Many offices these days have a voice mail system so that callers can leave a message if you’re not at your desk. But what do callers hear when they reach your voice mail?
Does This Ring A Bell?
"The person at the extension 345 is not available. Leave a message after the beep."
This type of message does not give the caller any useful information, especially first time callers. They won’t know if they’ve reached the right person.
Try This!
"You’ve reached Paul at 345, leave a message and I’ll call you when I get back. If it’s urgent and can’t wait, call me on my mobile at 97654321."
This makes the voice mail more useful to both the caller and you because:
- You’ve effectively filtered the calls by identifying yourself. If the caller dialled the wrong number, he won’t be leaving a message and clogging up your voice mail.
- You’ve given the caller an alternative in case it is urgent. It is frustrating to just hear a voice mail message when you need to speak to someone urgently.
If you don’t want to leave your mobile number, you can give a colleague’s extension number. But make sure that colleague knows and will be able to help.
A Final Note…
Clear your messages. There is nothing more frustrating for a caller than to get a voice mail message saying the mailbox is full. It reflects badly on you, creating the impression that you’re disorganised and may have a lot of work that is backlogged.
Source: Edited from the english@work e-newsletter by 938LIVE. Subscribe to the english@work newsletter.
