“Hey, how you doin? Sorry you can’t get through, why don’t you leave your name, and your number and I’ll get back to you”

I love Voicemail. One of my favourite songs of all time was about leaving a message and one of the funniest Seinfeld moments of all time was also centred around this ingenious bit of technology. I personally am in the Costanza camp of shamelessly screening a majority of my personal calls so I’m forever grateful for that little bit extra time my voicemail allows me.

Voicemail is nothing new, it’s been around for a long while now but most people don’t realise it’s as powerful a tool for customer service as your On Hold is. Think about it, when else do you get to directly communicate with your customers without ACTUALLY communicating with your customers. And when else do you get a red hot sales lead land smack bang in your lap when someone leaves their details after the tone? Never. So it makes sense to make the most out of this simple customer service opportunity.

Here are some of the Messages On Hold Copywriting Team’s How Not To Make Your Voicemail Sound Bad and Waste Everyone’s Time tips.

Don’t Be Boring

Hello, you’ve called whatever business this is. We’re not here because it’s not working hours. Leave a message and we’ll probably get back to you eventually.

Sure I’ll leave a message, once I pull myself out of the coma that Voicemail recording put me into. You WANT your callers to leave a message, you WANT to get back to them, so let them know. Don’t be desperate, but a little excitement and an assurance of when you will actually return the call never hurt anybody.

Don’t Waste The Opportunity

Your callers are going to listen to the whole Voicemail to leave a message so let them know a bit extra about your business while you’ve got them. Even if they’re like me and they hate leaving Voicemails, give them your email address/website/Facebook page and encourage them to get in touch that way. If someone’s taken the time to pick up the phone and call you, you may as well ensure they get in touch.

Don’t Drop The Ball with your Branding…

You’ve spent the time crafting a great corporate image for your business, so let that image shine through with your Voicemails. Tell your callers proudly who they’ve called so they can be sure their message is going to get through to the right company.  Think about what information your clients are actually going to need outside of your business hours. Will they need alternative? will they need directions to your business? Will they simply need to know when you’re going to be open next? Know your clients as well as your own branding; you never know who’s going to be leaving a message.

I’ll leave you with a hilarious yet clever of Kramer’s Movie Phone IVR – he’s even worked in a short marketing message at the beginning!

– Sophie