Guides
Practical guides
Everything you need to know about professional telephone availability, with example scripts you can use right away.
What to say in a business voicemail? 10 example scripts
Ten ready-to-use voicemail scripts for businesses and practices, plus the four essential ingredients of a professional voicemail greeting.
Read the guideA phone menu that does not annoy callers
The golden rules for a good phone menu: four options at most, the right order, always a way to reach a human, with a complete example script.
Read the guideHold music and music rights: how it really works
Can you simply put music on your phone's hold line? How performance rights, streaming terms and "royalty-free" music really work in the US.
Read the guideWhich audio format does your phone system need?
WAV, MP3, 8 kHz: why phone systems are so picky about audio files, and which format the well-known systems expect.
Read the guideThe holiday greeting: staying professional while you are away
What should your business phone say while you are on holiday? Three example scripts and a checklist so customers never call into silence.
Read the guidePublic holidays: the most predictable closures, forgotten the most
Closed for Christmas or another public holiday? How to tell callers properly, with example scripts and a simple once-a-year approach.
Read the guideRecord it yourself or have it made? An honest comparison
Recording your own voicemail or welcome message is free. Yet it rarely sounds right. An honest comparison, costs included.
Read the guideThe queue message: what to say to callers on hold
What should a caller in the queue hear? Example queue messages, and why "your call is important to us" does not work.
Read the guideAn English phone greeting: when and how?
International callers on the line? How to create an English or bilingual phone greeting that sounds professional, with example scripts.
Read the guideCall your own business: the ten-point self-test
When did you last call your own business? Ten things to check, from the number of rings to what happens after hours.
Read the guide"This call may be recorded": what are you required to announce?
Does your business record calls for training or quality? Then callers must hear it up front. What that notice should contain, with example scripts.
Read the guideWriting tips: how to type a script that sounds great
Small writing tricks with a big effect on your phone greeting: a pause in the right place, emphasis where it counts and sentences that sound natural.
Read the guideSet an AI voice as the answering machine on your mobile phone
How to set a professional AI voice as your mobile phone's voicemail greeting: write your text, download the MP3 and set it through your provider's call-in menu.
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