first one, select Set Up Now.
4. Choose Custom to record a voicemail greeting for your business.
5. If you already have a greeting but want to change it, tap Greeting in the Voicemail menu.
6. Record a new custom voicemail for your business.

Get Ready to Manage Customer Relationship with Textr

Begin managing customer relationships with Textr. You can send marketing SMS campaigns, have two-way conversations, segment customer categories, and more.

Textr works on iOS and Android and has a web app, too. Pricing plans are flexible, making Textr an ideal marketing solution for businesses of all sizes.

Textr also has a free Carrier Look Up tool. You can use it to gather valuable mobile carrier information about your customers, allowing you to streamline marketing efforts. Doing this before starting your SMS campaign helps cut down on lost messages and wasted money.

Final Thoughts on Voicemail Greeting for Business

Hopefully, you can now see the importance of setting up an effective voicemail greeting for your business. Knowing what to say for a voicemail greeting is vital, as it can be the difference between a happy customer voicemail and the caller hanging up. 

So, use the suggestions above to create your own, and don’t forget to practice it before recording!