The Importance of Maintaining a Professional Voicemail

Much of today’s business communication takes place over email instead of the phone. As a result, many professionals forget about making sure to set up the voicemail on their work phone.

But do you really need a custom voicemail message? Will the automated voicemail on your phone suffice? Learn the answers to these questions and tips for making your voicemail more work-appropriate in this handy guide. 

Make a Good First Impression

When you receive a business call, having a voicemail message that is clearly stated and professional in tone leaves a positive impression on clients and colleagues alike. It makes calling a cell phone feel just as legitimate as making a call to your office’s front desk. Similarly, your voicemail acts as a sort of virtual receptionist to reliably record their message when you’re not free to answer.

On the other hand, if your voicemail is prerecorded or sounds too casual, it could cause clients to second-guess your credentials. They might wonder if they have the correct number or decide not to leave a voicemail after all, causing you to miss important information or lose out on potential business. Avoid these work errors by leaving a professional voicemail message on your phone.

Provide Essential Information

Make sure you provide all the important information right off the bat in your voicemail recording. This is key for clients who want to make sure they have the right number before leaving a message. Start off with your first and last name and the name of your business. You may also want to include your job title if that will be relevant to callers and provide an estimate of how long it will be before you return their call.

Don’t forget about keeping your voicemail message up to date. If any contact information or other details change, rerecord the message with the new info. 

Offer Alternative Contact Options

Another thing you can consider including in your voicemail message is another way to get in touch with you or someone from your company. This is something that should only be included if your clients will potentially need to reach someone regarding an urgent matter. In that case, provide your company website address, your work email address, and/or the phone number for your main office or a colleague. 

While you don’t necessarily need alternative contact options included in your voicemail on a day-to-day basis, you should change your voicemail message to include these details if you’re going to be unable to return calls quickly. For example, if you’re planning to be away on vacation, you can record a voicemail message states additional options for getting in touch with your company along with your anticipated return date.

Tips for Setting up Your Work Voicemail

This may seem like a lot of detail for a short voicemail message, but the good news is that learning how to set up your voicemail is the easiest part. On most phones, you can simply press and hold 1 in the phone dialer to access voicemail setup. If necessary, you may be prompted to enter your password. From there, the phone will lead you through the steps of recording and saving your voicemail greeting. If you have any trouble setting up your voicemail, refer to your phone manual or contact your carrier.

Sample Voicemail Script

Wondering how all this will sound when you finally record your voicemail? Here’s a sample script for a professional voicemail message:

“Hi, you’ve reached Jessica Turner at Smith Technology. I’m not available to take your call at the moment, but you can leave a message after the tone or email me at jturner@smithtech.com and I’ll get back to you within one business day. If you need immediate assistance, please call 555-708-8000 to get in touch with our main office. Thanks, and have a great day!”

This a concise yet detailed voicemail that can be customized to reflect your personal details and your unique business needs.

Make sure you leave a great impression with clients and colleagues by having a professional voicemail message on your phone.