No matter how much our society has fallen in love with going online, people still require the good old telephone to conduct business properly. After all, there’s nothing like getting in touch with a real live person and hearing that person’s voice to make a customer feel confident about the service your company provides. So are you doing all that you can do to make sure that you’ve gained that confidence?
Although the telephone is still arguably the most important way to communicate with your clients from all over the world, many business owners too often neglect proper telephone etiquette in order to maintain and grow their customer relationships. So what can one do to ensure that his or her business leaves a glowing impression after each every phone call received by the business?
A couple of weeks ago, we answered that question in our “5 Keys To Practicing Professional Phone Etiquette” blog. However, in that blog, we focused our attention on phone calls that are actually answered by live representatives. What happens when your business is called after hours? What do your recorded outgoing messages sound like? Believe it or not, there are some important steps to making the perfect outgoing message. Here are our top five.
1. Deliver your message with a “smile”. Consider the fact that many of your callers may be contacting your business for the first time. The last thing you want is for their first calls to be their last. This could very well be the case if the recorded voice greeting your after-hours callers doesn’t sound upbeat, pleasant and professional. Give your callers the constant impression that doing business with you will be an enjoyable experience.
2. Slow it down and be clear. Don’t you just hate it when you call up a business, get the answering machine and can’t make out a word that’s being said? Some business owners overlook the important of delivering clear and concise outgoing messages. Your callers don’t have rewind buttons to try to make out what you just said. So be clear, pace yourself properly and make sure that all important details are clearly communicated.
3. Provide pertinent details. Speaking of those important details, there are few things that all of your after-hours callers should know. Firstly, communicating your hours of operation will be important so that your callers can contact you during times when they’ll be able to get a live representative on the phone. Secondly, providing details including your store location and website is key. As well, delivering clear instructions on what you would like left in the message your caller leaves at the sound of the tone is necessary.
4. Keep it quiet. No, we’re not talking about your voice. Your voice needs to sound clear and confident. However, background noise is a no-no in an outgoing message. This isn’t the 90s anymore. Back when automated voice messages were becoming widely popular through the growing use of pagers and cell phones, people liked to include music and other sound effects in their outgoing messages. Nix all of that and keep it professional please.
5. Hire MeloTel! Voice work is an art. That’s why big Hollywood actors get paid big bucks to lend their voices to a variety of voiceover projects. Lucky for you, you can hire talent that is just as great without spending the big bucks! Our Voice Talent Production team is made up of a variety of talented, professional vocalists who can ensure that your business makes a great impression with each and every outgoing message heard by its callers.
For more information, call us at 1-888-MELOTEL today!
