It’s 18:30, your office is closed and a customer calls. They hear a generic greeting, with no name and no opening hours. They hang up without knowing when to call back.
A professional voicemail greeting clears that up. In a few sentences, it says who you are, when you can be reached and what the caller can do. These calls matter: on average, 27% of inbound calls come in outside opening hours.
This guide gives you 20 examples to copy, sorted by situation, and the 5 rules of a good greeting. You’ll also see how to record it, and what changes with an AI answering service that takes the request live.
What are the 5 rules of a good voicemail greeting?
A good greeting answers the caller’s questions before they ask them. It comes down to five rules.
- Introduce yourself in the first sentence: your business name, and the department if you have several. The caller knows straight away they’ve dialled the right number.
- Say when you can be reached: your opening hours, or the date you’re back. A vague “we’ll call you back shortly” leaves the caller guessing.
- Say what to leave: their name, their number and the reason for the call. You call back already knowing what it’s about.
- Offer another route: your website, an email address or an emergency number. A caller in a hurry finds a solution without waiting for your callback.
- Keep it short: aim for under 30 seconds. A short greeting gets the caller to the beep quickly.
Keep one habit too: update your greeting. A holiday message still playing after you’re back makes the business look absent.
These rules also apply when you pick up yourself. Our guide to phone etiquette covers the phrases to use live.
20 professional voicemail greeting examples to copy
Each example follows the 5 rules. They work on a business landline as well as on a mobile voicemail.
How to use these templates. Replace the details in brackets with your own. Then read the text aloud before you record it.
After hours
In the evening, the caller mostly wants to know when to reach you.
1. The classic
“Hello, you’ve reached (company name). Our office is now closed. We’re open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm. Please leave your name, your number and the reason for your call, and we’ll call you back when we reopen.”
2. With an email address
“Hello, and thank you for calling (company name). The team has finished for the day. Leave a message after the tone, or email us at (your email address). We’ll get back to you from 9am.”
3. Pointing to your website
“Hello, (company name), here to help from 8.30am to 5.30pm. For a quote, visit (your website) and go to the Contact page. For anything else, leave us a message and we’ll call you back the next working day.”
Lunchtime
The lunch break counts too. For a typical Starleads customer, 12% of calls come in between 12:00 and 14:00, when reception is often closed.
4. Reception closed over lunch
“Hello, you’ve reached (company name). Our reception is closed for lunch from 12 until 2pm. Leave your name and number, and we’ll call you back from 2pm.”
5. A short break
“Hello, (company name). The team is on a short break and will be back at 1.30pm. Leave a message after the tone, or call us back from 1.30pm.”
6. With online booking
“Hello, and thank you for calling. Our advisers are on their lunch break until 2pm. To make an appointment, you can also book directly at (your website).”
Holidays and annual closures
7. Summer holidays
“Hello, you’ve reached (company name). We’re closed for the summer holidays from (date) to (date) inclusive. Leave your name, your number and the reason for your call after the tone. We’ll call you back when we’re back, on (return date).”
8. Christmas closure, with an emergency contact
“Hello, (company name) is closed over Christmas and New Year, until (date). In an emergency, please call (first name) on (number). For anything else, leave a message and we’ll get back to you when we reopen.”
9. A personal absence
“Hello, you’ve reached the voicemail of (first and last name) at (company name). I’m out of the office until (date). While I’m away, (colleague’s first name) can help you on (number).”
Busy line or team on other calls
At peak times, the whole team may be on the phone. The greeting reassures the caller and offers a next step.
10. All advisers busy
“Hello, you’ve reached (company name). All our advisers are on other calls. Leave your name and number after the tone, and we’ll call you back today.”
11. Call back or leave a message
“Hello, and thank you for your patience. Our team is already speaking with other customers. You can call back in a few minutes, or leave a message: an adviser will get back to you as soon as they’re free.”
12. With online order tracking
“Hello, (company name). Our lines are very busy at the moment. To track an order, visit (your website). For anything else, leave us a message after the tone.”
Weekends
On average, 9% of calls come in at the weekend. Say the day and time you’re back.
13. Closed at weekends
“Hello, you’ve reached (company name). We’re closed at weekends. Leave your name, your number and the reason for your call. We’ll call you back on Monday from 9am.”
14. Open on Saturday mornings
“Hello, (company name), open on Saturdays from 9am to 12pm. We’re closed right now. Leave a message after the tone, and we’ll call you back when we reopen.”
15. With an out-of-hours line
“Hello, and thank you for calling (company name). The team is back on Monday. In an emergency, please call our out-of-hours line on (number). Otherwise, leave us a message.”
Agencies and professional services
In an agency or a firm, callers are often looking for a specific person or file. Help them give the right details.
16. An estate agency
“Hello, you’ve reached (agency name). Our team is out on viewings. For a valuation or a viewing, leave your name, your number and the address of the property. We’ll call you back today.”
17. An accountancy firm
“Hello, (firm name), accountants. We’re available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm. Please leave your name, your company name and what your call is about: your usual contact will call you back.”
18. A recruitment agency
“Hello, (agency name), recruitment and temporary staffing. Looking for work? Upload your CV at (your website). Hiring? Leave your name and number, and a consultant will call you back.”
Work mobile
On a mobile, keep the greeting to two or three sentences. Your name and your trade replace the company name.
19. A tradesperson on a job
“Hello, you’ve reached (first and last name), (your trade). I’m on a job and will call you back as soon as I can. Leave your name, your number and the address for the work.”
20. A salesperson in a meeting
“Hello, (first and last name) from (company name). I’m in a meeting. Leave me a message or send me a text, and I’ll call you back before 6pm.”
Even when it’s well written, a greeting is still a recording: the caller waits for your callback. With an AI answering service, they explain their request to Léa instead of speaking to a beep.
How do you record your voicemail greeting: voice, tone and length?
Take care over the recording too: it’s what the caller hears.
- The voice: choose whoever speaks most clearly, not necessarily the boss. Keep the same voice for all your greetings, so callers recognise your business.
- The tone: smile as you speak, it comes across. Speak a little more slowly than in conversation, especially for hours, dates and numbers.
- The length: time yourself reading the text. Over 30 seconds, cut one piece of information.
- The place: record in a quiet room, with no music or background noise.
- The check: call your own number and listen to the result, as a customer would.
Prepare your holiday and closure greetings in advance. On the day, all you have to do is switch them on.
What if the call were answered instead of recorded?
A voicemail greeting asks callers to wait, but it doesn’t answer them. The caller leaves a message, if they want to, then waits for your callback. Your team listens to each message before calling back.
Evenings, lunchtime and weekends add up.
- Outside opening hours27%
- Before 9:00 or after 18:0015%
- At the weekend9%
Then there’s the lunch break: for a typical customer, 12% of calls come in between 12:00 and 14:00.
calls handled outside opening hours that would otherwise have gone to voicemail
With an AI answering service, Léa, your AI agent, picks up when nobody else can. She talks with the caller and notes the reason for the call, their contact details and their availability. Your team receives a summarised request, sorted by topic, and calls back knowing what it’s about.
When enabled, the agent can transfer calls. Set the destination number and the transfer rules directly in its instructions.
You keep your number: when you’re away or the line is busy, call forwarding sends the call to Léa. Forwarding depends on what your phone provider offers. You write her first message like your current greeting, and we recommend that it says she’s an AI.
From Pro, a workflow (a chain of automatic actions) alerts your team or schedules a callback by Léa. Complex requests stay with your team. She can also take your calls during the day: see our page on inbound call handling.
In short
A good professional voicemail greeting says who you are, when to reach you and what to leave. It lasts under 30 seconds. Prepare one version for each situation, then switch it at the right time.
For evening, lunchtime and weekend calls, an AI answering service takes the request instead of recording a message. Your team calls back with everything in hand. It starts at €79 excl. VAT a month with a 12-month commitment, and you can try it free for 7 days, with no limits.
