Proud Voices

Voice Prompt Recording: How to make your auto attendant and IVR system sound professional!

Phone answering systems for small, medium, and large businesses are the gateway for all customers… When a customer has a frustrating experience on the phone it can lead to upset clients and cause you to lose sales. One way to be sure your customers are receive adequate attention is to provide voice prompts that are easy to understand and direct them to the right operator.

The Voice

Choosing the right voice for your phone system is important because it helps project a certain image of your company. In many cases, businesses prefer a friendly, upbeat, female voice. But in others, a professional, strong male voice may be needed. A voice that reflects your companies core values and traits is needed to present this overall image.

The Script

The script is one of the most important parts when setting your phone system greeting. It is important that it provides information about your business, directs your customers to the correct operator or mailbox, and is used to inform of new products.

Your auto attendant or IVR script should start by introducing your business and stating the basic type of service that you provide. It should be followed by essential information such as your address and business hours.

Next, your script should provide your extensions and direct customers to the appropriate mailboxes. After the basic information about your business is provided, you should thank the customer for calling.

A separate after hours greeting is also important so customers know your hours and get a chance to leave you a message.

Reducing Frustration

Another important aspect of creating a good automated phone system recording is to keep user frustration to a minimum. Sometimes messages that are too long, contain too many mailboxes, or too many prompts, frustrate customers. Creating a message that is both informative and to the point helps create good feelings between a customer ad business. This is what helps create good customer relationships and increased sales.

Sample Script

Here is an example of a sample business phone system script:

Thank you for calling ________ (your business name here), we are happy to take your call, so please stay on the line to be directed to a member of our knowledgaeable staff. Please press 1 for help with customer service, press 2 to speak with our technical support staff, or press 3 to leave a general voicemail message. Our business is located at ________ (your address) Business hours are from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday.

Screening Customers

Your automated phone system can reduce your workload and increase sales by sending customers to the correct operator or voicemail box. If your voice prompts are easy to understand, they will be less likely to hang up in frustration. Taking the time to set up a phone system properly can make your work day easier and lead to happier customers.

In Conclusion

Having a voiceover artist create your auto attendant, IVR prompt, or on-hold message adds an extra level of professionalism to your business. It also creates a buffer that sorts and organizes your customers, making customer service easier and less expensive. The less time your employees have to spend screening calls, the more time they have to work on projects that will help produce income!