---
title: "Business Voicemail Greeting Scripts: 20 Examples | PBXflex"
description: "Twenty voicemail greeting scripts to copy and adapt: main line, after hours, holidays, out of office, billing, medical, tax season and bilingual."
url: "https://www.pbxflex.com/guides/voicemail-greeting-scripts"
---

# Voicemail greeting scripts for business, with 20 examples

By the PBXflex team. Updated October 17, 2026.

## The short answer

A good business voicemail greeting does four things in about fifteen seconds. It says who the caller has reached, why nobody answered, what to leave in the message, and when to expect a call back. Below are twenty scripts you can copy and adapt: a main line in business hours and after hours, holidays and closures, personal extensions, out-of-office, billing and appointments lines, and greetings for medical offices, accounting firms in tax season, law firms, contractors and property managers. Swap the text in square brackets for your own details, read it aloud twice, then record it in a quiet room.

## 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](https://www.pbxflex.com/guides/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](https://www.pbxflex.com/features/common-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](https://www.pbxflex.com/guides/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](https://www.pbxflex.com/features/user-phone-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](https://www.pbxflex.com/features/common-voicemail-box). A
[ring group](https://www.pbxflex.com/features/call-ringgroup) can fall through to it when nobody
picks up. A [call queue](https://www.pbxflex.com/features/call-queue) can send callers there when
nobody is free. An [IVR menu](https://www.pbxflex.com/features/ivr) 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](https://www.pbxflex.com/features/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](https://www.pbxflex.com/pricing) has the full comparison.

## Questions people ask

### How long should a business voicemail greeting be?

Aim for 10 to 20 seconds, which is about 30 to 50 words at a steady pace. Callers who hear a long greeting hang up, or start talking before the tone. Say who they reached, why you missed the call, what to leave and when you will call back, then stop.

### What should a professional voicemail greeting include?

Your name or your business name, a short reason the call was not answered, what the caller should leave (name, number and the reason for the call), and when they can expect a call back. If there is a faster route, such as texting the same number or an emergency line, say so once.

### Should the greeting give business hours?

On an after-hours greeting, yes: callers want to know when to try again. On a daytime greeting, usually not, because the office is open and the caller only wants to know when you will call back.

### Can a greeting tell callers to text instead?

Only if the number is text-enabled. On PBXflex, business texting is included on every plan, so a greeting on a text-enabled number can say "If it's quicker, text this number and we'll reply."

### Where do these greetings go on PBXflex?

Every user has a voicemail box on their own extension, so personal greetings go there. Greetings for a department or the whole office go on a shared voicemail box, which a ring group, call queue or IVR menu can send callers to. The IVR can play a different greeting in business hours and after hours.

### How do I change the greeting for a holiday?

Record a holiday greeting in advance and switch to it on the last working day. Say the date you reopen, not "the holiday", because callers often reach the greeting days later. Switch back on the morning you reopen.

## Keep reading

- [Phone tree examples and auto attendant scripts](https://www.pbxflex.com/guides/phone-tree-examples)
- [Shared voicemail boxes for a team or a line](https://www.pbxflex.com/features/common-voicemail-box)
- [IVR, auto attendant and phone tree menus](https://www.pbxflex.com/features/ivr)
- [Review every voicemail box in one place](https://www.pbxflex.com/features/voicemail-access-center)
- [Business texting from your office number](https://www.pbxflex.com/features/business-sms-mms-rcs)

## Contact

- Email: hello@pbxflex.com
- Phone: (877) 575 - 9527
- Address: 1001 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90017
- Sign up: https://pbxflex.app/auth/sign-up