{"id":8163,"date":"2020-04-07T09:45:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T13:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyswitch.com\/?p=8163"},"modified":"2022-05-04T11:17:19","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T11:17:19","slug":"auto-attendant-on-hold-message-dos-and-donts-from-a-voiceover-expert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skyswitch.com\/blog\/auto-attendant-on-hold-message-dos-and-donts-from-a-voiceover-expert\/","title":{"rendered":"Auto Attendant &#038; On-Hold Message Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts, From A Voiceover Expert"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>BY DONNA RENEE,&nbsp;<em>GUEST BLOGGER<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve been doing telephony voice work for 20 years, and let me tell you \u2014 in two decades of experience, you see a little bit of everything.&nbsp; Some great scripts&#8230;and some really bad scripts. I\u2019ve cultivated tidbits of advice on what you should do and what <b>not to do<\/b>.&nbsp; Here are some highlights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>How to Incorporate Extensions Effectively<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DON\u2019T <\/b>mix extension numbers <i>(ie \u201cdial ext. 207\u201d)<\/i> and press numbers <i>(ie \u201cpress 1 for sales\u201d)<\/i> in the same Auto Attendant script.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DO<\/b> use one or the other, and be consistent throughout the whole script.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>WHY<\/b> \u2013 We expect to hear one or the other, so it\u2019s confusing to the caller.&nbsp; Our minds take too long trying to connect the dots when we hear something we don\u2019t expect.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Getting the Right Voiceover Length<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DON\u2019T <\/b>write \u2018War and Peace\u2019 for the Auto Attendant Greeting script. Many marketing departments want to list their greatest talking points, tags and slogans, but this is <b>not<\/b> the right venue for that.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DO<\/b> give only the pertinent information as succinctly as possible.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>WHY<\/b> &#8211; No one wants to listen to a recording that drags on for 2 minutes, no matter how good your content is. They just want to speak to someone ASAP.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>When to Present the \u2018Dial for Operator\u2019 Option<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DON\u2019T <\/b>give the \u2018press 0 for the operator\u2019 in the first sentence of the Auto Attendant!&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DO<\/b> give that option at the end of the greeting.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>WHY<\/b> \u2013 If you give the option right away, they won\u2019t listen to the rest of the greeting. Everyone will zero out, and the rest becomes pointless.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Silence Isn\u2019t Always Golden<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DON\u2019T <\/b>have silence on hold.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DO<\/b> have either music provided by SkySwitch or On Hold Messages by AdvantageIVR.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>WHY<\/b> \u2013 With silence, it\u2019s too easy to think you\u2019ve been hung up on and they\u2019ll call back, making staff busier than they need to be.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>First Impressions Matter<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DON\u2019T<\/b> think that the voice on the Auto Attendant doesn\u2019t matter, or that it\u2019s a throw-away task.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DO<\/b> have the Auto Attendant Greetings professionally recorded.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>WHY<\/b> \u2013 The Auto Attendant is the NEW Director of First Impressions, just like the receptionist used to be.&nbsp; And was the receptionist important back in the day? I rest my case.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Incorporate the Company Directory in a Smart Way<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DON\u2019T<\/b> give a long list of names, departments and their extensions in the Main Menu. (i.e. For Bill Wright, head of Marketing, dial 278; for Barry White, lead singer of our company choir, dial 777, etc.)<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DO<\/b> say \u201cFor a Company Directory, press ___\u201d and then plug them into the directory.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>WHY<\/b> \u2013 The Main Menu should be short and staccato-like. Callers would rather have a couple of menu levels than be forced to listen to the whole message to hear what they need&nbsp; \u2014 which is typically at the end. \ud83d\ude04<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Add Music Here, But Not There&#8230;<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DON\u2019T<\/b> use music on the Auto Attendant Greetings.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DO<\/b> use music on the On Hold Messages.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>WHY<\/b> \u2013 People don\u2019t expect music when a call is answered. They automatically think they\u2019ve been placed on hold because they have been trained to know that music signals \u201con hold\u201d.&nbsp; So think: Auto Attendant = Voice Only, On Hold = Voice with Music.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Be Careful Where That Music Comes From<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DON\u2019T<\/b> play the radio or your favorite mp3 download or music CD on hold.&nbsp; It\u2019s illegal.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DO<\/b> use licensed music only or professionally recorded On Hold Messages with licensed music.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>WHY<\/b> \u2013 Composers legally earn royalties from their songs played on the radio, digital downloads and CDs. The \u2018royalty police\u2019 &#8211; ASCAP, BMI, SESAC &#8211; can fine you for doing such.&nbsp; AdvantageIVR uses ONLY licensed music for their on hold productions.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>The Differences Between Voiceover Message Types<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DON\u2019T<\/b> think that Auto Attendant Greetings and On Hold Messages are the same.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DO<\/b> know the difference.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>WHY<\/b> \u2013 When explaining the services you offer, Auto Attendant Greetings are recordings heard when the phone is answered, the menus they navigate through and the voicemail greetings.&nbsp; On Hold Messages are heard after a call has been answered and is placed on hold and they are always set to music. <i>Apples and Oranges.<\/i><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Know Your Audience and Cater to That<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DON\u2019T <\/b>have a male voice doing the Auto Attendant Greetings for an OBGYN clinic, or similar female patient only business.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>DO<\/b> have a female voice for that client.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>WHY<\/b> \u2013 Self-explanatory.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you found these tips helpful and want to learn more about the importance of creating great, personalized voiceovers for your business, then make sure to sign up for <a href=\"https:\/\/attendee.gotowebinar.com\/register\/3717491000602145293\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this SkySwitch webinar I\u2019ll be broadcasting live on Tuesday, April 14th<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a role=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/register.gotowebinar.com\/register\/3717491000602145293\"><br>Register for Webinar Now<br><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BY DONNA RENEE,&nbsp;GUEST BLOGGER I\u2019ve been doing telephony voice work for 20 years, and let me tell you \u2014 in two decades of experience, you see a little bit of everything.&nbsp; Some great scripts&#8230;and some really bad scripts. I\u2019ve cultivated tidbits of advice on what you should do and what not to do.&nbsp; Here are&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":8241,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/skyswitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/skyswitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/skyswitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skyswitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skyswitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/skyswitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skyswitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/skyswitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skyswitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skyswitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}