How Changing Your Voicemail Greeting Can Improve Your Business

• July 24, 2019
• Author: Keith Young

You probably appreciate voicemail as merely a tool that allows callers to leave you a message if you’re unavailable. But when used to its fullest potential, your voicemail service can become a powerful and automatic tool to benefit your business.

If you’re like most people, you probably take a set-it and forget-it approach to your voicemail greeting. You record it once and never think about it again. To get the most out of your voicemail and to better serve your customers, it’s a good idea to change your voicemail greeting regularly. 

Manage Expectations

Changes to your greeting can let callers know if you’re just away from the phone, not in the office that day, or on an extended absence. This way, they know when they can expect to hear back from you. 

Keeping callers informed is part of good customer service, but managing expectations in this way is partly self-preservation, as well. You don’t want to come back from an extended leave only to deal with hours of angry voicemails from people who don’t know where you’ve gone!

A simple greeting stating “I’ll be out of the office until…” can save everyone a lot of grief in the long run. For extra credit, you can let people know if you’ll be checking in while you’re away, or provide an alternate contact for urgent matters.

The Perception of Presence

Changing your voicemail greeting can make you seem more present. If you’ve changed your message in the last few days, people know you’re around, making things happen. It might be as simple as adding a seasonal message for various holidays, or a reference to the weather, or a specific event. 

When callers know you’re present, even if you’re unavailable, they tend to be more patient. If your voicemail greeting includes a mention of a special event you’re involved in, they’ll be more understanding of your delay in getting back to them. 

A Boost to Your Reputation

Some individuals go as far as changing their voicemail greeting daily, giving callers a quick breakdown of their schedule and availability for the day. That’s probably overkill for most of us, but clearly conveys the message that you are organized, engaged and accountable. Callers are more likely to trust you to get back to them when they can clearly tell you’re on top of your voicemail. 

Don’t Forget To Change It Back

Nothing speaks of neglect and disorganization like a Christmas greeting in July! Don’t forget to change your message back when you return from an extended absence or after a holiday. 

When you’re trying to get caught up with everything you’ve missed, your voicemail greeting is a little detail that often slips through the cracks. To prevent this understandable mistake, set yourself a reminder before you leave.

With UnitedCloud services, changes to your professionally recorded greetings are always available. If you want to update your greetings on a more frequent basis, you can also upload and record your own messages any time, at no charge. 

To learn more about the wide range of features and services UnitedCloud has to offer, contact us today!