There are several ways to give your voice mail a professional-sounding and “crisp” image. Of course, the content of what your voice mail greeting says is very important, too. So be sure to prepare your message in advance. Too many people try to “wing-it” and then the greeting sounds less-than-professional.
Step 1 – Prepare your voice mail greeting
Most mistakes are made right at the beginning. Most do not know what they are going to say in advance and so they try to make a voice mail recording on-the-fly. These types of greetings lack professionalism and sincerity. Write out your voice mail greeting in advance and be sure to include information like:
- Your name
- Your business name
- The type of information that you need to return the call (name, number, details, etc)
- When a caller can expect a return call
Some people try to get really fancy with their voice mail greetings and they will put the current date on their message. This requires you to update your voice mail greeting daily This level of customization is completely unnecessary and often leads to problems when the user forgets to update the actual date itself.
Step 2 – Record your voice mail greeting
You now have 2 options to record your voice mail greeting:
- Use your phone, or,
- Have your greeting professionally recorded
Using your Phone
If you are going to use your own phone to record your greeting, be sure to use a land line Cell phones will not produce a high quality sound and often the callers will hear distortion and static. Always use a land line to make your recording.
When you speak into your phone, do not speak directly into the mouthpiece. If you do, you will likely create “popping” and “hissing” noises when you pronounce words that have the letters “p” or “s” in them. Be sure to speak across the mouthpiece and not directly into it.
Professionally recorded
If you can get your greeting professionally recorded, then do it! These greetings sound great and can have a strong “corporate” or “important” feeling to them. These recorded messages definitely get attention when they are done properly. A professional voice talent can be hired to make your greeting sound fantastic. If you use a web-based voice mail system like Solaxis, then you can upload these recordings directly into your voice mail system.
Take the time to make your voice mail greeting sound perfect. Give callers a positive impression. Then be as responsive as you can to messages that are left for you.
