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Skip, skip, skip to my Lou: Save Your Callers Some Time...

By
Real Estate Agent with RVA HomePRO Realtor with Keller Williams serving Hanover, Henrico, Chesterfiled and Richmond, Virginia 0225205023

Ever call someone that you need to talk to and get their voicemail? Yesterday Shannon Milligan wrote an excellent post on how to craft an excellent voicemail greeting. She really nailed it and I could only improve on one feature. 

Most voice mail systems have a skip feature that allows you to bypass the greeting and fast forward to where you can leave a message immediately. Trouble is different systems use different codes and the only thing worse than having to listen to a greeting you don't want to listen to in the first place is having to listen to the greeting all over again. If you happen to hit the wrong code you might not be able to leave a message at all or worst case the call will disconnect and you will have to call back, let the phone ring again only to listen to the greeting all over (and potentially annoy the person you are calling). 

You will have to invesitgate what the forward code is for your voicemail system. It could be a call to your provider I found an article that listed them for various carriers, but noticed the one they had for some systems have changed and the article was 6 years old so I won't share their list. But typically the code is # or * although sometimes it's 1 or 0 - the list I found said AT&T was 7 - and my code with Google Voice is #. 

So use a friend's phone, give yourself a call, and try different keys on your phone - starting with the # (pound or number symbol) or * (star symbol) and add it to the front of your voicemail greeting modeled after Shannon's excellent suggestions and save your callers a little time.

Posted by
RVA Home Pro
Michael Hottman As a Licensed Real Estate Agent in Virginia and a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia I strive to help others achieve their goals in life, whether it's selling or buying a property or becoming the person they were meant to be.


My background includes a Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech and a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), managing residential properties, graphic design, corporate information technology, and being a third generation Realtor®. My experience in real estate started when I was old enough to help my dad clean out rental properties and I have started taking my son on showing appointments already.

My goal is to always provide my clients with 5 STAR service from the time I meet them to far beyond the close of their initial transaction, making them clients for all the real estate transactions they may ever have.

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Keller Williams
6600 W. Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23230

804-767-5710

www.RVAHomePro.com

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Michael@Hottman.com

While the information in this blog post is thought to be accurate and reliable on the date it is posted, it is provided on an “as is” basis and without warranty of any kind, either express or implied and is given for educational and informational purposes only. The contents of this article should not be considered as theraputic, legal, accounting, or other advice. For a comprehensive consultation regaring your personal situation please consult a competent professional in the appropriate field.

 

Found in Real Estate Blogs Directory - a directory of real estate blogs and
blogs of industries affiliated with and serving the real estate industry.

 

 

Show All Comments Sort:
Tanya Van Blake-Coleman
Van Blake-Coleman Realty, St. Thomas/www.talk-to-Tanya.com - St Thomas, VI
Improving the Quality of Your Life

Great tip Michael thank you for sharing!

Mar 11, 2015 03:22 AM
Andrew Mooers | 207.532.6573
MOOERS REALTY - Houlton, ME
Northern Maine Real Estate-Aroostook County Broker

Good points... always see yourself on hold, how that is working for you. Trying to make the caller listen to one giant ad, distorted music, missing the option to can the tunes all help the happy happy and you know it or not on the other end.

Mar 11, 2015 08:03 PM
James Dray
Fathom Realty - Bentonville, AR

Interesting I'll check this one out for sure.  Some greetings left on the phone are so annoying I hate to make the call

Mar 11, 2015 08:14 PM
Mary Stewart
Keller Williams Atlantic Partners/Southside - Jacksonville, FL

Great point. I am all about saving customers time, I hate those long voice mail messages with infomation that I don't need to hear.

Mar 11, 2015 09:10 PM