How to create a professional voicemail greeting for your business

Does your greeting convert?

Your voicemail greeting is an opportunity to make a great first impression. New and existing customers will hear your voicemail from time to time, and it's an opportunity to showcase your professionalism, personality, dedication, and telephone etiquette. "85% of potential customers are not satisfied with their experience over the phone." If you have a strong voicemail, new customers are more likely to leave a message and convert from a lead to an actual job and existing customers will appreciate your customer service even if you are unable to answer your phone at the given moment.  The "perfect" voicemail looks different for every small business, and we'll outline some of the key things to consider when updating your voicemail.

Components of a professional voicemail greeting

The best business voicemail greetings share some of the same characteristics:

1. State name of business

Make sure to state the name of your business at the beginning of your voicemail! It may seem obvious that whoever called knows who they're calling; however, stating your company's name at the beginning is a great way to remind your existing and prospective customers who you are and what you do.

2. Include office hours

You can state the times and days that you're typically available to take calls if it's consistent each week. In case someone calls after hours, they'll know when to call back and may try you again when you open. If you're often in the field and tend to have sporadic access to your business phone line, it's also okay to leave the office hours out of your voicemail recording.

3. Show gratitude or offer a brief apology

Thank your customer for giving you a call or provide a brief apology. It's reasonable to miss calls from time to time—you've got a lot going on as a small business owner—and acknowledging that you wish you were available to take their call can go a long way for new and existing customers. If you want to incorporate some humor into your voicemail greeting, this can be a great place to do it by mentioning all the crazy things you may be doing instead of answering your phone.

4. Ask for their info

Make sure you ask for the information that you need! Asking homeowners to leave a voicemail with their name, phone number, and brief reason for calling is a good place to start and will ensure you have the base information needed to call back. Depending on your line of business, you may want to ask for additional information. For instance, if you're a cleaner, you may add that if the caller is a new customer to provide the rough square footage or number of rooms to clean. You can also ask your customers to shoot you a text explaining why they called, which you may be able to handle without having to call back.

5. Estimate when you'll reply

Oftentimes, providing an estimate of when you can return a customer's call increases the customer's satisfaction. They now know when to expect to hear from you which informs their decision making. Depending on your type of business it might make sense to list your business hours. Generally, the sooner the better, especially for potential customers as some homeowners tend to select service pros based on responsiveness and availability. However, it's also fair to say you'll return their call later that day or even tomorrow or the next business day. You want to provide an estimate that you can reasonably adhere to when returning voicemails.

6. End with a personal touch

To end your voicemail, it's often natural to include some sort of sign off such as "thank you" or "have a great day!" so that your caller knows they have reached the end of your voicemail and should prepare to speak after the tone. The sign off presents another opportunity to incorporate humor as it feels natural to you and your business.

Preparing your script

The perfect voicemail greeting can come in many different forms. It's important to craft something that feels natural to you. Here's a few voicemail scripts to consider as starting points:

Professional Voicemail Recording

Professional voicemails show your clients that you're trustworthy and organized. Here's an example to get you started:

"Thanks for calling [Company Name]. We're sorry we missed your call. Our office hours are Monday through Friday from 8am to 6pm and Saturday from 8am to 8pm. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message after the beep, and we promise to return your call later today. Have a great day!"

Funny Voicemail Recording

Funny voicemails can capture the attention of your customers, especially customer prospects, which can make you more memorable leading to more jobs. Here's a funny take on a voicemail for a painting company:

"Hi, you've reached [Painting Company Name]. Sorry we can't come to the phone right now, we're currently painting the next Mona Lisa, but if you provide your name, number, and a short sentence on how we can help, we'll return your call as soon as possible. Thanks!"

Holiday Voicemail Recording

When you know you'll be on vacation for a couple of days or more, you may want to record a holiday voicemail since it may take you a bit longer to return calls. Here's an example:

"Happy holidays! You've reached [Company Name]. We are closed from Friday, December 22nd to Monday, January 1st and it may take us a bit longer to return your call in the meantime. We look forward to helping you meet your New Year landscaping goals. Thank you!"

Recording the voicemail

All right. So now that you understand what makes a good voicemail, and you've written out what you want to say, it's time to record your voicemail! You can either do-it-yourself or you can pay someone to professionally record it for you.

Do it yourself

Recording the voicemail yourself tends to be cheaper and faster than working with a professional; however, it's important to take some steps to make sure you have a quality recording. Here's some tips:

• Place your phone on airplane mode to avoid any notifications interrupting your recording.
• Remove the case from your phone so that the microphones are unobstructed.
• Go to a room with minimal background noise.
• Place your phone at chin height on a flat surface.
• Speak clearly with the microphone a couple inches from your mouth.
• Practice record a few times! It's okay to use a few takes to make the right recording.

Pay someone else

Instead of doing it yourself, you can pay someone to record a professional telephone message for you. Perhaps you already have someone in mind, but if you don't, freelance marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork can be great places to search. Here are some things to consider when searching:

• Budget. The price of a professionally recorded voicemail can range from $5 to $100+, so decide what works for you, and use that to narrow your search.
• Turnaround Time. Take a look at how long it will take someone to record your voicemail. Some people can deliver within a day while others may take a week or more.
• Examples. Most people will have example recordings on their site. You can listen to these to know what to expect.

Getting started

Whether you decide to record yourself or pay for a professional recording, recording a professional voicemail is one of many tools you can use to close sales on the phone, to retain top customers, and to grow your business.

Take some time to check out what ProPhone can do for you. Join our waitlist today. If you have any questions on setting up your voicemail or would like to chat with a ProPhone team member, give us a call at (857) 365-6868.