“You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” – Will Rogers
Now it’s time for us to get down to some serious joyful business. And the good news is you can start doing a lot of the tips in this series today to pleasantly surprise your coworkers and customers. To begin, let’s work on some first impressions.
Let’s bring your voicemail greeting out of Snoozeville. We’ve all heard and many of us have recorded that same old voicemail greeting. You know what I’m talking about. “This is Joe Schmoe with the ABC company. I’m either out of the office or away from my desk right now. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message and I’ll return your call as soon as possible. Thank you.”
I’m almost asleep as I write this. This is Snoozeville at its finest and certainly not the happiest of greetings. Our voicemail message is one of the first impressions we give others on the job.
Shouldn’t we make it stand out to show customers and remind fellow employees how awesome we are as well as our company?
Of course, we must make certain it is appropriate for the work that we do. No one wants to hear an overly chipper greeting if they’re calling, for example, a funeral home! When in doubt about your greeting, be sure to talk to a supervisor.
If you have the freedom to be a little creative, go for it! Start with these tips from driventoexcel.com:
1. Script, rehearse, and then record. It’s tempting to rush through your message or to just get your greeting over with. But you want to give directions to your caller and sound confident. By taking a little time and effort, you’ll avoid saying those annoying little “Uhs” and “Ums” and be crystal clear.
2. Smile. It’s been said that people can tell when you are smiling on the phone. I even stand a lot of times when I record a voicemail greeting. By both smiling and standing, you project positive energy into your message that your caller will pick up on instantly.
3. Be brief, informative, positive, and upbeat. You can skip a lot of extra information nowadays, such as saying, “After the tone please leave your message,” and “I’m sorry I’m away from my desk right now.”
Most everyone knows to wait for the beep, and they also realize you can’t be near your phone 24/7. Instead, you can leave helpful information for your caller such as your website address, an alternate phone number, or a way to bypass the voicemail greeting altogether to quickly leave a message.
4. Take the opportunity to leave pertinent information. Maybe you’re a salesperson and on the road often and can only return calls at a specific time each day. Perhaps your company has relocated. Here’s a great chance to take a couple of seconds to let your callers know this vital info.
I’ll throw in my own two cents and encourage you to please record your own voicemail. It’s strange to call someone and hear a totally different person say, “Mr. Smith is away from his desk right now.” Unless you’re mute, have a horrible voice, or you’re the president of the United States, I hope you’ll consider recording your own greeting. It makes a world of difference and shows your confidence.
Amy Shankland is a writer and fundraising professional living in Noblesville with her husband John, two sons, two dogs and a cat. You can reach her via email at amys@greenavenue.info.