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Business English vocabulary · Phone and Video Calls

Voicemail

Meaning in business english, with examples

/ˈvɔɪsmeɪl/nounCommon term

In business english, voicemail means: A system that records phone messages when the person you call does not answer; also a single recorded message.

In Turkish: sesli mesaj, telesekreter

How it is used

You leave, check, listen to or get a voicemail, and a call can 'go to voicemail'. A clear business voicemail gives your name, company, reason for calling and a number to call back.

Example sentences

  1. I tried calling him, but it went straight to voicemail.

  2. I left a voicemail for the client asking her to call me back.

Common collocations

  • leave a voicemail
  • go to voicemail
  • check your voicemail
  • voicemail message
  • get back toTo contact someone again later, usually to give them an answer or information that you do not have yet.
  • hold onTo wait for a short time, especially on the phone while the other person checks something or transfers the call.
  • put throughTo connect a caller to the person or department they want to speak to, usually done by a receptionist or switchboard.
  • out of officeAway from work, for example on holiday or a business trip; also the automatic email reply that tells senders you are away.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Phone and Video Calls

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