Last week, our BLOG talked about effective “out-of-office replies” for your e-mail. One of our readers suggested we talk about voice mail greetings too. We thought that was a splendid idea; so here we go…

Think about those stale, static, useless voice mail greetings that sound like they are left by an inanimate object.  They are everywhere and they sound like this:

“I can’t come to the phone right now, leave me a message at the beep.”

Wow, what a great personal/business image that projects! I can hardly wait to talk to this person! Voice mail greetings should help you and your callers get work done and build relationships. Your voice mail message is an extension of you. You all know what you like to hear as a caller so give that to your callers!

Here’s an acronym to help you make your voice mail greeting stand out from the rest, here is how to have the BEST.

B e Brief
E stablish who you are
S tay positive, personal and polite
T ell them what they should do now

Be Brief
If someone’s voice mail greeting is too long, what do you do? Right…get very annoyed or hang up. Don’t annoy your callers with long-winded messages that explain your life history and ambitions. If you keep having to re-do your message to get it in before the “out-of-time” beep, your message is too long. Shorten it to the necessary details.

• Who have they reached?  Are you in or out?
• When will you return my call?  HELP me!

Establish Who You Are
Ever wonder if you are leaving a message on the right phone? Telling callers you are not in does not let them know they have reached you. Here are two suggestions for opening lines:

“Hello, you have reached IWCC Training and the voice mail box for Tim Duffy.”
“Welcome to IWCC Training. You have reached Tim Duffy’s voice mail.”

If you have a particular job responsibility that people need to know in order to leave you an appropriate message, then tell them that too…

“Thank you for calling the accounting department at IWCC Training. You have reached the voice mail box of Sally Payable.”

Stay Positive, Personal and Polite
Some voice mail greetings make you feel depressed! Think of your voice mail greeting as an opportunity - never miss this opportunity to build relationships. Be positive about how people can reach you. Make it sound like you are glad they called you. With all the technology that we use to communicate today, remember to add some Personal Touch.  And…your mother was right…be polite. A please and a thank you go a long way to establishing you as a human being. Here are two examples…

“Welcome from IWCC Training and Tim Duffy. Sorry I can’t take your call right now, but please leave me a message and I’ll look forward to getting back to you before the end of the day.”

“Thank you for calling. You’ve reached Tim Duffy, CEO of IWCC Training. I am in a meeting for most of the morning, but will be happy to return your call this afternoon. Please let me know what you are calling about and where I can reach you later today.”

To build relationships even more, try adding a pleasant personal goodbye…Thanks for calling…Have a great day or Enjoy your weekend.

And a final tip on tone…The words alone cannot convey the image. If you want callers to find you positive, inviting and personal, you have to sound it! Make sure your tone supports your message. Try smiling while you record your greeting and always play it back to hear how you sound.

Tell them what they should do now
Now what? The person you need isn’t there and it’s urgent! Wouldn’t the world be an easier place if voice mail greetings told you what you really need to know? Let your callers know what next course of action they have if you are unavailable. If people get your voice mail, they immediately wonder:

• Are you in today? Will you return my call?
• How long will you be gone? Can I reach you somewhere else?
• Can someone else help me? What do you want me to do now?

So, tell them! Here are three examples…

“Hello from Ima NotHere and IWCC Training. This voice mail message is for the week of September 26. I will be in the office on Monday, out of the office Tuesday through Thursday and back in the office on Friday. If  you need immediate assistance, please leave a message on my cell phone at: (905)123-4567 and I will get back to you as quickly as I can.”

“Hello from Illa BeGone and IWCC Training. I will be out of the office for the week of September 26, returning on Monday, October 3. If you need assistance before I return, please call Will HelpYou at: 905-222-2222 and he will be happy to help you out. Thank you for calling and enjoy your week!”

“Thank you for calling Ima SomewhereElse at IWCC Training’s Accounting Department. Today is Thursday, September 29 and I will be out of the office all day and unable to return your call. If you are calling with your invoice number for payment, please do not leave a message. Please call Ally Assistant at: 905-111-1111 for immediate processing of your invoice. Ally will be happy to help you out. Have a great day!”

Call yourself right now and listen to your voice mail. Is it the BEST it can be? If not record a new one NOW!

As business professionals, we see dozens of automatic “out-of-office” replies fly through our inbox each week. Do you cringe when you see that out-of-office reply bounce back from an e-mail you just sent? You likely start whining: “Oh no, I need it now!” And, an out-of-office reply usually means you won’t be getting the response you need anytime soon.

What’s worse than that? The out-of-office reply may be poorly written and lack any personal touch at all. Poorly written replies can leave you asking questions such as: “When will they return to the office?” “Can I contact someone else in the meantime?” “Will they be accessing their e-mail at all?”

How can you prevent these annoyances from happening to your clients and colleagues when you are out of the office? Try using these helpful templates to inspire you:

If you are going on vacation with no access to e-mail, try something like:

Hello,

Thank you for your e-mail. I will be on vacation with no access to e-mail from Monday, September 19 to Friday, September 23. I will be happy to reply to your e-mail when I return on Monday, September 26.

If you require immediate assistance, please contact Betty Coworker at (555) 555–1234 or betty.coworker@company.com.

Warm regards,

Bill Vacationer
Sales Manager

Out for the day at a meeting? Try something like:

Hello,

Thank you for your e-mail. I will out of the office at an all day meeting on Thursday, September 22. I will be happy to reply to your e-mail when I return on Monday, September 23.

Warm regards,

Jane Meeting
Finance Manager

Out of town with smart phone access only? Try something like:

Hello,

Thank you for your e-mail. I will be out of the country on business from Monday, September 19 to Friday, September 23. I will only have blackberry access to e-mail and will be checking my e-mail periodically. I will be happy to reply to your e-mail as quickly as I can.

If you require immediate assistance, please contact my assistant John Assistant at (555) 555–1234 or john.assistant@company.com

Warm regards,

Richard Traveller
President & CEO

Your company uses an out-of-office template you say…

Suggest to the decision makers in your company that your out-of-office reply needs tweaking. Show them how the reply confuses readers and leaves them asking more questions than it answers. Remind them that poor out-of-office replies can jeopardize sales, projects, partnerships and business relationships.

Try using the templates above the next time you set up your office reply. Your clients and colleagues will thank you!