Here are some generic examples (substitute your company name for “Our Company” below

Day Greeting and Menus

Thank you for calling Our Company, (perhaps a company slogan or product information here)

e.g. Thank you for calling Mid-Atlantic Computer Solutions, the Apple & Macintosh focused full service IT Solutions company serving you since 2003. If you know the extension of the person you are trying to reach, you may enter it at any time, or press 9 for an Employee Directory. For Sales, press 1. For Technical Support, press 2. For Accounting, press 3. For our company address, email, and fax numbers, and how to reach us on the Internet, press 4, or press 0 to speak with an operator.

OR

Thank you for calling Our Company. If you know the extension number of the person you are trying to reach, you may enter it at any time. For Sales press 1, For Technical Support press 2. For a dial by name directory press 9 or remain on the line to be transferred to the operator.

OR

Welcome to Our Company, please listen carefully as our menu options have changed, and note that calls may be recorded for quality assurance or training purposes. For sales, press 1. For technical support, press 2. For system emergencies, press 3. For a dial by name directory, press 4. To speak with an operator, press 0 or just remain on the line. To hear these options again, press 9

Day Greeting Sub Menu suggestions (if required).

For printers, press 1.

For laptop computers, press 2.

For computer accessories, press 3.

To go back to the main menu, press the pound key.

Night Greetings and Menus

Thank you for calling Our Company, our offices are closed at this time. If you know the extension number of the person you are trying to reach you may enter it at any time or press 9 for an Employee Directory. For Sales, press 1. For Technical Support, press 2. For Accounting, press 3. To report a technical emergency, press 4. To leave a message in our general mailbox for a callback, press 6.

OR

If you want to state your hours... Thank you for calling Our Company, our offices are closed at this time. Regular office hours are Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM (Time zone optional depending on location) Eastern Time. If you know the extension number of the person you are trying to reach, you may enter it at any time, or press 9 for an Employee Directory. For Sales, press 1. For Technical Support, press 2. For Accounting, press 3. To report a technical emergency, press 4. To leave a message in our general mailbox for a callback, press 6. To hear these options again, please the pound sign.

OR

For “After Hours”... Welcome to Our Company. Our office is currently closed. To report an emergency, press 9. Regular business hours are Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM, Eastern Time (optional). If you would like to leave a message and you know your party's extension, please enter it now. Or to leave a message in the general mailbox, press 8 now.

Holiday Closure

Many companies use one generic prompt like this for ALL holidays: Thank you for calling Our Company. Our offices are closed at this time in observance of the holiday. If you know the extension number of the person you are trying to reach, you may enter it at any time, or press 9 for an Employee Directory. For Sales, press 1. For Technical Support, press 2. For Accounting, press 3. To report a technical emergency, press 4. To leave a message in our general mailbox for a callback on the next business day, press 6.

Closed for a Weather Emergency

Thank you for calling Our Company. Our offices are closed at this time due to severe weather conditions. If you know the extension number of the person you are trying to reach, you may enter it at any time, or press 9 for an Employee Directory. For Sales, press 1. For Technical Support, press 2. For Accounting, press 3. To report a technical emergency, press 4. To leave a message in our general mailbox for a callback, press 6.

Closed for a Company Event

Thank you for calling Our Company. Our offices are temporarily closed for a company event. If you know the extension number of the person you are trying to reach, you may enter it at any time, or press 9 for an Employee Directory. For Sales, press 1. For Technical Support, press 2. For Accounting, press 3. To report a technical emergency, press 4. To leave a message in our general mailbox for a callback, press 6.

Company Information Message

Our business hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM Eastern Time. Our fax number is 800-555-1212. You can find us on the web at ourwebsite dot com, and our email address is info @ ourwebsite dot com. We are located at 123 Any St in Anytown, Anystate.

Voice Mailbox

Note: Voice mail is also a great way of promoting a product or service that a caller may not be aware of.

General Mailbox Messages

  1. Thank you for calling the Company, serving the needs of your community for over 50 years. Ask us about our (fill in the blank) service. (Pause). Please leave your name, company name, phone number and a brief message after the tone, and a representative (or sales representative, agent, etc.) will return your call shortly (or promptly, or on the next business day). Thank you.
  2. This is the General Mailbox for the Company, serving the needs of your community for over 50 years. Visit our new renovated location today. (Pause)... After the tone, please leave a message with your name, telephone number, and the nature of your call. Your message will be forwarded to the appropriate person and your call will be returned as soon as possible during normal business hours. Thank you for calling.
  3. No one is available to assist you at this time. After the tone, please leave a message, including your name, telephone number, and a convenient time to reach you, and we will return your call promptly. Thank you.
  4. Please leave your name, company name, phone number and a brief description of the problem that you are experiencing, after the tone. Your call will be routed to a Support Specialist (representative, etc.) and your call will be returned shortly. Thank you.

Personal Voicemail Greeting

You have reached the voicemail box of John Smith. John is not available at this time. If you require immediate assistance, please press zero. Otherwise, please leave your name and telephone number, and he will return your call as soon as possible. Thank you.

Departmental Messages

Technical Support Welcome Prompt

Thank you for calling Our Technical Support line. Your call will be directed to the next available Support Specialist.

Marketing & Sales General Delivery Greeting

Hello, you have reached the Sales and Marketing Group. (Enter a short promotional message here regarding “specials”, “open houses”, sales drives”, etc.) We’re sorry to have missed your call. Please leave your name, phone number, and any other details, and your call will be returned promptly. Thank you for calling.

Sales Queue

Welcome to the Sales department. (Enter a short promotional message here regarding “specials”, “open houses”, “sales drives” etc.) Please hold for the next available agent. Your call will be handled in the order it was received. To leave a message, press 1. To transfer out of the queue, press 2.

TIPS FOR CONSTRUCTING YOUR AUTO ATTENDANT VOICE PROMPTS

Some important tips and hints to take into consideration when designing your Auto Attendant messages...

  1. Always put the “option” (i.e., “press 1) at the end of the sentence... AND avoid using “please” before EVERY “press” (to avoid repetition), although it can be used for the first one, just to be polite.
  2. When mentioning a time zone, drop the word “Standard”. It’s no longer necessary. So, to write it out for speech, “EST” would be “Eastern Time”, “PST” would be written “Pacific Time” etc.
  3. There’s no need to speak the “www dot” in a web address... so instead of “www dot yourcompany dot com” it would be just “yourcompany dot com”... and always write it out in FULL. Remember, this is going to be read by a voice talent.
  4. Avoid abbreviations within the scripts. States should be written out as a full word, i.e “TX” = “Texas”, “MA” = “Massachusetts”... ”St” should be written as “Street” and “Ave” should be “Avenue” and so on.
  5. Avoid copy and paste for URL’s. Do you really want the voice talent to speak the “http colon slash slash” part? Copy and paste will provide a hyperlink, which is useless for a message that’s to be listened to. Keep the URL or web address simple and the chances of the caller retaining that information for future use will be much better.
  6. When composing the text for your Auto Attendant message, always keep in mind that this is “audio”. Keep it simple, brief and to the point but as informational as you need it to be for the callers to achieve what they need to in an efficient and speedy way. Always keep in mind that this will be “spoken” and that the simpler the prompt is, the more likely a caller will be able to successfully navigate the system, without frustration, to reach their required destination.
  7. Does your business name involve the word “company” or “Incorporated”? Think about whether you want the voice talent to say “Co” (pronounced as “coh”) or “Company”... OR “Inc” (pronounced “ink”) or incorporated. It can make a difference in creating their “First Impression” of your business.
  8. Take time to choose the right voice. Male or Female? Young and energetic or mature and established? Bubbly and fun? Think of your target customer in terms of demographic and gender and match the voice to what you think they would like to hear and would make them feel more comfortable.
  9. When writing your prompts text, always remember that the voice prompt/message will be heard through a phone speaker NOT read from a document. Clarity is key to a successful routing of the call.10.Make a “live” person readily available. If your voice prompts, as efficient and well recorded as they may be, STILL lead yourcaller down a meandering alley of multiple “press” choices, think about making it easy for them to transfer to a live person OR a reliable voice mail, so they will feel like they have accomplished their goal from the call. Too many auto attendant phone “trees”can become tedious and result in a caller “giving up” and possibly going somewhere else to conduct their business or quickly obtain the information they need.