Guide
How to write a phone menu people can use.
Plain good practice for a small business auto attendant. Where something comes from a law, it says which one; everything else is labelled good practice, which is what it is.
1 Before you write
List why people call you, from most to least often, using your own call log or a week of tally marks by the phone. The most common reasons become the first keys. Good practice.
Decide who answers each kind of call, and what happens when that person is busy or out: another person, a voicemail box, or a message that points to your website.
3 Length
Call Flow Desk times every script at 150 words a minute, a common speaking pace. It is an estimate: a slow, clear reading takes longer. It flags a first option that comes after more than 20 seconds and any recording over 45 seconds. Good practice; the limits are this site’s rule of thumb.
Cut words before the menu first: the welcome, slogans and “please listen carefully as our options have changed” are time the caller spends waiting.
4 After hours and holidays
Say that you are closed, give your hours, and say what the caller can do now: leave a message, call an urgent number, or visit your website. Set closed days in your phone system ahead of time so the holiday greeting plays on the right day. Good practice.
The holiday calendar shows the federal holidays and the day each is observed. Your business decides which ones it closes on.
5 The 911 line
Medical, dental, veterinary and care offices often start with “If this is a medical emergency, please hang up and dial 9 1 1.” It belongs before the menu, so nobody waits through options in an emergency. Good practice.
6 Recording calls
If you record calls, federal law allows recording when one party to the call consents (18 U.S.C. 2511(2)(d)), but some states require the consent of everyone on the call. A notice at the start of the greeting, such as “Calls to this number may be recorded,” is a common way to tell callers. Check your own state’s law; this is not legal advice. If you do not record calls, leave the notice out.
7 Recording the greetings
- Record in a quiet, soft-furnished room, close to the microphone, and smile while you read: it shows in the voice. Good practice.
- Use the same voice for every recording so the system sounds like one place. Good practice.
- Most phone systems let you record by phone, upload a sound file or type the words for a computer voice. “Hear it” on each script uses your browser’s computer voice so you can check the wording first.
- Listen to the finished menu by calling your own number, once in hours and once after.