First impressions are super important – not least when your customers contact your business. But if you don’t respond, what do they get? Hopefully a professional welcome message. Here’s how to do it!
The importance of having a welcome message
A welcome message is the recording that plays when someone calls a business, is told the opening hours and is presented with different choices that allow them to be connected to the right agent. The welcome message is easy to take for granted, but it is more important than many people think. Not only does it give the caller important information such as opening hours, but it also signals who you are (or at least who you appear to be) as a company. Don’t underestimate first impressions!
A large company can appear disingenuous if the recorded welcome message is noisy, impersonal or has incorrect information. Conversely, a small business can appear large and professional with a well thought-out and pleasant message.
It’s even worse if you have no welcome message at all. Then the customer may doubt whether they have come to the right place at all. The risk is that the customer calls another company and you have lost a deal. To avoid that happening, here are eight tips to help you record the absolute best welcome message.
8 tips for a great welcome message:
1. preparation before recording
Planning in advance what you are going to say will not only make your message clearer, but will also save you time by reducing the risk of retakes. Write a script that you can go back to if you are unsure or lose the thread.
It’s important that your message is clear and that you express yourself simply. Don’t use complicated words and assume that anyone listening directly will understand and easily know what choices to make. Also try to keep it short. One trick is to read your script aloud. You will then notice if it feels natural and easy, and you can time how long it takes to read out and thus know if it feels too long.
2. Take inspiration from others
You shouldn’t copy what others do of course, but taking inspiration from others is a good idea. Listen to the welcome messages of other companies, especially those operating in the same industry. What do they say that works? Is there anything that stands out that is less good, for example in terms of wording, feel or menu choices?
3. targeting
If you have buyer personas or tone of voice guides, now is the time to pull them out. Because the goal is to tailor the message to your target audience as best you can. What do your customers want to hear first? The shop’s opening hours or the URL of your website? Which elements are most relevant to the target audience to highlight in the message?
4. Don’t forget the opening hours
For many people, opening hours are a given part of a welcome message and something customers usually ask for. Therefore, clearly state the opening hours so that the caller knows when the switchboard is closed. Don’t forget about holidays either, and if you want, you can seasonalize the greeting message and for example have a unique message for Christmas and another during the summer.
5. keep this in mind when speaking the message
To get the message across, there are three things you need to keep in mind when reading the message: speak loudly, clearly and slowly. It should never feel rushed and there is a risk of missing important information if you speak too fast.
6. Don’t miss the character of the room
For the best quality, you should record the greeting message in an acoustically treated room like a professional studio. If you don’t have that option, make sure to exclude as much ambient noise as possible. You don’t want a colleague’s ringtone or the coffee machine to ruin a good shot.
7. Are any changes needed?
Listen to the message when you are done. Was it good? Did you sound natural? Do you hear any distracting background noises? If not, just record again until you feel satisfied. Feel free to ask someone else to listen too and provide input.
8. Don’t forget about other languages
For international businesses, it is usually important to be available in English, but if you have customers from other countries, it may also be worth being available in more languages. Even if you run a small business, you can gain a lot from reaching potential customers from different countries. If you want to be available in multiple languages, record a message that helps you direct callers to the right queues. For example: “For English, press 1. For Swedish, press 2.
There, now you hopefully have all the information you need to record a professional welcome message. With Telavox, it’s super easy to record your own welcome message – and much more. Discover how intuitive your business communication can be with everything in one interface by taking a look at our demo, or try it yourself!
