Business Voice Mail Etiquette

There are four areas of business voice mail etiquette to be concerned with.

• Public or business voice mail messages on your machine.
• Public messages you leave on others phones etiquette
• Private voice mail etiquette for messages on your personal phone.
• Private voice mail that you deliver etiquette.

The etiquette for business is similar to the personal voice mail etiquette.

Note that the what was called answering machines are now called voice mail. For mail to be effective, it is necessary communicate.

Business Voice Mail Etiquette Basics

The Message On Your Phone Others Will Receive

• Get in the habit of listening to your voice message once a week
• Allow 2 seconds before you start speaking.
• Use short sentences, 14 words or less
• Keep your recording time to 15 seconds
• Give a greeting such as hello
• Identify your business, organization and the department.
• Give the day of the week
• How to get immediate assistance from a colleague.
• If you want a good response, leave a good request.

Help your visitor leave the message you want. Please briefly tell me how I can help you along with your phone number. I will return your call (within policy for your company).

• When callers can get a return call.
• If you will be out of the office or on vacation
• Let them know when you will be returning their call.
• Your goal is to make others feel comfortable.
• If you leave a phone number, speak slowly, pause between sets of numbers and repeat the entire number.
• Can your phone visitors skip your message by hitting the pound key? Let them know this up front.

The Message You Leave on Others Phones

• If you are not ready to leave a message, just hang up and get your thoughts together.
• Pause for 2 seconds before you begin to speak

This has the added benefit of activating voice activated systems. Business voice mail should identify the business or organization and department.

• Keep your sentences short, not more than about 14 words.
• Say why you are calling.
This is mail, not telephone tag. If you call someone, say the purpose of your call. If your returning that call and get voice mail, provide the information that the caller requested, unless it is confidential.

If it is confidential, indicate that you have the information and you will provide it when you can speak. Then offer the times you will be available to be reached by phone.

Limit your message to one or two subjects.

• If leaving a phone number, speak slowly, pause between the sets of numbers and repeat the number.
• Non-responsive telephone taggers can be told how to have proper etiquette.
If messages you leave get responses that simply say call me, then say, "When you return my call, please leave a message and let me know (the information you want) if I am not able to pick up the phone."

These are just some of the basics of business voice mail etiquette. As far as voice mail etiquette, biz voice mail etiquette, proper use of voice mail goes, this is only the tip of the informational iceberg. There is much more.

Personal Voice Mail Etiquette Tips

More Public Speaking Tips

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