- What is an answering machine for business?
- What does an answering machine for companies do?
- How to set up a phone answering machine?
The best way to respond to an incoming call is to answer it as soon as possible. However, on many times we find ourselves in situations that prevent us from answering them immediately or within a few seconds. Therefore, today’s blog is especially dedicated to the answering machine and the importance of why you should have one.
What is an answering machine for business?
A call answering machine is a voice menu system that allows callers to be transferred to an extension without having to go through an operator. Incoming calls are received by pre-recorded messages, which inform the caller that the person they are trying to reach is not available.
To ensure that a customer reaches the employee they are looking for, there is a name dial directory. This directory organizes users by departments/names, and the caller can press a key, once announced on the answering machine, to ring the extension of the employee they want to speak with. If an employee is unavailable, the answering machine directs the calls to the employee’s voicemail.
The digital telephone answering greatly benefits businesses by enhancing customer service, ensuring no call goes unanswered, optimizing staff time, presenting a more professional image, and keeping a record of a calls and messages. This record is a useful for following up on customer interactions, ensuring that all inquires and issues are addressed promptly and effectively.
What does an answering machine for companies do?
Automatic answering machines for companies are a way to maintain contact with customers, which will help the company to offer a better service since it will offer an automatic system that ensures continuous and professional attention. Next, we tell you what an answering machine does for companies.
- Voice menu: Employees can leave their message defined for incoming calls, it could be indicating the different extensions for the departments they would like to speak with, to indicate working hours for example when they are out of work, or any relevant information for customers.
- Message recording: The digital answering machine allows customers to leave detailed messages when they cannot be answered. These messages are subsequently listened to by the company’s team.
- Personalized messages: Companies can leave welcome and waiting messages, they may include useful information for the customer, promotions or other contact alternatives.
- Call redirection: Answering systems can redirect calls to other extensions or departments, depending on preset settings.
Keep in mind that the message left on the answering machine is of great importance, as it creates the first impact with our new customers, and if it is not recorded correctly it can harm the company’s image. Some of the answering machine messages may contain information about:
- Initial greeting.
- Brand information.
- Messages about unavailability.
- Request for reasons for the call or information about the caller for commercial purposes.
- Communicate another alternative means of the contact if urgent.
- Call to action (leave a voicemail).
- Possible waiting time for call flow.
Examples of answering machines:
Example 1: Indicating the different departments with which the client could speak.
📞 Please press 1 for sales, press 2 for accounting, press 3 for any other information.
Example 2: Information about holidays, closed for vacations, change in working hours.
📞 Hello, you have called (company name). We are currently on vacation from (date) to (date). For any urgent matters please call (phone number or other contact information).
Example 3: Information about customer service hours or when you are out of the office.
📞 Thank you very much for calling (name of company). I am currently out of the office. I will be reachable again on (date). In case of emergency, you can contact Mr. or Mrs. (name) at (email) or by calling (phone number).
How to set up a phone answering machine?
To have an answering machine with functions in your telephone system and improve your company’s customer service and the efficiency of your employees, we tell you that two options you could carry out to have automatic answering machines for companies.
Megacall Virtual Switchboard
The virtual PBX provides many useful functionalities for call management, and one of them is the configuration of the answering machine. The answering machine in a switchboard allows companies to efficiently manage, on a single platform, incoming calls when there is no user available to answer them. With the answering machine, also called voice menu, from the virtual switchboard, you can configure the different automated voice options so that customers reach the desired extensions, ensuring a fluid experience and reducing time until they reach the information or service they need. With this, we avoid losing a call, potential leads and we will always keep them informed.
Through the configuration of the switchboard, it is possible to put people in a call queue and keep them online with relevant or interesting information about the company or a promotion, as well as call fowarding and call recording, a very useful function to subsequently perform an analysis and extract data on in incoming and outgoing calls, or voice recognition that is used to transcribe telephone conversations automatically, making it easy to search or retrieve information quickly. In the virtual switchboard, you can also find the different extensions/departments to which calls will be directed, which can be configured by the user.
From the same switchboard, you can configure working hours or autoresponders that help direct incoming calls. In addition, you can also see the results of all calls, both incoming and outgoing, which will allow you to keep track of the communications of the company and its salespeople.
3CX Unified Communications
Another option is the 3CX PBX, which offers the function of an answering machine or digital receptionist free of charge. Megacall is an official partner of 3CX, so we can help you install this communication system that offers unlimited extensions and you only pay for the number of simultaneous calls you need. In addition, it includes very useful functions nowadays such as live chat, integration with CRM, or the possibility of web conferencing with up to 250 participants.
At Megacall, we offer a free trail so you can try all the functions of the virtual switchboard and what you can do with it, you just have to register!
