Voice Mail Manners to Send the Right Message
Leaving Messages
When you leave a voice mail message speak clearly and slowly, especially when stating your name. Give your name and phone number at the beginning and also at the end of the message. This eliminates a need for the recipient to have to play back the message. If your name is unusual, spell it out. Also in the interest of clarity, avoid leaving messages from areas with noisy backgrounds, such as restaurants, parties, or loud work rooms that contain machinery or equipment.
Always leave your name, time you called, a brief message, the best time to call you back, and a telephone number where you can be reached. Even if recipients have your phone number on file, they may not be retrieving messages at the offices. And even if they are at their offices, it will save them a trip through the rolodex if you state your number clearly and slowly at the end of your message. People have a habit of repeating their own phone number quickly, because it is familiar to them. Try to remember that it is not familiar to the recipient. No one likes to play a message over and over to retrieve a small bit of quickly blurted information. Another tip to remember when leaving a phone number is to note whether the recipient will require your area code when returning your call. If you are not used to leaving long-distance messages, you could forget this vital piece of information.
Be brief, and prepared when you make your call. Before you call, assume you will have to leave a message. This saves time for you and the listener. Do not make the recipient wait through your message while you search for files, shuffle through papers, or ramble on trying to get to your point. Know what you want before you call, and have any necessary papers or information at hand. Almost as important as your name and number is a brief summary of why you are calling and what you need from the recipient. If you can state your purpose in a sentence or two, this will allow recipients to have the information you need at hand when they call you back.
If you need to speak to the person you are calling in person, leave them a time and when it would be best to try to reach you. For example, if you know you will be at lunch every day from noon to 1:00 p.m., provide that information, and avoid an annoying game of phone tag.
Do you need information by the end of the day? Be sure to tell recipients if messages are urgent. Otherwise, they may end up in “to do” pile for sometime later during the week. Clearly state what you expect from the recipient. Do you need acknowledgment of receipt of your message? Notification of intended action? Action within a particular time period? The recipient needs to know.
Always be polite. Never leave a harsh, negative, or unprofessional message-no matter how upset or angry you are. Remember that you are being recorded, and many others could hear your hostile message. You can express disappointment or that you are upset, but use professional language and demeanor that you will not regret an hour after you have hung up the phone.
Receiving Messages
Keep a pad and pen next to your phone. As soon as the caller provides a name or number, start writing. If you do not need the information, you can cross it out, delete the message, and move on to the next one. This is much less time consuming than playing half your messages over again to retrieve information you have listened to already.
Always return your calls. It is simple courtesy to inform callers their messages have been received. If you prefer to reply with e-mail or snail mail, state that in your message, and ask callers to leave appropriate contact information.
When you do return calls, if you happen to get voice mail, do not ask recipients to call you back unless it is necessary. If you can give them what they need in your message, do so. It will cut down on your phone time. For example, you could say something like, “Hi Tom. This is Jane from Company X. I got your voice message yesterday afternoon asking about our Rate for Service A. We provide Service A at $50 per hour. I hope this answers your question. If you need anything else, you can reach me at 555/555-1111 after 1:00 p.m.”
Check your voice mail more than once a day. Some sources say it is best to always answer if you are available, while others say you should check messages only at specific times-two or three times per day. One source recommended 20 minutes before lunch and 20 minutes before the end of the day, stating that these times were statistically the “best” because callers were less verbose and more succinct at these times of day. How frequently you check your messages will largely depend on the volume of calls you receive in a day. But always remember that one of those messages sitting in your in-box could be urgent. If you allow your voice mail to overflow, you could miss messages and, in addition, find yourself dealing with a time-consuming backlog.
If a particular caller’s query will require more than 48 hours to answer, return the call as soon as possible, and explain the action you are initiating and why a response will require days or weeks. Likewise, let callers know when you have forwarded their calls to other staff members: “Hello Jill. I’m returning your call to Company X earlier today regarding our Service Policies. I am not able to answer your question, but I forwarded your query to John in Department Z, and he will be responding to you shortly. If you need further help in this area, you can reach John directly at extension 1234.” This lets the caller know action is being taken. It is important not to leave callers with the feeling that their calls are being ignored. This is an easy message to send when voice mail is being utilized. The caller has no way to know if the message has even been received. Believe in the power of quick response-even when you cannot offer immediate resolution. When a caller feels his/her issue is being taken care of, it fosters a positive attitude toward your company or organization. It also makes callers feel comfortable leaving future messages on your voice mail, since they feel confident you will get back with them in a reasonable time period. Nothing beats a good track record when it comes to reliable response.
Personal Greetings
Use your most professional and positive phone voice, and keep your personal greeting simple. Avoid being cute or funny. Your personal greeting could be a colleague’s or client’s first impression of you. Keep it professional. Remember that the purpose of the message is to convey to the caller the feeling that their message is important and that you will respond in a timely manner. If you receive large volumes of phone messages, it may be helpful to give the caller an estimated response time in your greeting, such as “You can expect to receive a reply to your query within 48 hours.” Whatever your response time may be, try to ensure it is reasonable, based on your volume of calls. And be sure to deliver what you promise. If it says 48 hours, make sure it is 48. In any office, regardless of volume of calls, if response time is more than 48 hours you may have a case for requesting additional staff.
Tell callers why you cannot take their calls, for example, “I’m in the office, but away from my desk or in a meeting right now.” Always let callers know if you will be out of your office for more than a day. For security, however, it is best not to provide details such as, “I’m in London for two weeks…” It is enough to say “I will be out of the office from January 1 through 14…” Remember to change your greeting before you leave, as well as after you return. And be sure to provide callers with an option. “I will be out of the office January 14, but will be back on the 16th. I can reply to you then. If you need assistance before that time, press zero and the operator can reroute your call.” Or you can provide the extension of an assistant or coworker who can help with your projects while you are out.
If you leave an “out of the office” message on your voice mail, be kind, and alert your reception staff. Tell them the dates you will be gone and what to do with callers who hang up and call back to say they need to speak to someone directly or immediately while you are out.
Sample Greetings
Standard Greeting (no answer): “You have reached the desk of Department Supervisor Jane Doe. I’m away from my desk and unable to take your call right now. If you need to speak to someone immediately, press zero to return to the switchboard where our receptionist will reroute your call. Otherwise, leave your name, phone number, date and time you called, along with a brief message, and I will return your call as soon as possible. Thank you for calling.”
Busy Greeting (on the other line): “You have reached the desk of Department Supervisor Jane Doe. I am on my other line right now…[proceed same as Standard Greeting].
If you receive frequent calls for the same information, you may want to think about finding an alternate way to provide that information. If you have standard forms or lists or other information (such as rates or specifications), consider having them posted at your company Web site or created in a format you can e-mail. On your voice mail, give this option. “If you are calling to inquire about our Standard Specifications or Standard Rates, e-mail me at [your e-mail address]” or “visit our Web site at [your company’s Web site address]” This way you can attach the information to reply e-mails, or avoid dealing with callers altogether when they know they can access the information they need online.
If you receive calls requesting information you no longer work with, it is completely appropriate to provide that information in your greeting as well. You can say “If you are calling about Project X, John Doe in Department Z is now handling that item. You can reach John by pressing extension XYZ now.” Or “If you are calling about Standard Rates, I regret to inform you that they are no longer provided by Company X, and no further information is available.”
When not to use voice mail
Although voice mail has sped up the pace of business in the last decade, it is not always the best method of communication. If the information you want to relay contains numbers, symbols, formulas, or unique words or names, it is probably best to put it in writing to avoid confusion.
There are also times when a written record of a communication is necessary for a project file. If you need it in writing, voice mail is not the medium you should be using.
If your message concerns lots of information on different topics, it may be best to tackle it in writing or break up your phone messages into smaller groups of related items.
Is this something you want recorded so that anyone might hear it? If it is confidential, it makes sense not to utilize voice mail to relay it. Never record anything that could be misinterpreted or is of a private nature.
