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- Find some of the GH Labs crew & @Chargify at #SXSW http://bit.ly/aGLNUC
- @picobits - We have no immediate plans to implement a softphone feature.
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voice mail Archive
Visual Voicemail vs. Voicemail Transcription
With the launch of Google Voice there has been a lot of talk about visual voicemail, voicemail transcription, voice to text, voicemail to email, etc. There are so many different terms it can be confusing!
Here at Grasshopper we offer a feature to our customers called ‘Read Your Voicemail‘. When a customer subscribes to this feature, they are emailed a transcription (and an MP3) of their voicemail immediately after receiving it (we offer human transcription at no extra charge for better accuracy). They can then read the voicemail on their computer or Smartphone.
However, one of the questions we often get is, ‘Do you offer visual voicemail?’ The answer to that is, it depends.
Here is how others describe ‘visual voicemail’:
Verizon
“Visual Voice Mail allows customers to see a list of all of their voice mail messages with important information, such as date and time of receipt, as well as message duration, in order to prioritize and efficiently manage their voice mail messages directly from their phones.”
Voice Mail When You Need It
You are in the zone, ideas are flowing, work is getting done and the phone rings. You don’t want to miss an important call but you also don’t want to interrupt your work flow. With the Grasshopper virtual phone system you can see who is calling and send the caller to voice mail without worrying you are going to miss important information.
Why? Because with Grasshopper you will immediately be emailed the MP3 and the voice mail transcription (if you subscribe to the “Read Your Voicemail” feature). Voice mail is a great asset for your business and we have included some of the best ways to get the most out of it below.
Voice mail when you need it:
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Out of the office?
The great thing about having Grasshopper is that you can choose when you want calls to be forwarded or when you want them to be sent to voice mail. When you are out of the office, you can have calls forwarded to your cell or home phone. Don’t want to get calls after 8 pm? Set up an after-hours greeting and send calls directly to voice mail.
Create a Good First Impression with Custom Greetings
Remember the Seinfeld episode where George decides to create a catchy jingle for his answering machine?
Aside from a website, your phone greeting could be the first impression customers or potential customers have of your business. While it doesn’t have to be as clever as George’s, it’s important that it sounds professional and helps the caller with what they are looking for.
Here are a few tips for creating a main greeting:
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Make sure there is no distracting background noise i.e. ambulances racing by, phones ringing, tv commercials.
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When using background music, make sure you choose music that fits your business. Pop music for a spa probably isn’t the best strategy.
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Enunciate your words clearly to ensure the caller can understand your greeting. Avoid strong accents.
Featured Entrepreneur: Jared Taylor of RevitalArts
This week we are featuring Jared Taylor. Jared is the founder of RevitalArts, Sparklight Studios and is also a Grasshopper customer.
First off, you are a great example of a “Young Entrepreneur”. You’ve already been involved in founding how many companies? And are how old?
I’ve founded 2 companies. I started my first, Sparklight Studios, when I was 18 years old. Sparklight is a small creative company specializing in website development, video production and theatrical design. We’ve served nearly 20 clients since we started only 2 years ago, which has been quite an undertaking considering we’re college students. We just launched our new website – http://www.sparklight-studios.com. I also founded RevitalArts (formerly Youth in the Arts) in 2008 with a few friends.
Tell us a little bit about RevitalArts and what makes it so unique.
RevitalArts is an entirely student-run non-profit organization and we received our 501(c)(3) designation by the Federal government in mid-2009. Our mission is to provide young adults with positive, engaging and educational experiences in the arts and to revitalize the participation in and appreciation of the arts. Read more »
How To: Manage, Tag & Map Messages
Instead of the usual Friday Flix videos we present on the team blog, this week we thought we would provide a “How To” on managing messages in your Grasshopper account.
This video gives a quick overview on managing voice mails, including mapping the call to a specific location on a map, adding contact info, sending an email and storing.
Log in to your Grasshopper account to get started. Don’t have one? Sign up today!
With Transcription, Voice Mail Has Never Been More Entertaining
There’s no doubt that voice mail transcription has improved the strained relationship we all have with voice mail. My guess is the cool factor for voice mail wore off about 2 days after it was invented.
Since it’s easier to scan text than to call in and listen, the appeal of voice mail transcription is pretty obvious. One thing people may overlook though, is how much enjoyment you can get reading messages that the transcription program wasn’t able to process well.
In fact, just for fun, here’s what that first paragraph looks like when transcribed from voicemail:
“There’s no doubt that voicemail transcription has improved this trained relationship we all have with voicemail my guess is the Cool factor for voicemail more off about 2 days after was invented since it’s easier to scan texted to call in and listen the appeal a voicemail transcription seems is pretty obvious 1 thing people may over looked just how much enjoyed that you can get the messages at the transcription program wasn’t able to process well.”
