Phone and Voice Mail Skills

What about your phone and voice mail skills? These are very important components of your communication functionality and you need to be good at them. Again, turn to the advice of Shawna to get some training on how to make the very best use of the telephone and voice mail system. She has written a book titled “How to Nail Voice Mail,” and I suggest that everyone using a phone and voice mail reads it. Leaving an upbeat and interesting message is refreshing and inviting according to Shawna. The messages that you leave on your end are just as important as the messages that you leave when you get someone else’s voice mail system.

Use these tools to portray the best self image that you can by being polite, enthusiastic, and professional. The message that you record on your voice mail is a direct reflection of you. If greeting customers and prospects warmly on the phone is your standard, make it so on voice mail too.

If receiving phone calls in your business is something very positive, then treat these voice mail messages as opportunities. If someone has taken the time to call you to inquire about doing business, make them feel comfortable with your message.

Shawna Schuh suggests that you make the caller feel welcome and interested in talking to you when you get the chance to call them back. You might also consider streamlining your message to exclude some of the common commands like leave your name and number. It is important to convey to your caller that you are grateful for their call and you want to insure them that you will be calling back.