Guide
Business voicemail greetings you can copy
Here are 25 voicemail greeting examples for contractors and small businesses, sorted by why you missed the call: on a job, after hours, on a holiday or with an emergency to cover. Each one takes under 20 seconds to say. Change the names, record it on your phone and you will sound like a business instead of a phone number.
Before you record
What every business voicemail greeting needs
- Your business name in the first sentence, so the caller knows they have the right number before deciding whether to stay on.
- Your first name. People leave messages for a person more readily than for a company.
- A callback time you will keep, such as "before 5" or "at lunch". "As soon as possible" tells the caller nothing.
- What to leave: name, number said slowly, and the address or zip code if you travel to jobs.
- For trades, a one-line safety instruction at the very start if people might call you about gas, water or electrical problems.
What to leave out
"Your call is important to us" sounds like a call center and costs you three seconds. So does a list of every service you offer, because the caller already knows why they called. Spelling out a web address rarely works over the phone. Record somewhere quiet, not in the truck with the engine running, and hold the phone where you would for a normal call.
25 greetings to copy
Voicemail scripts for business, by situation
Swap in your own name and times. Read it out loud once before you record: if you trip over a phrase, change it to the way you would say it.
Out on a job
The most common reason a contractor misses a call. Say where you are in a few words, then give a callback time you can keep.
Hi, you've reached Rivera Plumbing, this is Luis. I'm under a sink right now and can't get to the phone. Leave your name, your number and what's going on, and I'll call you back before 5 today.
This is Kevin at Bright Line Electric. I've got the power off at a job, so I can't pick up. Tell me your name, your zip code and what the problem is, and I'll call you back this afternoon.
You've reached Summit Heating and Air. I'm up in an attic on a service call. Leave your name, your number and whether it's heating or cooling, and I'll call you back within the hour.
Hey, it's Jake at Hartley Roofing. I'm on a roof, which is why you got this message. Leave your name and number, slowly please, and I'll get back to you before the end of the day.
You've reached Oakline Builders. I'm on a job site with the saws running. If you're calling about a project, leave your address and a rough idea of the work. I return calls at lunch and after 4.
After hours
Give your opening time and one useful thing the caller can do now. It stops the same person calling four times overnight.
You've called Rivera Plumbing. We're closed for the night and back at 7 tomorrow morning. Leave a message and I'll call you first thing. If water is coming through a ceiling, turn off the main shutoff valve, usually where the water line enters the house.
Thanks for calling Summit Heating and Air. Our office is closed for the weekend. Leave your name, your address and what the system is doing, and we'll call you Monday at 8. If you smell gas, leave the house and call your gas utility or 911.
Hi, you've reached Sparkle and Shine Cleaning. Our office hours are 8 to 5, Monday to Friday. Leave your name, your number and the size of your home, and we'll call you back the next business day.
Thank you for calling Fenwick Bookkeeping. The office is open 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. Please leave your name, your company and a number, and I'll return your call the next business day.
Holidays and time off
Always give the date you are back, and set a reminder to change the greeting on your first morning. An old holiday greeting in February tells callers you are not paying attention.
Happy Thanksgiving from Greenway Lawn and Landscape. We're closed Thursday and Friday and back on Monday. Leave your name and number, and we'll call you back that morning.
Happy holidays from Sparkle and Shine Cleaning. We're closed from December 24th and back on January 2nd. To book a clean for the new year, leave your name and number and we'll call you when we reopen.
Hi, it's Tom at Oakline Builders. I'm away until Monday the 10th. Leave a message and I'll return every call that week, in the order they came in.
You've reached Bright Line Electric. We're closed for the Fourth of July and open again on the 5th at 7am. If you have sparks, smoke or a burning smell, leave the area and call 911.
Emergencies: what trades should say first
If people might call you about something dangerous, the safety instruction goes first, before your name and before the beep. Keep it to one sentence so nobody waits through it in a panic.
If you smell gas, hang up, leave the building and call your gas utility or 911. You've reached Summit Heating and Air. For anything else, leave your name, number and the make of your system, and we'll call you back today.
If anyone is hurt or in danger, call 911. This is Rivera Plumbing. For a leak, turn off your main water valve, then leave your address and number and I'll call you back as soon as I'm off this job.
If you have sparks, smoke or a burning smell, keep away from it and call 911. For a power outage, call your electric utility. Otherwise, this is Bright Line Electric: leave your name and number and I'll call you back within the hour.
Getting the right callback number
Blocked numbers and numbers said too fast are the biggest reason a message is useless. Ask for the number, and ask for it slowly.
Hi, it's Ana with Cortez Painting. I can't get to the phone. Please leave your name and say your number twice, nice and slow, and I'll call you back the same day.
You've got Mike's Handyman Service. If your number shows up as blocked, I can't call you back, so please leave the number you want me to call and your street name. I'll get back to you this evening.
Thanks for calling Tri-County Pest Control. Leave your name, your address and what you're seeing, whether that's ants, mice or something else. Please say your number slowly, and we'll call you back today.
General small business greetings
For an office, a shop or a service business where the phone is not always staffed. Short and plain works best.
You've reached Westside Auto Glass. We can't take your call right now. Leave your name and number and we'll call you back today.
Thanks for calling Harbor Dog Grooming. I'm with a customer at the moment. Leave your name, your dog's name and a good number, and I'll call you back between appointments.
You've reached Lakeview Property Services. We're away from the phone. For a quote, leave your name and number, or email us at the address on our website, and we'll reply within one business day.
Hi, this is Carla from Carla's Tile and Stone. It's just me here, so if I didn't pick up, I'm working. Leave your name, number and the job, and I'll call you back tonight.
You've reached Pine Ridge Garage Doors. If you're a new customer, leave your name, your address and what the door is doing, and we'll call you back with a time. Existing customers, please leave your name and the day we visited.
Thanks for calling Greenway Lawn and Landscape. We're booking spring cleanups now. Leave your name, your address and the services you want, and we'll call you back this week.
Every business in these examples is made up. For gas smells, the advice to leave and call the gas utility or 911 is the same advice our own receptionist gives callers.
Recording it
How to change your voicemail greeting
Your greeting is stored by your carrier, so the steps depend on who you are with. On a smartphone you can often do it from the Phone app instead.
iPhone
Open the Phone app. In the unified layout, tap Calls, then Edit, then Edit Voicemail Greeting. In the classic layout, tap Voicemail, then Greeting. Tap Custom, then Record. Apple says recording here is not supported by every carrier, so if the option is missing, use your carrier's steps below. Source: Apple Support.
Android
Open the Phone app, tap the dialpad and touch and hold 1. That calls your carrier's voicemail, where the menu lets you record a greeting. Some carriers also offer visual voicemail in the Phone app settings. Menu names vary by phone maker.
| Carrier | How to record a greeting |
|---|---|
| Verizon | Dial *86 from your Verizon cell and press call. Follow the spoken menu to change your personal greeting. |
| AT&T | Press and hold 1 on the keypad to call your voicemail, then follow the spoken menu to record a personal greeting. |
| T-Mobile | Press and hold 1, or dial 123, to call your voicemail, then follow the spoken menu to record a personal greeting. |
Prepaid, business and older plans can work differently, and menu options move from time to time. If a step does not match what you hear, follow the spoken prompts or check with your carrier.
The catch
Plenty of callers won't leave a message
A good greeting helps, but it cannot make someone wait for the beep. A homeowner with water coming through the ceiling often hangs up and calls the next plumber on the list. Our missed call cost calculator shows what that adds up to with your own numbers.
Voicemail or a receptionist
How an AI receptionist is different from voicemail
With While You Work, the calls you miss are forwarded to a number we give you, and an AI receptionist answers them in your business name. Here is how that compares with a voicemail box.
| Voicemail | While You Work | |
|---|---|---|
| Who the caller reaches | A beep after your recorded message | An assistant that answers in your business name and says it is an AI assistant |
| What it asks | Nothing. The caller decides what to say | The questions your trade needs: what the job is, the address and zip code, how soon |
| The callback number | Whatever the caller says, at whatever speed | Read back to the caller to check it |
| Urgent calls | Sit in your mailbox until you listen | Marked URGENT, and put through to your cell on Pro if you switch on transfer |
| What you get | An audio message to play back | An email within a minute with the details, a summary and the recording |
| Sales calls | Fill up your mailbox | Ended politely and never sent to you as jobs |
| Cost | Included in your phone plan | From $39 a month for 50 calls |
The receptionist answers 24 hours a day, so it also covers the calls a voicemail greeting would take at night and on weekends: see our after-hours answering service. You keep your own number and turn it on with one of our call forwarding codes. If voicemail is working for you, keep it and use the greetings above.
Questions
Voicemail greeting questions
What should a business voicemail greeting say?
Your business name in the first sentence, why you cannot answer, when you will call back, and what the caller should leave: their name, their number and what the job is. If people might call you about something dangerous, such as a gas smell, put the safety instruction first.
How long should a voicemail greeting be?
Under 20 seconds, which is about 45 to 50 spoken words. Every greeting on this page fits inside that. Longer greetings lose callers before the beep.
Should I use the default voicemail greeting?
Better not. The automated greeting only reads back the phone number, so the caller cannot tell whether they have reached the right business. Recording your own takes about five minutes.
How do I change my voicemail greeting on an iPhone?
Open the Phone app. In the unified layout tap Calls, then Edit, then Edit Voicemail Greeting. In the classic layout tap Voicemail, then Greeting. Tap Custom, then Record. Not every carrier supports recording this way; if yours does not, call your voicemail from the keypad instead.
Do I still need voicemail with an AI receptionist?
Keep a greeting recorded. While call forwarding is on, the calls you miss go to your receptionist, so callers do not reach your voicemail. If you turn forwarding off, voicemail picks up again, and a good greeting is still worth having.
Hear what it does with your own missed calls
Call (866) 977-5432 toll-free and hear our own receptionist answer, or talk to Ellie in your browser. Priced per call, not per minute: Starter $39 and Pro $79 a month, with a 14-day money-back guarantee. US sign-ups open in November.