How to Optimize Your Business Greetings

Have you ever listened to a recording of your voice, only to cringe at how unfamiliar it sounded? You may have even found yourself uttering in disbelief, “Do I really sound like that?”
If so, you’re not alone. Many people experience a bit of surprise, distaste, or even discomfort when hearing their own voice. But why is that?
One of the main reasons is due to a perception mismatch.
When we speak, we hear our own voice as a combination of vibrations conducted through our skull and sound waves hitting our ear drum. This internal perception creates a deeper and richer sound of our voice that is different from what others hear when they listen to us externally.
So, when we listen to a recording of our voice, it can sound slightly awkward or even outright foreign compared to the internal perception we’re accustomed to, and this discrepancy between our internal and external perception can be disconcerting. And, since many of us are prone to self-criticism, it’s easy to find fault with our own voice, especially if we compare it to that of others we consider more melodious.
This can be particularly frustrating if you’ve been assigned the responsibility of recording phone greetings for your business. Despite multiple attempts to create a professional-sounding upfront greeting on your business cellphone, you find it challenging to capture the polished sound you desire.
In our modern world where telecommunication remains essential in conducting business, it’s obviously crucial to project a confident and professional image in those aural communications. In both our personal and professional lives, many feel that having a charismatic tone of voice is just as important – if not more important – than the words we speak.
Remember, your business’s upfront greeting is often the first point of contact for potential clients or colleagues. By providing such callers with a clear and well-articulated message, you can instantly make a positive first impression and ensure effective communication. So, there’s a lot riding on that upfront greeting.
In addition to the all-important upfront greeting, your phone system comes with a range of other indispensable features designed to optimize communication and improve productivity, such as IVR options and “busy” messaging. Of course, you’ll want to customize those features with recordings specific to your business, rather than simply rely on the built-in generic recordings that came with your phone. But again, attempting to record such customization yourself will likely bring only disappointment when you listen to the playback and hear that your voice – or the voice of an internal company representative – isn’t as engaging as you’d expected.
We recommend going outside your company to a talent agency or studio. When choosing a professional studio for your voiceover needs, consider finding one that offers a comprehensive roster of industry-leading female and male voiceover talents. Look for a vendor with a diverse range of vocal tones, ages, dialects, and languages to provide customized recordings for your phone system, marketing content, and training materials. This can significantly enhance your business’s image, surpassing any self-recordings attempted in your own voice.
Perhaps you’re thinking, “Well, my voice isn’t that bad. I’m sure my customers won’t mind listening to the upfront greeting that I record in my own voice. And if anyone complains, I’ll just have my assistant rerecord the greeting to save myself some money – she’s got a great voice!”
But consider this scenario: You’re driving along and see two storefronts that sell the exact same product you’ve been looking for. The signage of the first storefront, while acceptable in that it’s legible, is obviously low-budget, amateurishly designed, and doesn’t give a great first impression of welcoming you into the store. On the other hand, the signage of the second storefront is professionally designed, visually appealing, and by sight alone conveys a strategic message: Ours is a business you can trust; we have all the products you’ve been looking for; and if you buy from us, you’re going to be a fully satisfied customer.
You haven’t stepped inside either store. Yet, based on your first impression from the signage alone, you already know which store is going to win your business.
The upfront greeting for your business acts in many ways like storefront signage. You have only a brief moment to make an immediate positive impression on potential clients, so they know you’re a business with integrity, dedicated to providing the best customer experience possible. And what better way to do that than with a high-quality greeting recorded by a professional voice talent, who effortlessly sounds authentic and engaging, while instilling confidence in your callers to do business with you.
Now you may be thinking, “But I’m not tech-savvy. How am I supposed to take recordings from an outside source and put them on my phone system?”
Have no fear. Uploading professional recordings to your phone is a simple process, one that your VoIP phone provider can walk you through, as it requires only a few easy-to-follow steps.
And for those just entering the world of entrepreneurship, you may be thinking, “Can’t I just use my personal mobile number or even my personal landline to do business? And I’m sure my customers won’t mind if I have an upfront greeting recorded in my voice without all the bells and whistles. Why should I spend the money on a separate business line and professional recordings?”
By adopting a mobile VoIP plan for your small business, you can seamlessly use your personal cell phone as your desk phone without revealing your private number. This means that whether you’re making or receiving calls, it will always appear as if you are sitting at your desk. In today’s business world, having a more professional and private communication experience is a desirable advantage that VoIP can provide.
So, although you might think recording your business phone greetings in your own voice will be adequate for your callers, remember this: The voice we project to the world matters just as much as the words we speak.
Investing in a trained and experienced professional voice talent can significantly enhance your brand’s image. By having an expert record your greetings, you will project the best possible impression to the world. This, in turn, strengthens your business’s brand, improves the customer experience, and elevates your overall image.