What Roy Keane Tells Us About Call Greetings

There's a much-publicised passage in the newly released autobiography of former Manchester United footballer Roy Keane that tells us a lot about call greetings. In it, the then Sunderland manager is planning to sign a player named Robbie Savage and so attempts to call his transfer target. His call goes straight to voicemail, where he hears the message "Hi, it's Robbie…whazzup!".

Fans of classic Budweiser adverts might be tempted to smile at Savage's answer-phone antics, but not Roy Keane. Upon hearing the message he immediately ditched his attempts to sign the player, deciding "I can't be f***ing signing that".

Whatever this amusing tale tells us about the personalities of Keane and Savage, it tells us something wider about the nature of professional employment. If an answer-phone message can put off potential employers like a football manager, it can sure as day put off clients, customers and colleagues.

A call greeting that is overly informal, or indeed one that just sounds amateurish can act like a big neon sign telling people to stay away from your business. Instead, take the time to invest in a high quality call greeting. Make it short, simple and professional or, if your business has a distinctive brand personality, create an effective way to communicate that in a succinct way.

For more information about call greetings, visit: http://www.voicetakeaway.com/Call-Greetings-s/2001.htm