Even when a business is closed for the night, weekend or a holiday, customers are still going to have inquiries and require assistance. Therefore, it’s important that an auto attendant greeting is just as informative and helpful to callers during closed hours as a customer service representative would be during normal operations.
For whatever reason a business is closed – whether it’s a weekend or for special circumstances – it’s crucial your callers know upfront that operations are shut down and when they will resume. An auto attendant should include normal business hours, as well as an option to dial the party’s extension. Here’s an example of an after-hours and weekend auto attendant script:
Thank you for calling [Company Name]. We are currently closed. We are open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Eastern Standard Time. If you know your party's extension, you may dial it at any time. Otherwise, please call back during our normal business hours so we may assist you. Thank you for calling [Company Name]. Goodbye.
Auto attendant scripts can be revised to include seasonal specials and/or special seasonal greetings during holidays and certain times of the year. For example, a store may be open later during Christmas season to accommodate the busy schedules (and long wish lists) of holiday shoppers. About.com suggests prefacing the auto attendant script a greeting that effectively promotes business specials and extends a warm season greeting to callers. However, spirited and light-hearted seasonal auto attendant greetings should only be used when appropriate. Some examples may be:
Thank you for calling [Company Name]. Check out our holiday specials at (company website). If you know your party’s extension, you may dial…
Thank you for calling [Company Name]. Ask your customer service representative about our President’s Day discounts. If you know your party’s extension, you may dial…
You have reached [Company Name]. We would like to wish you a joyful holiday season and a happy New Year. If you know your party’s extension, you may dial…
Before your auto attendant greeting is recorded, ensure the script doesn’t contain any awkward phrases and fine-tune pronunciation and annunciation. Most importantly, test out the auto attendant system by calling it and check for errors or any misleading directions.
Auto attendant system provider Parlance can provide your company further guidance and a solution to your after-hours answering needs. Parlance’s speech-enabled call routing solution, nameConnector, callers to connect to departments and employees after normal business hours simply by saying the name of their destination, all without operator intervention.
Tammy Wolf is a TMCnet copy editor. She also writes articles for TMCnet on a wide range of topics, including IP communications and information technology. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Janice McDuffee