One day (not too long ago might I mention), I was sitting in the office – doing some general admin work. My colleagues and I randomly started discussing the topic of voicemail recordings, the good, the bad; the do’s and the don’ts. Funnily enough, my boss… the CEO of the company… Decided to ring my phone to see what my voicemail sounded like. “Hi there, thanks for calling. I’ll get back to you”. He burst out laughing and was definitely… Not impressed.
As soon as I had that encounter, I changed my voicemail straight away to something that is A LOT more professional. Safe to say, I definitely know a bad voicemail when I hear it now. Below are five tips from my wise self on how to create the perfect voicemail.
- NAME NAME NAME
♫ Say my name, say my name… If no one is around you… ♫ – okay but seriously, make sure you say your name. By having a voicemail where you do not state your name, it is purely; 1) unprofessional, 2) insufficient information and 3) lazy. You need to make sure you state your full name – not your first name only and definitely no nicknames.
- CLARITY + VOLUME
You need to make sure that you speak with a loud and clear voice. This is an effective way to emphasize that you are a mature and confident person who is easy to talk to.
- APOLOGISE
It is essential that you apologise in your recording for missing the call. Saying something as simple as “sorry I missed your call” or “sorry I couldn’t get to the phone” – speaks volumes to potential employers, family, friends, everyone.
- POSITIVITY
Smile when you talk, people can hear it. Seriously, they can hear it. It paints a picture of the kind of person you are. Specifically, for potential employers, it’ll draw them to choosing you rather than to someone who has a boring, sad sounding voicemail.
- MANNERS
When creating a voicemail, the final step to the message is to say thank you. Common courtesy – that’s all there is to it!
Below are some examples I have created, feel free to use them to change your voicemail.
“Hi – you’ve reached (first & last name). Sorry I missed your call. If you leave your name and number, I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
Or how about…
“Hello – you’ve reached (first & last name). Sorry I missed you, if you can please leave your name, number and a brief message – I’ll return your call as soon as I’m able to. Thank you!”
I hope you enjoyed reading through my five tips to create the perfect voicemail! Feel free to message us on our Effective People Facebook page for any questions or feedback.
Author: Dana Deklin