The Main Greeting applies to the first greetings your callers hear when they dial any of your numbers listed under “Main Company Numbers”. This may also separately apply to Auto Attendants if your plan includes that feature.
The video shown here will take you through adding a main greeting to your Dash account. We’ve also laid out those steps with screenshots below if you prefer.
Options for Greetings:
- Text to Speech - There is a 250-350 character limit here, depending on word usage and characters.
- Upload your Own File - Recommended. MP3 or. WAV formats with a 1MB file size or less
- Choose from existing recording - Uses a media file already uploaded to your system
- Record it Over the Phone - This option overrides the media file you have in place completely. Therefore, it is not typically recommended unless you have a backup of the existing media file.
- Professional Recording Services - Uses a 3rd party recording service where you can select professional voices, scripting, etc.
Step-By-Step Instructions
In Dash, you have a few options with your Main Greeting: Text to speech, upload your own file, record it over the phone, and professional recording services. Each is outlined below. We highly recommend that after setting up your greeting, you call your main phone number to test.
- Start by clicking on Main Number
- Then click on Incoming Call Handling
- Click on the Virtual Receptionist link
On the right-hand side, you will see the five options for your Main Greeting. Please see the descriptions at the beginning of this document for reference on what you’d prefer.
Text to Speech
Simply type in your script and Dash will create a synthesized main greeting for you. Typically, you are aiming to identify your company name and tell callers what option to press to route the call to a specific department person or feature.
Doing this multiple times for the same period of hours (Open hours for example) will create multiple instances with the same media file name, so we recommend deleting or renaming old versions in your Greetings Manager (Menu on the left side of Dashboard) to avoid confusion.
- Click on Text to Speech
- Enter the text you wish for the greeting
- Click on Update
- Click Save at the bottom of the window
- Click on Save Changes under Incoming Call Handling
Upload your Own File
Dash currently accepts .WAV and .MP3 file formats for upload. File size is currently limited to no more than 1 MB, which is approximately a 5-minute MP3 file.
When preparing files for use with Dash please use the following parameters:
- MP3/WAV file format
- 1 MB max file size - MP3 is recommended for longer durations
You can use a program like Audacity to record a file on your computer.
If the file you create is too large you will want to find a way to compress the file, either online or via an application.
- Click on Upload your own file
- Enter a name in the box, and click on Choose File to find the file on your device
- Click Update
- Click at the bottom of the window
- Click on Save Changes under Incoming Call Handling
Choose from an existing recording
Use Choose from existing recording to select a media file you have already added to the system. The pull-down will show all media files, including hold music, voicemail greetings, or main greetings.
- Click on Choose from existing recordings
- Click on the pull-down and select the media file you want to use
- Click on Update
- Click on Save at the bottom of the window
- Click on Save Changes under Incoming Call Handling
Record it Over the Phone
Note: This option completely overrides the media file you currently have in place, if any. We highly recommend, if using this option, to have a backup of your current media file. If you have access to a recording tool to create your own MP3/WAV files, like Audacity, it’s a much smoother process.
Call the main number from a VoIP phone (Non-VoIP instructions further below), and dial the PIN for the hours period in which you are attempting to update. Please note if you are trying to change your after-hours greeting over the phone, you MUST call in during your after-hours period. The same idea applies to open, lunch, and holiday hours, if applicable.
- Click on Record it over the phone and you will see the following.
- Record the PIN
Please note that you must have a VoIP phone/device registered to your account. Record the greeting message yourself over the phone, by following the steps below:
- Pick up a VoIP phone registered in this account
- Dial your office's main number
- Enter this PIN when prompted: XYZ (this will vary from account to account)
- Record your greetings/menu
For Non-VoIP Phones:
By default Dash has the Main greeting restricted to VoIP phones for security purposes. We can change this with the following steps:
Incoming Call Handling will need to be set to go to the Virtual Receptionist
- In the Virtual Receptionist, go to Settings, and under Allow Outside Recording, toggle this on
- Click on Save
- Click on Save Changes under Incoming Call Handling
- The person calling can then call into their main number, dial their main PIN, and follow the instructions to record a new main greeting.
Professional Recording Services
- click on Professional Recording Services
- Click on order
Click on the order button and go to Snap Recordings to order a professionally recorded main greeting (or hold music) that you can upload upon completion. You can go directly to SnapRecordings via: https://www.snaprecordings.com/virtualpbx