Customers’ first contact with a business is often with its voicemail. That makes creating a professional voicemail greeting and installing a voicemail system that’s easy to use incredibly important. A voicemail greeting that is off-putting, too long, or where it’s complicated to leave a message will lose potential customers.
Professional voicemails shouldn’t just be left on the main office phone. You should also create one for your cellphone and your customer service line. That way, customers will get the information they need no matter which number they call.
Primary Business Number Voicemail
Your publicly listed business phone number should always have a professional voicemail greeting. Most of your potential customers are likely going to call this number first so your greeting should be targeted toward them.
This greeting will also change if you change your business hours, close on a special day, and for the holidays. You may not need to change all your other greetings for these occasions but you must change this one to provide new information.
Another point is this greeting should be automated to have a different greeting for after-hours, on weekends, or to accommodate customers with emergencies. Some businesses have after-hour numbers and those should be listed.
One key factor with this greeting is to keep the greeting as short as possible while still providing all the necessary information. Customers hate drawn-out voicemail greetings and will often hang up on those without leaving a message.
Here are some examples of professional business greetings for your primary phone number.
Hello, this is [your company name]. We’re glad you called. Please leave a brief message with a phone number and we’ll call you back within 24 hours. Have a great day!
Hi, thank you for calling [company name]. We are busy helping other customers but would love to talk to you. Please leave your name and phone number and we’ll call you back. Have a good day!
This is [company name]. We can’t take your call at the moment but if you’ll leave your name and number, we’ll call you back within 24 hours. We look forward to talking to you soon.
Professional Greetings for Your Cell Phone
Many business owners use their cell phones to handle business calls. They either forward the calls from the primary phone number to their mobile phone or allow customers to call their cell phones after hours.
That makes it important to have professional voicemail greetings on your cell phone also. Things can get complicated when you use a cell phone for personal use also. That can be accommodated with technology.
Here are some examples of professional voicemail greetings for your cell phone.
Hi, this is [your name] with [your company name]. I’m sorry I missed your call but do want to talk to you. Please leave your name and number and I’ll call you back.
This is [your name] with [your company name]. I’m really busy today but will return your phone call within 24 hours. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message and I’ll call you back soon.
Hello, you’ve reached [your name] with [your company name]. I’m on the other line or with a client but would love to talk to you. If you will leave your name, phone number, and a message, we will get back to you soon.
Hi, it’s [your name] with [your company]. Thanks for calling. I can’t wait to talk to you and if you’ll leave your name and number, I’ll call you back as soon as I’m free. Feel free to send me a text with a brief message too. I look forward to talking with you soon!
Closed and Vacation Messages
You need to have automated messages available on your primary business phone and cell phone for when your business is closed or you are on vacation. These are simple messages that direct people who to contact if there’s an emergency or while you’re away.
Here are some examples for you to follow.
Hi, thanks for calling [your company]. We’re closed right now but want to talk to you. If you will leave your name and phone number, we’ll call you back tomorrow morning.
Thank you for calling [company name]. We are closed but would love to talk to you. Please leave your name and phone number and we’ll call you back in the morning when we’re open.
This is [your company name]. We’re sorry not to answer your call but it’s after hours. Leave your name and number and we’ll call you back. Emergency calls should call [phone number].
We’re glad you called [your company name]. It’s after hours and we’ll re-open at [time]. We would love to talk to you in the morning! Leave your name and number and we’ll call you back.
Hi, this is [your name] with [your company name]. I’m on vacation but would love to talk to you when I return. I will be back in the office [date] and will return your call then.
This is [your name] with [your company]. I’m on vacation but have delegated [employee name] to help customers in my absence. You can reach [him/her] at [phone number]. I appreciate your calling and will be happy to talk to you when I return.
Holiday Messages
Every business and business owner should change out voicemail messages on both the primary business and cell phones for the holiday. You have to be careful about the message because everyone doesn’t celebrate the same way.
Here are some examples of holiday messages you can use.
Happy holidays! We at [company name] want to meet all your needs. Please leave your name, phone number, and a brief message and we’ll call you back as soon as we can.
Seasons greetings! We at [company name] are extremely busy this holiday season but will make time for you! Leave your name and phone number and we’ll call you back within 24 hours.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or however you are celebrating! We at [company name] want to talk to you! Please leave your name and number so we can call you back! We look forward to serving you.
Hi, this is [your company]. We are serving all our holiday customers at the moment but would love to talk to you! Please leave your name and number and we return your call as soon as possible. Happy holidays!
Hi, this is [your name] with [your company]. Like you, I’m busy with holiday activities but want to talk to you. Please leave your name and number and either I or someone from our company will call you back.
This is [your name] with [your company]. It’s the holiday season and I’m on the go but want to talk to you! Please leave your name and number and I’ll call you back. Happy holidays! Have a blessed season.
Every voicemail greeting should set the tone for your company in either formality or informality. They should be upbeat and cheerful to show your customers you truly appreciate their calling.
It’s best to write out the greeting you want to do first before you record it. That ensures you won’t stutter or pause at awkward times.
Following some basic guidelines will show your customer’s your professionalism and eagerness to serve them and will go a long way to building a relationship with them.
Business voicemail greeting samples
If you have a main business phone number that’s shared with the customers or publicly listed, you’ll want to make sure it has a professional voicemail message to greet callers. Here are sample greetings you can use to help you craft your own.
