Resources

Your automated attendant greetings need to come to life and give a clear and concise direction. Gone are the days when you phoned a company and expected to talk to a real live person. Today, an automated phone greeting is often a potential customer’s first interaction with a business. This initial phone call could set the tone for any future relationship. Talking with a customer after they have just had a frustrating experience with an auto-attendant is never a pleasant conversation.

These 5 tips will help you do just that.

1. Use a professional announcer

It can be tempting to go with the voice that came with your phone system but when callers are listening to a computer voice the chances of having them hang up increase drastically. On-Hold Marketing offers a range of male and female talent so you can find the perfect voice that best reflects your company’s brand and image.

2. Keep your introductions short and limit the options

Simplicity is the key for your navigation. If you have too many options for people to choose from they will forget what all the choices were, feel overwhelmed and hang up (or just press 0). Five general menu options is a good guideline to follow. If you need to narrow down the broad options, simply add some branches to further direct callers to the right department. (e.g.; for accounting press2 can then be narrowed down to for accounts receivable press 1 and for accounts payable press 2…)

3. Don’t forget an after-hours message

Chances are your company does not have their doors open 24/7. Let callers know you are closed, when you will reopen and how to leave a message, or where to call in case of an emergency (if those apply).

4. Include a holiday message

Don’t leave people guessing whether you are open or not during a holiday. Let customers know with a special greeting.

5. Include options for departments rather than for employees

Keep your menu options general and allow a dial by name directory to route callers to employee extensions.

To learn more about auto-attendants, check out our website page at https://www.onhold.on.ca/products/auto-attendant-menus/.

“The telephone is a good way to talk to people without having to offer them a drink.” – Fran Lebowitz