For a Flemish audience, a local voice often works best. For example, our voice actress Eveline from Belgium has a very soft and friendly voice that immediately builds trust. If you also work with Dutch customers, a voice like Youri from the Netherlands, who sounds very fresh and professional, might be a good match.
Director's Tip: Listen to the demos with your eyes closed. Focus entirely on the feeling the voice evokes, rather than just listening to the text being read aloud.
Then, pay attention to technical details and languages
In a multilingual country like Belgium, there's a good chance your voicemail needs to be in multiple languages. It's a big mistake to hire a different voice actor for each language, as this creates a disjointed experience over the phone. Instead, choose a voice actor who is fluent in multiple languages.
Eveline is a perfect example: she is quadrilingual and can fluently record in French, English, and German, in addition to Flemish. This keeps the tone on your phone line consistent, no matter which language the customer is addressed in.
When setting up your project, keep these three points in mind:
- The exact pronunciation of your company name (you might want to write it phonetically for the voice actor).
- The desired languages and the order in which they should be heard.
- The correct spelling of names or specific terms in the script.
Director's Tip: Always provide foreign brand names or specific technical terms with an audio recording or phonetic description. This prevents the recording from needing to be redone later.
Finally, direct and implement the recording
When the voice actor enters the studio, the magic happens. As a voice director, I always pay attention to the subtle details. One of the most important techniques we use in the studio is 'the smile in the voice'. When a voice actor physically smiles while speaking, the muscles in their mouth change. You can hear this instantly in the recording: the sound becomes warmer, more open, and much more welcoming.Our customers notice this difference immediately. For example, Anastasia wrote in her review that we provide a professional service with prompt action and response. Mattias also praised the extremely fast and professional service after his recording. You only achieve that quality by working with true professionals who understand microphone technique.
Director's Tip: Ask the voice actor specifically to record the text with a light, natural smile. That makes a world of difference for the caller who is waiting.
