Call your own company – either the main business number or your direct line, and imagine you are calling for the first time. What’s the impression you get about you and the company? How many times does the line ring before it is answered? If a live voice doesn’t answer, is the automated message emotionless, tired, or canned? Are you directed to make a series of prompts before the caller is able to do anything? When was the last time you heard your voicemail message? How diligent are you and your employees in responding promptly? Most callers expect a return call by that time the following business day, if not sooner. Many studies have indicated that the average time it takes for a voicemail message to be returned is three to five days. By that time, the caller has either found the answer to their inquiry themselves or forgotten why they called in the first place.
Certainly, voicemail can save a business time and money, but failure to be responsive to the needs of your callers only fuels frustration. Try any one of these tips to ease your caller’s pain:
- Extend the number of rings before a call goes to voicemail (from four to six) in order to give someone in your shop the chance to answer the phone live.
- Resist the temptation to have a conventional voicemail message. Make your message fresh, personable, and upbeat. Change or update it often.
- Make and stick to a policy of returning all voicemail messages by the end of the business day or no later than mid-morning the following workday.
-Vince DiCecco, Your Personal Business Trainer
