Templates
Business voicemail greeting scripts
Most callers who hit voicemail hang up without leaving a message — so a greeting's real job isn't collecting messages, it's capturing the lead some other way before they dial your competitor.
The uncomfortable truth about voicemail
Before you record anything, be honest about what voicemail actually does. A widely cited industry figure is that roughly 80% of callers who reach voicemail hang up without leaving a message, and about 85% won't call back if their first call goes unanswered. They don't wait. They dial the next business on the list — the one that picks up.
So a voicemail greeting is a leaky safety net, not a lead-capture system. What a good greeting can do is minimize the damage: convince the small share of callers who would leave a message to actually do it, and — more importantly — hand everyone else a faster way to reach you than waiting for a callback. That's the lens for every script below. (For what each lost caller actually costs, see our breakdown of the cost of missed calls.)
The greeting's real job isn't "please leave a message." It's giving the caller a faster path to you than waiting — a number to text or a link to book — before they hang up and call someone else.
What every greeting must include
Every script in this guide follows the same four rules:
- Say the business name first. Callers who aren't sure they dialed right hang up immediately.
- Set one clear expectation. "We'll call you back within [X minutes/hours]" — a specific promise, not "as soon as possible."
- Offer exactly one alternative action. "Text us at this number" or "book online at [website]." One, not three — a menu of options is where callers bail.
- Keep it under 20 seconds. That's roughly 40–50 spoken words. Cut the apology, the mission statement, and the office-hours recitation.
The scripts
Twenty-five copy-paste greetings, grouped by situation. Swap the bracketed placeholders, read each one out loud once before recording, and trim anything that doesn't sound like you.
| Scenario | Script |
|---|---|
| Standard daytime | "Hi, you've reached [Business Name]. We're with another customer right now. Leave your name and number and we'll call you back within [X minutes] — or text this number and we'll reply even faster." |
| All lines busy | "Thanks for calling [Business Name] — every line is busy at the moment. Leave a quick message and we'll get back to you within [X minutes]. If it's easier, text us right here and we'll respond right away." |
| Out on jobs | "You've reached [Business Name]. Our whole crew is out on jobs right now, but we check messages between every stop. Leave your name, number, and what you need — we'll call back by [time]." |
| Text-first | "Hi, this is [Business Name]. The fastest way to reach us right now is by text — send one to this same number and you'll hear back in minutes. Or leave a message and we'll return your call within [X hours]." |
| Booking-link | "Thanks for calling [Business Name]. We can't grab the phone right now, but you don't have to wait — book directly at [website] and pick the time that works for you. Or leave a message and we'll call back within [X hours]." |
| Short and minimal | "[Business Name] — sorry we missed you. Leave your name and number, or text us here for a faster reply. We'll get right back to you." |
| Scenario | Script |
|---|---|
| Standard after-hours | "You've reached [Business Name]. We're closed for the evening and back at [X] tomorrow. Leave a message or text this number, and we'll get back to you first thing in the morning." |
| After-hours with emergency line | "Thanks for calling [Business Name] — we're closed until [X] tomorrow. If this is an emergency, call our emergency line at [number] and someone will pick up. Otherwise, leave a message and we'll call you back when we open." |
| Weekend | "Hi, you've reached [Business Name]. We're out for the weekend and back Monday at [X]. Text this number or book online at [website] and we'll confirm your spot first thing Monday morning." |
| After-hours, text option | "You've reached [Business Name] after hours. You don't have to wait until morning — text this number now and we'll reply as soon as we open at [X]. Or leave a message and we'll call you back." |
| After-hours, online booking | "Thanks for calling [Business Name]. We're closed right now, but our calendar never is — grab a time at [website] and it's locked in. Otherwise, leave a message and we'll call back after [X] tomorrow." |
| Reopening soon | "Hi, this is [Business Name]. We open at [X] this morning — you caught us just before the doors unlock. Leave your name and number and you'll be our first call of the day." |
| Scenario | Script |
|---|---|
| Major holiday closure | "Happy holidays from [Business Name]! We're closed for [holiday] and back on [date]. Leave a message or text this number, and we'll get back to you the morning we return." |
| Holiday week, limited hours | "Thanks for calling [Business Name]. We're running limited hours this holiday week, so replies may take a little longer than usual. Text this number for the fastest response, or leave a message and we'll call back within [X hours]." |
| Vacation closure | "Hi, you've reached [Business Name]. We're taking a short break and reopen on [date]. Book your spot now at [website] and we'll confirm the day we're back — or leave a message and we'll return your call then." |
| Weather closure | "You've reached [Business Name]. Due to the weather, we're closed today for everyone's safety. Text this number and we'll respond as conditions allow, or leave a message and we'll call back as soon as we reopen." |
| New Year | "Happy New Year from [Business Name]! We're closed for the holiday and back on [date]. Leave a message or text us here — you'll be at the top of the list when we return." |
| Scenario | Script |
|---|---|
| HVAC / plumbing (urgent) | "You've reached [Business Name]. If you've got no heat, no AC, or water where it shouldn't be, call our emergency line at [number] — someone will pick up. For everything else, leave a message or text us here and we'll call back within [X minutes]." |
| Contractor | "Hi, this is [Name] with [Business Name]. I'm on a job site and can't grab the phone. Leave your name, number, and a bit about your project, and I'll call you back today. Texting works great too — same number." |
| Med spa | "Thank you for calling [Business Name]. We're with clients at the moment. Book your appointment or consultation anytime at [website], or leave a message and we'll call you back within [X hours]." |
| Auto shop | "Thanks for calling [Business Name]. The whole team's under a hood right now. Leave your name, number, and what your vehicle's doing, and we'll call back within [X minutes] — or text us here and skip the wait." |
| Real estate | "Hi, you've reached [Name] with [Business Name]. I'm with a client, but your call is important — leave your name and number and I'll get back to you within [X hours]. If you're calling about a listing, text me the address and I'll send details right over." |
| Funeral home | "You have reached [Business Name]. If you need immediate assistance at any hour, please call [number] and a member of our staff will answer. Otherwise, leave your name and number and we will return your call promptly. We're here to help." |
| Salon / spa | "Hi, thanks for calling [Business Name]! We're with guests right now. Book or reschedule anytime at [website] — it takes about a minute — or leave a message and we'll call you back before [time]." |
| Dental / clinic | "Thank you for calling [Business Name]. Our team is with patients at the moment. For appointments, book online at [website] or leave your name and number and we'll call back within [X hours]. If this is a medical emergency, please hang up and dial 911." |
Recording tips
The words matter less than how they sound. Five things that make any of these scripts land better:
- Smile while you record. It sounds like a cliché until you hear the difference — a smile genuinely changes vocal tone.
- Slow down about 20%. Nerves make everyone rush. Callers writing down a number need you slower than feels natural.
- Find a quiet room. Shop noise, road noise, and echo all read as "small-time" to a first-time caller.
- Re-record until it sounds like you. The first take almost always sounds read. Do it three or four times until it sounds said.
- Put holiday updates on your calendar. Nothing says "nobody's home" like a Christmas greeting in February. Set a reminder to swap seasonal recordings back.
The better fix: stop sending callers to voicemail at all
Here's the honest bottom line: even the best greeting on this page still loses most of the callers who hear it. The businesses that stopped bleeding leads didn't find a better script — they stopped relying on voicemail as the catch.
- Missed-call text-back fires a text within seconds of a rung-out call — "Sorry we missed you! How can we help?" — turning a dead end into a live conversation while the caller still has their phone in hand. See the missed-call text-back setup guide and how to wire the whole sequence in missed-call follow-up automation.
- An AI receptionist answers live 24/7 — greets the caller, answers questions, and books the job — so the call never reaches voicemail in the first place. That's what MySam's AI receptionist does, including full after-hours coverage.
Perspective check: a great greeting might rescue a few extra callers a month. Text-back and a live-answering AI receptionist rescue most of them. Record the best greeting you can — then treat it as the backup, not the plan.
Frequently asked questions
What should a business voicemail greeting say?
Four things: your business name, a quick acknowledgment that you missed the call, when the caller can expect to hear back, and one faster alternative — usually a number to text or a booking link. Say the business name first so the caller knows they dialed right, keep the whole thing under 20 seconds, and skip the apologies and the menu of options.
How long should a voicemail greeting be?
Under 20 seconds — roughly 40 to 50 spoken words. Callers decide in the first few seconds whether to wait for the beep, so lead with your business name and get to the callback promise and the alternative action fast. Every extra sentence raises the odds of a hang-up.
What's a good after-hours voicemail greeting?
Name the business, say plainly that you're closed, give your reopening time, and offer one action the caller can take right now: "You've reached [Business Name]. We're closed for the evening and back at [X] tomorrow. Text this number or book online at [website] and we'll confirm first thing in the morning." If you handle emergencies, add the emergency line before you sign off.
How do I stop losing callers who hang up on voicemail?
Stop relying on voicemail as the catch. The two proven fixes are automated missed-call text-back, which fires a text within seconds of the missed call and turns it into a live conversation, and an AI receptionist that answers live around the clock so the call never reaches voicemail at all. A better greeting reduces the damage; those two remove most of it.
Stop losing the callers voicemail can't save
See how an AI receptionist and instant text-back catch the leads your greeting lets slip — and get a plain-English Workflow Snapshot of where calls fall through today.
Keep reading
Sources
- Voicemail hang-up and callback figures (~80% hang up without leaving a message; ~85% don't call back after an unanswered call) are widely cited industry benchmarks aggregated from published call-center and vendor analyses; treat them as directional, not audited figures.