Voicemail greeting scripts for business, with 20 examples

What every voicemail greeting needs

A greeting is heard by someone who wanted a person and got a recording. It should be short and useful. Four things, in this order:

1. Who they reached. Your business name on a shared line, your name and role on a personal extension.
2. Why nobody answered. "We're helping other callers", "I'm away from my desk" or "The office is closed."
3. What to leave. Name, number and the reason for the call. If you need something specific, such as an account number or a date of birth, ask for it here.
4. When you will call back. "Within one business day" or "by the end of the day" sets an expectation you can keep.

If there is a faster route, say it once: an emergency number, a text-enabled number, or a web page where they can book. Don't list more than one.

Keep it to 10 to 20 seconds. Read each script below aloud with a timer before you record it. At a steady pace, that is about 30 to 50 words.

How to use these scripts

Everything in square brackets is yours to fill in. Nothing in the brackets is a real business or person.

Swap "we" for "I" on a personal extension. Cut any line that is not true for you: if you cannot promise a same-day call back, don't.

Record in a quiet room on a phone handset or a headset, not a laptop microphone across the desk. Smile while you read. It changes the sound. Say numbers slowly, in groups, and repeat any number the caller needs to write down.

Main line, business hours

1. General, business hours

Thank you for calling [Business name]. We're helping other callers right now. Leave your name, your number and a short message, and we'll call you back within one business day.

2. Business hours, with a texting option

Use this only on a number that can receive texts.

You've reached [Business name]. Everyone is on another call. Leave your name and number and we'll call you back today. If it's quicker, text this number and we'll reply.

3. Business hours, with a reason to leave details

Thank you for calling [Business name]. Please leave your name, your phone number, and what you're calling about, so the right person calls you back. We return calls within one business day.

Main line, closed

4. After hours

Thank you for calling [Business name]. Our office is closed. We're open [Monday to Friday, 8 to 5]. Leave your name and number and we'll call you back on the next business day.

5. Lunch or a short closure

You've reached [Business name]. We're closed for a short while and will reopen at [1 p.m.]. Leave your name and number and we'll call you back this afternoon.

6. Holiday closure

Say the reopening date, not the holiday. Callers hear this greeting for days.

Thank you for calling [Business name]. We're closed for the holiday and reopen on [Tuesday, January 2]. Leave your name and number and we'll call you back when we're open again.

7. Unplanned closure

For weather, a power cut or anything else that closes the office on short notice.

Thank you for calling [Business name]. Our office is closed today. Leave your name and number, and we'll return your call as soon as we reopen. For updates, see [your website].

Personal extensions

8. Standard personal greeting

Hi, you've reached [First name Last name] at [Business name]. I'm away from my desk or on another call. Leave your name, number and a short message, and I'll call you back today.

9. Out of office, with a colleague to call

This is [First name] at [Business name]. I'm out of the office until [Monday, March 4] and I'm not checking voicemail. For anything urgent, call [Colleague] on extension [204]. Otherwise, leave a message and I'll return your call when I'm back.

10. Out of office, no cover

You've reached [First name Last name]. I'm out of the office until [date] and will return calls in the order they came in when I'm back. Leave your name and number, and thank you for your patience.

11. In meetings or on site all day

Hi, this is [First name]. I'm in meetings all day on [day] and can't take calls. Leave a message and I'll call you back tomorrow morning. If it can't wait, press zero to reach the front desk.

A "press zero" line only works where callers can press a key during the greeting, which is an IVR menu rather than a plain voicemail box. If you are not sure, leave the line out. See phone tree examples for menus with a zero option.

12. Someone has left, and calls go to a new person

You've reached the extension of [former colleague's name], who is no longer with [Business name]. [New name] now looks after these calls. Leave your name and number and [New name] will call you back, or call them directly on extension [212].

Department lines

A department line usually points at a shared voicemail box, so the message is heard by whoever is in, not stranded on one extension.

13. Billing

You've reached billing at [Business name]. Leave your name, your account number if you have it, and your phone number. We return billing calls within one business day.

14. Appointments

Thank you for calling appointments at [Business name]. Leave your name, your date of birth and your phone number, and tell us whether you want to book, move or cancel an appointment. We'll call you back today to confirm.

15. Support or service

You've reached [Business name] support. Leave your name, your number and a short description of the problem. Include any error message word for word. We'll call you back within [two business hours].

By industry

16. Medical or dental office, after hours

Thank you for calling [Practice name]. If this is a medical emergency, hang up and dial 911. Our office is closed. We're open [Monday to Friday, 8 to 5]. Leave your name, your date of birth and your phone number, and we'll call you back when we open. To reach the doctor on call, press [1].

The "press 1" line makes this an after-hours IVR greeting, with voicemail as the other outcome. On a plain voicemail box, leave that line out. The same applies to scripts 19 and 20.

17. Accounting firm, tax season

Thank you for calling [Firm name]. During tax season we're on the phone with clients most of the day, so please leave your name, your number and what you need. We return every call within one business day. If you're dropping off documents, our office is open [Monday to Saturday, 8 to 6].

18. Law firm, intake

Thank you for calling [Firm name]. If you're a new client, leave your name, your phone number, and a sentence about your matter, and someone from our intake team will call you back today. Existing clients, please leave your name and the attorney you work with.

19. Contractor or home services

You've reached [Business name]. We're out on jobs right now. Leave your name, your address and your phone number, and tell us what needs doing. We'll call back to arrange a time. For an emergency repair, press [1].

20. Property management, maintenance line

You've reached the maintenance line for [Company name]. If you smell gas, leave the building and call 911 or your gas company. For an urgent repair, such as a water leak or no heat, press [1]. For everything else, leave your name, your unit number and your phone number, and we'll call you back on the next business day.

A bilingual greeting

If many of your callers speak Spanish, a short line in Spanish on the main greeting helps them. Keep it to one sentence and have a Spanish speaker check your recording.

Thank you for calling [Business name]. Leave your name and number and we'll call you back within one business day. Deje su nombre y número después del tono, y le devolveremos la llamada.

A full bilingual menu belongs on the IVR, not the voicemail greeting: see phone tree examples.

Mistakes that cost you the message

• Starting with "Hello?" or a pause. Callers answer a greeting that sounds like a person, then talk over the recording.
• Listing every hour and every service. Say what matters to someone who wants a call back.
• "Your call is important to us." Callers have heard it on hold for an hour. Say when you will call back instead.
• A promise you can't keep. "We'll call you right back" on a Friday evening greeting is a complaint waiting to happen.
• Reading too fast. If the caller needs to write down a number, say it twice.
• Leaving a holiday greeting up. Put a reminder in the calendar for the morning you reopen.

Where each greeting lives on PBXflex

Every PBXflex user has a voicemail box on their own extension, so personal greetings (scripts 8 to 12) are recorded there.

Greetings for the whole office or a department (scripts 1 to 7 and 13 to 20) go on a shared voicemail box. A ring group can fall through to it when nobody picks up. A call queue can send callers there when nobody is free. An IVR menu can offer it as an option.

The IVR can play a different greeting in business hours and after hours, so your daytime script and your after-hours script can both be recorded and the system switches between them.

Messages left in any box on the account can be reviewed from the Voicemail Access Center, so a message left for billing on Friday evening is waiting for whoever opens up on Monday.

Shared voicemail is included on Business and Enterprise. Essentials includes one IVR, ring group or shared voicemail, with more available as add-ons. The pricing page has the full comparison.