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Your business voicemail greeting represents your brand just as much as your website, social media presence, and employees do.

Your voicemail greeting will be someone’s first interaction with your company–and you want to make the right first impression.  A good voicemail message conveys reliability, professionalism, and provides clear instructions on what to do next.

In this article, we'll explore more of what makes great business voicemail greetings, why it matters, and share voice message templates to help you create your own.

 

Why Your Business Needs a Voicemail Greeting

The best voicemail greetings set the tone for your business and help build trust with your customers.

Quality voicemail messages communicate important information like:

  • Your business name
  • Hours of operation/support hours (include your business time zone)
  • Location
  • Parking/transit information
  • Current/upcoming promotions
  • Callback information
  • Urgent or time-sensitive updates

Business voicemail greetings can also help direct callers to self-service options including auto attendants, virtual receptionists, or other support channels like website chatbots or online forums. Providing alternative methods of support helps to cut down on the number of voicemail messages, improves the customer experience, and frees up agents to make sales calls or handle more complex support requests

Your voicemail message also provides your business with the opportunity to anticipate customer needs by including information like updated holiday schedules, personal agent phone numbers, fast answers to the most common customer questions, and even updates about serious issues like security breaches or inventory shortages. This level of detail lets customers know how much you value them, communicates a clear understanding of customer expectations, and shows how in touch you are with current consumer concerns.

Having a relevant, professional and friendly auto attendant script is a vital part of customer service–and promotes customer loyalty.

 

What is a Good Business Voicemail Greeting?

A good business voicemail greeting is one that's easy to understand, professional, and short.

You don't want to confuse your customers with complicated jargon or long introductions. You also want your greeting to be unique to your business, so it reinforces your branding and stands out in a crowded marketplace.

Quick guidelines for creating an effective voicemail message include:

  • Keep it simple and brief
  • Use contractions when you can (like "you're" instead of "you are")
  • Use active voice instead of passive voice (for example, "We accept payments by credit card" instead of "Credit cards are accepted by us.")
  • Create a message that is clear and easy-to-understand
  • Keep the greeting friendly and welcoming, but also professional

 

Things to Include in a Voicemail Greeting

It is important to keep voicemail greetings concise and genuinely helpful to callers.

Leaving callers with too many unanswered questions, guarantees a long, complicated message–alongside several more, increasingly angry calls from the customer.

Note that there may be a slight difference between recording an agent’s personal voicemail greeting and the company-wide answering service message.

Individual agent or business owners messages should include personal touches–even a funny voicemail message can work here (as long as it avoids becoming unprofessional.)

Below is a list of common things to include in a professional greeting:

  • A greeting (ex. Hello, Hi, thank you for calling, etc.)
  • Your name
  • Your company name
  • A simple explanation for missing the call (ex. you’re away from the phone or are out sick)
  • A timeframe of when you plan to make a return call (ex. within 24 hours)
  • An alternative mode of communication (such as email or text), or an alternative contact
  • A call-to-action such as “Leave a message” or “Send an email”

 

How to Record a Professional Voicemail Greeting

Once you have decided what you are going to say in the voicemail greeting, you will need to record your message.

The process for creating a good voicemail greeting varies slightly depending on the type of business phone system used (desk phone or cell phone) and the phone service provider. Depending on your device’s recording quality, you may want to invest in a microphone, use background suppression noise, or even hire a professional voice over actor to record your message for you.

No matter what you choose, the basic voicemail recording process is:

  • Press the voicemail button (or press and hold 1 on most mobile phones)
  • Enter the phone password
  • Record the greeting
  • Listen and review the message just recorded
  • Follow the prompts to save the greeting

 

Examples of Great Business Voicemail Greetings

Below are some business voicemail greeting examples that are concise, informative, friendly, and professional.

 

General Business Greetings

  1. Hi, you’ve reached [business name]. All of our team members are busy at the moment, but if you leave a brief voice message at the beep, someone will return your call as soon as possible.
  2. Hello, you’ve reached [business name]. We can’t take your call at the moment, please leave your name and number, and the next available team member will return your call as soon as possible.
  3. Hi, you've reached [name] at [company]. I'm unavailable right now — probably helping [type of company] [e.g. ‘double their leads,' ‘hire the best engineers,' ‘convert 40% more customers., etc.] Please leave your name and number, and we'll discuss how your company can see similar results.
  4. Hi, you've reached [name] at [business name]. If you need a quick response, please shoot me an email at [email address] and I'll be in touch by end of day tomorrow. If it's not urgent, leave me a message with your name and number and then hang up the phone.
  5. Hello, this is [name]. If you're calling for [reason], please contact [emergency contact name] or [go to our website, send an email, etc.]. For all other inquiries, please leave your name and a brief message and I'll call you back within [one, two, or three] business day[s].
  6. Hello, you’ve reached [business name]. Every call is important to us, so please leave a brief message that includes your name and phone number so a member of our customer success team can call you back as quickly as possible.
  7. Hello, you’ve reached [name] at [company name]. If you need help with [reason], please contact [main contact person or system] or [visit our website at website url, send us an email, etc]. For all other inquiries, please leave your name, phone number, and a message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
  8. Hello, you’ve reached the customer service team for [X company]. Our representatives are currently unavailable, but if you leave your name and a callback number, someone will get back to you shortly.
  9. Hi, this is the customer service center at [X company]. We’re sorry to have missed your call. Leave your name and number and the next available representative will call you back to assist you.
  10. Hi, you’ve reached [company name]. We can’t take your call right now, but we will call you back as soon as we’re available. Please leave your name, number, and reason for your call. We know your time is precious, so to skip the back and forth, kindly leave a few different times of day that work best with your schedule and we’ll do our best to reach you then! Have a great day.
  11. Thanks for calling [your name] at [your company]. I didn’t mean to send you to voicemail but I am either on the line with another client or on the go. Leave your name, number, the reason for your call today and the best time to call you back. I’ll speak with you shortly!
  12. Hey, it’s [your name] at [your company] – thanks for giving me a call! I can’t wait to chat. Just leave your name, number, and I’ll call you back as soon as I have the chance. Better yet, send me a text with the best time to reach you and the reason for your call. Looking forward to hearing from you.
  13. Hello, you’ve reached the customer support department at [company name]. We are unable to take your call at the moment. We know your time is valuable so instead of placing you on hold, let us call you back! Please leave your name, phone number, the reason for your call, and two different times that are convenient for you to receive a call back from us. Thank you!

 

Out-of-the-Office Business Voicemails

  1. Hi, you've reached [name and title]. I'm currently out on parental leave until [date]. In the meantime, please direct all phone calls to [alternate contact name] at [phone number] and emails to [email address]. Thanks, and I'll see you in [date you return to work].
  2. Hi, you’ve reached [business name]. Our regular business hours are [state opening hours]. If you need to reach someone immediately, please call [coworker’s contact’s name] at [phone number]. If not, leave your name and contact information and a representative will get back to you when we re-open.
  3. Hello, this is [name] at [business name]. Our office is currently closed, but I’ll be back in the office at 9 a.m. tomorrow. Feel free to leave a message or send me an email at [email address], and I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.
  4. Hi, this is [name] at [company name]. I am on vacation right now and won’t be back to the office until [date back]. Please leave me your name, phone number, and the reason you are calling, and I will get back to you then. Alternatively, you can call or text [contact name] at [phone contact information]. Thank you for calling!
  5. Hello, you’ve reached [name]. I’m currently out of the office and will return on [return date]. If your call requires urgent attention, please call [contact name] at [phone number] and they’ll be happy to assist you. If not, leave a message and I’ll return your call when I get back.
  6. Hello, you’ve reached [name]. I’ll be out of the office from [start date] to [end date]. Please leave a message and I’ll return your call upon my return. Alternatively, you can email me at [email address] or call [name] at [phone number] for immediate assistance. Thanks for calling!

 

Announcement Business Voicemails

  1. Hello, [previous employee name] is chasing new adventures and is no longer with [company name]. Please forward all future requests to [new or interim person's name] at [phone number]. Thank you!
  2. Hi, you've reached [company name]. If you're looking for information on [X], please check out our [Facebook page, company website, etc.] If you want to know more about [Y], take a look at [Z page on our site, our YouTube channel, etc.] Still have more questions, or just want to chat with our team? Leave your name and number, and we'll return your call as soon as possible.
  3. Thank you for calling [company name]. You must be calling as you’ve heard about our new [new product, deal, offer here]. We are pretty excited about it, too. Leave us your name, number, and the best time to call and we’ll follow up and answer any inquiries you may have. We’re looking forward to speaking with you and updating you on what’s new with [company name]. Have a great day!

 

Voicemail Greetings for Afterhours

During office hours, it’s important to keep voicemails brief. But after hours greetings are a great way to welcome potential customers when you may not be able to get back to them until the next day. As such, after hours greetings can run a little longer than business hours greetings.

Many VoIP and UCaaS providers let users record several greetings at a time, then select the ideal message for specific campaigns, seasons, times of day, etc.

Here are some after hours business voicemail greeting scripts:

  1. Hello, this is [name]. We close at 6pm but are happy to help with anything when we return to the office [tomorrow or day of return at time]. Please leave us a detailed message. You can also reach us at [email, website, social media site, etc.]. Have a great [day, evening, weekend]!
  2. Hi there! You've reached [company name]. We're open from 9am-5pm, Monday through Friday (though we sometimes have special events). At any other time during these hours, just leave us a message with your name and number and we'll get back to you as soon as we can! Thank you for calling.

 

Holiday Voicemail Greetings 

When holidays and vacations are coming up, you will want to make sure that your company's voicemail recording gives enough information while leaving callers with a positive impression of your business–even if you may not be able to respond to calls for a while.

Vacation and holiday voicemail greetings are a great opportunity to teach customers more about your company, give insight into special seasonal offers, or encourage people to sign up for email or SMS updates.

Generic out of the office greetings will fail to capture what makes each holiday special.

Instead, by creating a relevant greeting specific to each holiday or vacation, callers get insight into how employees are treated and what kinds of values your small business has.

It is also important to address certain religious holidays with respect without alienating non-observers of such holidays. This will help ensure that all members of society feel welcomed, no matter what their religious beliefs may be (or lack thereof).

Here are some examples of holiday and vacation voicemail greetings:

  1. Hello, you’ve reached [company name]. We’re currently closed to celebrate [holiday name], but we’ll be back on [return date]. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message so our team can get back to you when we return.
  2. Hello, this is [your name]. I’m currently out of the office celebrating [holiday name]. I’ll be back on [return date], so leave a quick message and I’ll be sure to return your call when I get back. Happy holidays!
  3. Hello, we’re wishing you all a happy [holiday name]. Our office is currently closed so our employees can celebrate with their loved ones. Please leave your name, number, and reason for calling and a member of our team will return your call when we reopen on [return date].
  4. Hello and thank you for calling [company name]! We are closed today for the holiday, and will be back in the office tomorrow, Thursday the 14th. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but expect a prompt response from us tomorrow! Happy holidays and have a great day.

 

Short Voicemail Greetings

Short voicemail greetings are the most common, but they can also be the most difficult to get right. The key to a good short message is making sure it's clear and gives a call to action while remaining friendly and professional.

For example:

Hi, this is [your name]. I'm either on a call or away from my desk. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message and I'll get back to you. Thank you.

 

The Importance of Maintaining Excellent Business Voicemail Greetings

An excellent business greeting makes your customers feel welcomed, encourages engagement, and helps your company to stand out. Creating a business voicemail is not a one time thing. Greetings should be updated regularly to reflect business, employee, and schedule changes.

The most important thing to remember about great business voicemail greetings is to keep them as short as possible while still conveying the important information your customers need.

Beyond that, finding a way to let the personality and values of your brand shine through during the greeting is a great way to improve the customer experience and make the most of this opportunity.