You listen to them. You interact with them. You rely on them. So why don’t more people understand the need to record effective voice mail messages…both for themselves and to others? Voice mail as a topic is a hot button for me. So I finally decided to let off some steam…and hopefully help people be more pointed and powerful with this everyday part of our world.
Your business voice mail : Does it stand up as a great first impression? Does it say, you definitely want to do business with me? Does it make people understand who you are and why they should bother leaving you a message? Think of your voice mail as people’s first impression of you. That should help you sit up straight when recording: Speak clearly, don’t mumble your own name, be brief but interesting. I recommend you do not say, I’m either not at my desk or out of the office.” Your caller has picked up on the fact you’re NOT available for some reason. Don’t be redundant. Do be interesting, informative, witty…or even a combination of those three.
Your message to another : How many times do you get a voice mail message you don’t understand? Or, the phone number whizzes by? When you are calling people in your professional and personal spheres, the rules aren’t much different than for your own outgoing message: Speak clearly, be brief, and by all means, state your number twice.
When you realize voice mail really does speak to people, try to say something that really talks!
