Our Belgian voice actress, Annelies, knows this process inside out. With her gentle, reassuring voice, she finds the right pacing and breathing room during recording sessions. Belgian callers appreciate a calm, clear approach that retains a human touch.
A Director's Tip from Experience
When directing, we often notice how quickly sentences are unconsciously spoken when someone reads a script from a page. For a telephone system, that natural speaking speed can sometimes be a little too brisk.
Here's our most important director's tip for telephone scripts: have the voice actor conclude sentences with a slightly falling intonation for each option, and incorporate exactly one second of silence before the next menu item. This short pause acts as an an auditory punctuation mark. It gives the caller's brain the necessary time to process the option and make a calm decision.
What a Strong Telephone Script Contains
When crafting a telephone script, we follow a consistent structure that works for almost any organisation:
- A brief, friendly greeting that immediately states the company name.
- A maximum of three to four clear options per selection menu.
- A reassuring message during any waiting times, without irritating hold music.
- Clear instructions for leaving a message outside of office hours.
Technical Finalisation for the Telephone Line
Following the recording, technical processing takes place. A telephone call has a limited frequency range compared to a radio broadcast or a video. A recording that sounds rich and deep in the studio can quickly come across as dull or sharp over a telephone line if no specific sound processing is applied.
We carefully filter the recordings so that the voice remains clear and intelligible, regardless of whether the caller is using a smartphone or a landline. Only once the audio sounds perfect on an actual telephone handset is the behind-the-scenes work complete.