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Can any of us remember conducting business without the use of voicemail? It seems as though the technology has been around forever but we still don’t have the hang of it. We’re uncomfortable leaving messages so we talk too fast, too long, we mumble and we forget to leave pertinent information. We make our callers listen to long winded greetings before they can leave they’re own message. And the worst offense of all, we don’t return the call, so the poor soul doesn’t even know if you received the message at all.
Technology is only as good as the person using it. Here are some tips to make the best use of voice mail:
When leaving your message:
Speak slowly and clearly. Speak as you normally would but just a little slower and be careful with your enunciation especially if you are calling another part of the country. Consider spelling out a word or name that may be misunderstood. When I say or leave my name for people, they often hear Corvy. So I usually spell it out: “C-O-R-B-Y. That is B as in boy.” The speed at which we speak differs from one part of the country to the other. Also, the listener does not have the added advantage of reading your lips so enunciate.
Always include your telephone number so it does not have to be looked up. Your contact could be traveling and may not have it handy. Leave your telephone at the beginning of the message and say it as though you were writing it down yourself. Say the number in the three and four groups they are separated in. For instance: 973… wait…857…wait…6200.
When you must make several points during a voice mail, jot them down before placing the call. This will help you stay on track and avoid the embarrassment of calling back with, “Oh, I forgot to tell you one more thing.”
If your message is not time sensitive, consider sending an email.
Avoid telephone tag by leaving specific messages. If you must speak to the person directly, leave a time when you can be reached.
Your greeting:
Keep it short. Your caller has to wait, on his dime, to listen to you while you go on and on about how you can’t come to the phone right now but you are happy that he called and if you would please leave a message you would be happy to return the call as soon as you return yada, yada, yada….. It is unnecessary to say I am not here right now and by now he knows he’s supposed to leave a message and you are happy to return the call. Avoid redundancies and long winded greetings.
Give your caller options. If you will be out of town and can be reached via email, say so, or indicate when you will be back in the office. Post a note to remind yourself to change your voice mail greeting when you return. You don’t want to tell callers that you are on vacation when you’ve been back for three weeks.
When you record your message, do so with a smile. Sound upbeat and change it every now and then. Even a telephone greeting can sound stale and out of date.
And of course, return every call the same day or within 24 hours.
Call us for Business Etiquette Training and Business Etiquette Training Materials 973-857-6200 etiquette@corbyoconnor.com
©Copyright 2007. CORBY O'CONNOR ETIQUETTE & PROTOCOL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS MATERIAL MAY BE REPRODUCED, STORED IN INFORMATION AND/OR RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY WAY OR BY ANY MEANS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ELECTRONIC, MAGNETIC, DIGITAL, OPTICAL, LASER-BASED, MECHANICAL OR OTHERWISE,WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM CORBY O'CONNOR ETIQUETTE & PROTOCOL.
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